Carlos Beltrán combined power, speed and defense like few players in baseball history.
And when the lights were brightest, Beltrán was at his best.
Born April 24, 1977, in Manati, Puerto Rico, Beltrán was selected in the second round of the 1995 MLB Draft by the Royals. He made his big league debut just three years later and earned Kansas City’s starting center field job in 1999, becoming just the eighth player in MLB’s Modern Era (post-1900) with at least 100 runs scored and 100 RBI in a rookie season en route to the AL Rookie of the Year Award.
After battling injuries in his sophomore season, Beltrán reeled off four straight years with at least 24 homers, 100 runs scored, 100 RBI and 30 steals – establishing himself one of the game’s top five-tool players. He earned his first All-Star Game selection in 2004, the same season that he was traded to the Astros in advance of his first foray into free agency.
Beltrán finished that season with 38 homers, 104 RBI and 42 stolen bases, then hit four homers in the NLDS vs. Atlanta and another four homers in the NLCS vs. the Cardinals. He became the first player in history with two four-homer series in one postseason and only the third ever with at least two postseason series (over multiple years) with four home runs.
“This is as good as I’ve ever seen anybody swing the bat,” Astros manager Phil Garner said.
Beltrán signed with the Mets as a free agent prior to the 2005 season and won the first of three straight Gold Glove Awards in 2006. Those three years also featured two Silver Slugger Awards and at least 112 RBI every year. He helped the Mets advance to the 2006 NLCS, hitting three home runs in that series.
Beltrán was traded to the Giants in a stretch-drive deal in 2011 then signed with the Cardinals, earning two more All-Star Game selections while helping St. Louis advance to the NLCS in 2012 and the World Series the following year. He played for the Yankees and Rangers in 2014-16, earning his ninth All-Star Game selection in his age-39 season, before helping the Astros win the World Series in his final season in 2017.
Beltrán finished his career with a .279 batting average, 2,725 hits, 565 doubles, 435 homers and 312 steals, plus better than 1,500 runs and 1,500 RBI. He is one of just four players in history with at least 400 homers, 300 steals and three Gold Glove Awards, and his 86.4 percent success rate on stolen bases is the top figure of anyone with at least 300 steals.
In 65 postseason games, Beltrán hit .307 with 16 homers, 42 RBI and 45 runs scored. He was a perfect 11-for-11 on stolen base attempts.
In 2013, Beltrán won MLB’s Roberto Clemente Award for his efforts in the community.
“I must say that this year’s recipient truly exemplifies Roberto’s philosophy,” Clemente’s widow, Vera Clemente, said when presenting Beltrán with the award in 2013. “Carlos Beltrán, you are the pride of all Puerto Ricans.”
