The Case for Carlos Beltran

Yankees' DH/outfielder Carlos Beltran has been one of the bigger names in the game of baseball for the past 15 years or so since he won the AL Rookie of the Year award for the 1999 season (side note, ROYs are announced tonight at 6 PM). He signed a 3-year deal with the Yankees after last offseason, putting him under contract until the end of the 2016 season when he will be 39 years old. If he were to sign anything after that, it would most likely be strictly as a designated hitter.

I said he was one of the bigger names, but not the biggest. When you think of MLB stars, the first name to come to mind is not Carlos Beltran, it's probably Mike Trout, Miguel Cabrera, or Clayton Kershaw. But that's how Beltran has made his career: good baseball under the radar, and better baseball when it matters, boasting a .333 career postseason average in 51 games. 

With the end of Beltran's career in sight, or at least slowing down with injuries this year for the Yankees, the question comes to mind: will Carlos Beltran be a Hall of Famer?

The Case Against Beltran
There are a few big strikes against Beltran that will be hard for voters to see past. The biggest isn't one thing or another, it's just him: he doesn't really stand out. When you look at his career stats, what pops out to you? Other than the ROY in 1999, nothing really. And that's the biggest problem. He's been extremely consistent, oscillating back and forth between the lesser of the best and the best of the lesser, which could explain why he's bounced around to so many teams in his career (KC, NYM, HOU, SF, NYY, STL), but he's never filtered to the top, the best of the best. While this can be combated with his postseason performances, there are a couple other issues I want to address before we move to the case for him.

• No rings. I know voters may not put a lot of stock into winning titles, but it's one of the first things I look at in a player; it shows dedication to the franchise, the ability to make players around them better, it shows putting the team's will to win over your own to succeed. Not to say Beltran is self-centered or has a big ego, but he's never been the fearless leader that I think was expected of him. In 1999, Beltran's official rookie season, the Royals finished in 4th place in the Central at 64-97, and even worse, from 1999-2004, his last year as a Royal, they finished 409-562. He's won a handful of pennants, but he didn't make the team good, he was just on a good team.
• No league leading stats. There have been a lot of Hall of Famers to never win a World Series (just ask any Cub who played the last 100 years or any Red Sox fan from 1918-2004), but that doesn't mean they didn't have great players. Carlos Beltran has led the league in one thing during his entire career: games played in 2002, which he shared with 4 other people. 

  

  Shoutout to Ms. Frizzle.

• Consider some of the "marquee stats" that basically solidify Hall of Famers. 3,000 hits - no (possible, but not probable; 2,322 currently), 400 home runs - no (again, close, 373), .300 average - no (not happening, .281), 500 doubles - no (close, 469). 
• No personal awards other than ROY (with a class of Freddy Garcia and Jeff Zimmerman).
• He's never stayed on a good team very long. He goes where the money is.

The Case for Beltran

While his biggest strike against him was that he mostly played in the shadows of other big names, the brightest feather in his cap is his consistency. The fact that he bounced from team to team shows that he always performed no matter where he went. He's appeared in 4 postseasons for 3 different teams 9 years apart (2004, 2006, 2012, 2013) and as I mentioned earlier, hit at an elite level (.333) with 16 home runs and 40 RBIs in 51 games. 

Projecting his Hall of Fame class ballot class will be tricky. If he retires after the 2016 season, he'll be on the 2021 ballot and eligible for the 2022 class, and it's hard to say who else will retire in 2016. Names that come to mind are Torii Hunter, David Ortiz, Tim Hudson, Ichiro, just to name a few. Then there will be those still on the ballot from the previous packed years, including Roger Clemens, Craig Biggio, Mike Piazza, Jeff Kent, Mike Mussina, and everyone's favorite, Barry Bonds. It will be a crowded ballot again (projected) but I think of these names, Beltran does have the numbers to filter to the top. 

Though he does not have any rings, he was always in the conversation (although he was never at the beginning of the paragraphs). And since I mentioned the "marquee" stats, let's compare him to other Hall of Famers:

• Hits: If he retired today, his 2,322 hits would be 82nd in the Hall behind Barry Larkin, but almost a whole season under the HOF average of 2,397. With two more healthy years in a Yankee uniform, Beltran could eclipse 2,600. 
• Home runs: 373 would put him 32nd among Hall of Famers and while many players were inducted for something other than power, if Beltran reaches 400 in his next two years, it will put him in an elite club and the top 25 of Hall of Famers. 
• Batting average: Statistically, Beltran's .281 average is probably the biggest dirt we have on him. It would rank 122nd of the Hall of Famers, just before Rickey Henderson.  Like I said though, Beltran wouldn't get in based on average, it would be the next stat.
• Doubles and slugging percentage: Beltran's 469 doubles is a formidable stat. Currently he ranks 45th in doubles in the Hall of Fame class and is already two seasons above the HOF average of 410. He will easily get to 500 in the next two seasons if he stays healthy, putting him in the top 35 and deeper into the voting mind. Furthermore, his slugging percentage is no Babe Ruth, but an impressive .491 would be 43rd in the Hall and 29 points above the average. Wow.

The last trait he has going for him is not so much he did on the field as he did off. Beltran, a Puerto Rican, has played the 6th most games in the Majors out of anyone from Puerto Rico. He has the 5th most All-Star games (8) out of anyone from Puerto Rico, and he's in excellent company: Roberto Clemente (HOF), Pudge Rodriguez (soon to be HOF), Roberto Alomar (HOF), and Orlando Cepeda (HOF). He also won the 2013 Roberto Clemente Award, which is awarded to the player "combining good play and strong work in the community" (BBR). 

While Puerto Rico has given the Majors plenty of talent, only a handful of that talent has both produced at an elite level and given back to their community. While it may seem that Beltran just goes to the team with the biggest paycheck, he takes that paycheck and returns it to his home in Puerto Rico investing in his Carlos Beltran Foundation, a place where children can chase their dreams through sports and education. Mark Newman of MLB.com has more here.

To do something like this while he is still playing shows that he's not just in it for the positive press or the tax breaks. When he retires, I'm sure he could coach or announce or do just about anything else regarding professional baseball but I think he'll go right back to Puerto Rico and help young boys and girls be successful like he was. 

He isn't the best hitter we've ever seen. He isn't the best fielder we've ever seen even though he has 3 Gold Gloves. He isn't the greatest leader we've ever seen. He isn't the most decorated player. But he's one of the best men to play the game and to do it at that high of a level for 17 years (already, and two more to come) deserves my Hall of Fame vote. 

Thanks for reading.