Kansas City Royals: Three thoughts on 2020 Hall of Fame

Carlos Beltran

In 2002, when Ibanez had his breakout season, he finished behind 25-year-old Carlos Beltran in all but three major offensive categories. That season, Beltran paced the Royals in runs (114), hits (174), doubles (44), triples (seven), home runs (29), RBIs (105), and stolen bases (35).

Beltran played another three seasons after Ibanez hung it up, so he’s not yet eligible for Hall of Fame voting. (A player must wait five seasons after retiring to be placed on the Hall of Fame Ballot.) When Beltran is on the ballot, he has a very interesting case to make.

Over at baseball-reference, toward the bottom of a player’s page is a section for “Hall of Fame Statistics,” which lists five different areas and compares the player to others in the Hall. In two of those categories (Hall of Fame Monitor and Hall of Fame Standards), Beltran’s a Hall of Famer. In another two (Black Ink and Gray Ink), he’s not. In another (JAWS), it’s incredibly borderline.

For a minute, let’s say that Beltran gets in. Which is his primary team? He spent seven seasons with both the Royals and the New York Mets. He played in more games with the Mets, but collected more hits with the Royals. He had a single more at-bat with the Royals, the team with whom he broke into the league, than he did with the Mets, the team with whom he had his peak seasons.

Interesting debate, one which we’ll have in a couple of years despite what occurred in his final season with the Houston Astros. Remember, when the Royals dealt Beltran, they dealt him to the National League version of the Astros, way back in 2004. He tore it up for Houston in those 90 games, and then had a postseason to remember: in 12 games, he corked eight home runs while driving in 14 runs, stealing six bases (in six attempts) while scoring 21 runs and totaling 47 total bases. He hit .435.

After his Astros fell to the St. Louis Cardinals (another team for whom he’d play), Beltran left for a megacontract with the Mets*. But he returned to Houston in 2017, and that’s when, evidently, all hell broke loose.

*In case you’re wondering what might be my favorite Beltran-with-the-Mets moment, wonder no more.

Maybe you’ve heard about the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal of 2017 that broke in November, 2019, and recently cost three sitting managers and one general manager their jobs? One of those managers was Beltran, hired to be the next Mets skipper but who, for the time, finishes with a managerial record of 0-0.

I’m not going to delve into the scandal. That’s already been done at this site. But I will say it most certainly calls into question Beltran’s shot at being enshrined in the halls of Cooperstown. It shouldn’t, but it will.

Look, there are plenty of unsavory characters in the Hall of Fame. (Ty Cobb, anyone?) Plus there are inductees who have gained advantages through the usage of performance-enhancing drugs. Two more players associated with PEDs may get in this year or next. What’s so different about Beltran’s role in the sign-stealing scandal? Why should those guys get in while he’s kept out? It doesn’t wash.

Hopefully, this isn’t the end of Beltran’s relationship with baseball. Personally, I hope he gets another shot at managing a ball team. And as long as that team isn’t the Astros (or Cubs), I’ll be rooting for him.

When the time comes, debating Beltran’s candidacy will be fascinating.