Carlos Beltran (2026)

Kansas City Royals

Beltran was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in June, 1995. He played in the minor leagues from 1995 through most of 1998.

Beltran played in 14 games with the Royals in 1998. He had a strong first full season in 1999, and he won the AL Rookie of the Year award. He had a career high in hits with 194. He also had 27 doubles, 22 home runs, 27 stolen bases, 108 RBIs, 123 strikeouts to 46 walks, and a .293 batting average in 156 games. Defensively, as a center fielder, he made 395 putouts and 12 errors in 154 games.

In 2000, Beltran had injuries that limited his playing time to 98 games. He batted just .247 with 92 hits, 15 doubles, and 44 RBIs. Defensively, he made 219 putouts and 6 errors as a center fielder in 83 games.

Beltran came back strong and healthy in 2001. He finished the season with 189 hits, 32 doubles, 24 home runs, 101 RBIs, 31 stolen bases, 120 strikeouts to 52 walks, and a .306 batting average in 155 games. Defensively, as an outfielder, he made 404 putouts and 5 errors in 152 games.

In 2002, Beltran played in a career high and AL leading 162 games. He had 174 hits, a career high 44 doubles, 29 home runs, 35 stolen bases, 105 RBIs, 135 strikeouts to 71 walks, and a .273 batting average. Defensively, he played as a center fielder in 149 games, and he made 396 putouts and 7 errors. He continued as a center fielder through 2010.

Beltran had another strong season in 2003, when he batted .307 in 141 games. He had 160 hits, 14 doubles, 26 home runs, 41 stolen bases, 100 RBIs, and 81 strikeouts to 72 walks. Defensively, he made 371 putouts and 5 errors in 130 games.

Houston Astros

The Royals traded Beltran to the Houston Astros on June 24, 2004. He played in 69 games with KC and 90 games with the Astros. He finished the season with 160 hits, 36 doubles, 38 home runs, a career high 42 stolen bases, 104 RBIs, and a .267 batting average. His walk to strike ratio was good, with 92 walks to 101 strikeouts. Defensively, he made 398 putouts and 8 errors in 158 games.

New York Mets

Beltran became a free agent on October 28, 2004, and he signed with the New York Mets on January 13, 2005. In his first season with the Mets, he batted .266 with 155 hits, 34 doubles, 16 home runs, 78 RBIs, and 96 strikeouts to 56 walks in 151 games. Defensively he made 378 putouts and 4 errors in 150 games.

Beltran had his best season in 2006. He won his first Silver Slugger award that season, and he had career highs in home runs (41), RBIs (116), walks (95 to just 99 strikeouts), and OPS (.982). He also had 140 hits, 38 doubles, and a batting average of .275 in 140 games. Defensively, he also had a strong season, winning his first Gold Glove. In 136 games, he made 357 putouts and 2 errors, and he had a .995 fielding percentage.

In 2007, Beltran won his second Silver Slugger award for batting .276 with 153 hits, 33 doubles, 33 home runs, 23 stolen bases,112 RBIs, and 111 strikeouts to 69 walks in 144 games. Defensively, he won another Gold Glove for making 389 putouts and 5 errors in 141 games.

Beltran continued to play well for the Mets in 2008, finishing the season with a .284 batting average in 161 games. He also had 172 hits, 40 doubles, 27 home runs, 25 stolen bases, and 112 RBIs. He walked 92 times and struck out 96 times. He won his third Gold Glove for making 418 putouts and just 3 errors in 158 games.

Beltran had knee surgery in 2009 and he played in just 81 games. He played very well in those games, batting .325 with 100 hits, 22 doubles, 48 RBIs, and 47 walks to just 43 strikeouts.

Beltran spent the first part of 2010 recovering from his knee surgery. He played in only 64 games and he had a .255 batting average with 56 hits.

San Francisco Giants

The Mets traded Beltran to the San Francisco Giants on July 28, 2011. He played in 98 games with the Mets and 44 games with the Giants. He finished the season strong and healthy, batting .300 with 156 hits, 39 doubles, 22 home runs, 84 RBIs, and 71 walks to 88 strikeouts. Defensively, he also played well, finishing with 230 putouts and 1 error in 134 games.

St. Louis Cardinals

Beltran became a free agent on October 30, 2011. He signed with the St. Louis Cardinals on December 23rd. In his first season with the Cardinals, he batted .269 with 147 hits, 26 doubles, 32 home runs, 97 RBIs, and 124 strikeouts to 65 walks in 151 games. Defensively, he moved to right field, and he made 210 putouts and 2 errors in 132 games.

Beltran had another good season in 2013, when he batted .296 in 145 games. He had 164 hits, 30 doubles, 24 home runs, and 84 RBIs. His strikeout numbers, however were high in comparison to his walks: 90 strikeouts to 38 walks. Defensively again in right field, he made 242 putouts and 5 errors in 137 games. He remained a right fielder for the rest of his major league career.

Beltran won the Roberto Clemente award in 2013.

New York Yankees

Beltran again became a free agent on October 31, 2013. He signed with the New York Yankees on December 19th.

Beltran suffered two injuries in his first year with the Yankees, and he spent time on the DL with a hamstring injury and with an elbow injury that ended in surgery in October.

His numbers for 2014 include 94 hits, 23 doubles, 49 RBIs, and a .233 batting average in 109 games.

In 2015, Beltran played in 133 games. He finished the season with 132 hits, 34 doubles, 19 home runs, 67 RBIs, 85 strikeouts to 45 walks, and a .276 batting average. Defensively, he made 166 putouts and 3 errors in 123 games.

Texas Rangers

The Yankees traded Beltran to the Texas Rangers on August 1, 2016. He finished the season with 163 hits, 33 doubles, 29 home runs, 93 RBIs, 101 strikeouts to 35 walks, and a .295 batting average in 99 games with the Yankees and 52 games with the Rangers.

Return to Houston Astros

Beltran was once more a free agent on November 3, 2016. He returned to the Astros on December 5, 2016. In 129 games in 2017, he batted just .231 with 108 hits, 29 doubles, and 51 RBIs. He struck out 102 times and walked just 33 times. He spent most of the season as the Astro's DH (107 games).

Awards and MLB Records

• AL Rookie of the Year, 1999
• Roberto Clemente award, 2013
• Gold Glove - 3 times
• Silver Slugger award - 2 times
• Led AL in games played, 2002

Career Statistics

Career batting statistics for Beltran include:

• 2,506 games played
• 2,725 hits
• 565 doubles
• 78 triples
• 435 home runs
• 1,587 RBIs
• 312 stolen bases
• 1,795 strikeouts to 1,084 walks
• .279 batting average
• .350 on-base percentage
• .837 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Beltran as a center fielder include:

• 2,211 games played
• 5,158 putouts
• 75 errors
• .986 fielding percentage

Postseason statistics for Beltran include:

• 256 games played
• 215 at-bats
• 66 hits
• 15 doubles
• 16 home runs
• 42 RBIs
• 11 stolen bases
• 33 strikeouts to 37 walks
• .307 batting average
• .412 on-base percentage
• 1.021 OPS

Post-MLB

Beltran joined the Yankees as a special adviser to Brian Cashman, the team's general manager, in December, 2018.

On January 28, 2022, Beltran was hired by the YES Network as an analyst for their broadcasts. He left that position on February 6, 2023, to join the Mets front office.