It was great to see Cardinals right fielder and former Met Carlos Beltran receive a warm welcome and a hearty round of cheers last night from the crowd at Citi Field.
Before the game, Beltran spoke to reporters about his future and said he hopes to continue performing at this level for another three years. He feels great and has been one of the most productive outfielders in the game this season and had avoided the DL since 2010.
When asked which hat he would wear if and when he were to be elected to the Hall of Fame, Beltran said he had his best numbers with the Mets.
“These are teams (Royals and Mets) that I spent the most time with,” Beltran said. “I guess in Kansas City I spent like the same time, six-and-a-half years. Here six-and-a-half. But I think if you look at my numbers, I had better numbers with the Mets than the Royals.”
A quick check on Baseball Reference bears out Beltran’s claim. During his time with the Mets, Beltran batted .280/.369/.500, with 149 home runs, 559 RBI and scored 551 runs and tied the franchise record with 41 home runs in one season. He also stole 100 bases while getting caught only 16 times and during his span with the Mets he had the best stolen base percentage in the majors.
There’s an excellent chance that Beltran could end up in Cooperstown if he continues at this pace and he has shown no signs of slowing down. The eight-time All-Star should finish with over 2,500 hits, 1,500 RBI, 1.500 Runs, with a power and speed combination of 400+ home runs, 500+ doubles and 300+ stolen bases.
I think he’ll be a lock at those numbers…. Real numbers with never even a hint of PED or Steroid suspicions…
