FLUSHING, NY — Saturday afternoon’s Amazin’ scene in Queens was one Carlos Beltrán never could have imagined or had in mind while growing up in Manatí on the small island of Puerto Rico.
Posting up career numbers that would stamp his name amongst legends in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, inducted into Cooperstown over the summer, Beltrán was one of the few true five tool players of his generation. Especially during his seven year run with the New York Mets from 2005-2011.
Inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame Saturday afternoon, Carlos Beltrán became the ninth player to have his number retired by the Mets as his No. 15 will forever hang from the rafters at Citi Field – Image Credit: George Napolitano/Latino Sports
A franchise the 49-year-old and sixth-ever Puerto Rican Cooperstown Hall of Famer will always be proud to say he was and will always be a part of.
Saturday afternoon during his number 15 retirement and Mets Hall of Fame induction ceremony on the diamond of Citi Field, Beltrán voiced this message and much more in front of a Queens crowd of 37,468.
“I will always be proud to say I was, and I will always be, a New York Met. God bless you all.” -Carlos Beltrán, a 2026 @baseballhall inductee and 2026 @Mets HOF inductee
Visit https://t.co/rMmlz12RCz #LGM #MLB #LatinoSports #CarlosBeltrán #Mets | @MLBPuertoRico pic.twitter.com/nKxjCNQT2X
— Latino Sports (@LatinoSports) September 19, 2026
A ballpark that opened in 2009, with only a small number of Major Leaguers able to call Citi Field home as ballplayers, along with Shea Stadium, the Mets’ home ballpark from 1964-2008.
“Sometimes, you were hard on me, and that’s OK,” Beltrán said in his speech. “Today as a father, I realize I am hard on my own children, too, not because I love them less but because they are capable of more. Back then, I did not understand it. Today, I do.”
All of Carlos Beltrán’s family were in attendance for his special day on Saturday in Queens, including his three children, wife, mom and dad, and three siblings – Image Credit: George Napolitano/Latino Sports
One of nine players ever to have his number retired by the Mets, Beltrán posted legendary numbers with the Amazin’s in 889 career games—statistics that rank him within the top 10 of several significant categories such as—149 home runs (eighth in franchise history), 559 RBI (seventh), 208 doubles (seventh), .869 OPS (fourth) .369 on base percentage (sixth), .500 slugging percentage (sixth), bWar 31.1 (third), and 449 walks (10th).
Despite battling through a change of scenery from his playing days in Kansas City as Royal before his time on the New York scene in the Big Apple, a big market, Beltrán earned five All-Star nods as a Met, won three consecutive Gold Gloves from 2006-2008 in center field and two Silver Slugger Awards from 2006 and 2007.
“All of a sudden being in New York, there were things that I needed to learn,” said Beltrán, also becoming the first Puerto Rican inducted into the Mets HOF. “I didn’t have those tools in Kansas City—dealing with the media, dealing with the responsibilities, dealing with expectations, dealing with the ups and downs of baseball in a city like New York. It’s the real deal.”
Carlos Beltrán’s iconic playing career in MLB featured 10 years of the Manatí, Puerto Rico native playing in New York—seven as a Met and three as a Yankee – Image Credit: George Napolitano/Latino Sports
The real deal or in other words, a massive decision made by Beltrán earlier this year was the switch-hitting Puerto Rican—the only switch-hitter in MLB history to reach 300+ career home runs and 300+ stolen bases—opting to enter Cooperstown with a Mets hat on his Hall of Fame plaque.
The reason why? Beltran believes his time spent as a Met were his “best years in baseball.”
“I would say it was my best years in baseball,” he said, currently with the organization as a special advisor to Mets’ president of baseball operations David Stearns. “Even though at times it felt difficult and it felt different. Meaning my relationship (with the fans), and sometimes how things went down. I don’t know the message that was sent out about me as a person or about me as a player. It’s hard to connect with a fanbase when the message out there is always negative.”
“But being honest and having the experience to play for the Mets, I felt like playing in this organization, I kept saying this in my speech for the Hall of Fame, I grew the most as a person, as a leader. I’m grateful for that. I’m grateful for the relationships I was able to build in the clubhouse with the players… Keeping those relationships has really been incredible and amazing for us.”
Carlos Beltrán speaking to the press and media on Saturday in the Shannon Forde Press Conference Room at Citi Field – Image Credit: George Napolitano/Latino Sports
In July of 2011, a time when Beltrán’s playing tenure in orange and blue came to an end, the then 34-year-old was acquired by the San Francisco Giants in a trade with the Mets for current Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler.
“He had a special career, I was traded for him so it hits home a little bit more,” Wheeler said. “It’s pretty cool to see and congratulations to him.”
Another cool moment that took place during No. 15’s special day was the bond between Mets Puerto Rican switch-hitting shortstop Francisco Lindor and Beltrán displayed through each of their media availabilities.
“It’s very inspiring. Someone that was close to me and to every Puerto Rican. Anybody that’s Puerto Rican that makes it big, us Puerto Ricans feel like we made it as well,” Lindor said on how Beltran inspired him and to see him honored for his on and off field impact.
“To be on the biggest stages, playoffs, All-Star games and to see him come back to the island is very special. We always talk about guys like that, like the Beltráns, (Roberto) Alomar, (Carlos) Delgado, (Iván) Rodríguez. Guys that set the path for a guy like me today.”
"Anybody that's from Puerto Rico and makes it big, us Puerto Ricans feel like we made it, as well."
Francisco Lindor says it was "very inspiring" to see Carlos Beltrán's success in Major League Baseball: pic.twitter.com/5QX8pUuM4n
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) September 19, 2026
Beltran, returning the love right back to Lindor said, “I love Francisco. I admire him. I love the way he plays. I always watch the switch-hitters in the game. He will be in this position (Cooperstown Hall of Fame and Mets HOF) at some point in life. I’m grateful for the friendship that we have…We have a good relationship. We talk about baseball, we talk about hitting, life, family, we talk about kids, we talk about everything. The relationship I was able to build with him is a friendship more than anything else.”
And like Lindor, a two-time LatinoMVP, his teammate Juan Soto, a three-time recipient for the most prestigious and oldest award earned by Latino MLB players, he said Beltrán’s “been big on me, helping me how to learn the Mets way, how things work here, how to handle New York.”
Soto went on to say: “I only played one year in New York before I came here, and everything went well. He was like, yeah, when everything is good, everyone is good. Everybody loves you. But you have to be prepared for when things are going bad. And he’s helped me with that.”
Like countless MLB superstars and soon to be stars in this game, Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto were and continued to be inspired by Carlos Beltrán for his work on and off the diamond – Image Credit: George Napolitano/Latino Sports
Beltrán’s willingness to help others and the next generation started way before he made the decision to hang up the cleats, winning the Roberto Clemente Award in 2013 as a St. Louis Cardinal.
If there was an annual award for former MLB players based on their impact and continued effort in giving back to the community, Beltrán would be up for it, still pouring a lot of time and resources into the game with his academy—The Carlos Beltrán Baseball Academy—which focuses on giving students a chance to pursue their baseball dreams while also getting an education.
Carlos Beltrán on the passion for baseball in Puerto Rico and his academy’s impact across his homeland that has helped the next generation become professionals in the U.S. on and off the diamond
Visit https://t.co/rMmlz12RCz #MLB #LatinoSports #CarlosBeltrán #LGM #Mets… pic.twitter.com/JhZZnRMeGi
— Latino Sports (@LatinoSports) September 20, 2026
At the end of the day Beltrán is committed and focused on giving back to the island that made his dreams come true.
“I think the passion in Puerto Rico comes from our history, baseball history,” he said. “Starting with Roberto Clemente and going through all the players that have played the game of baseball in the island. They have done incredible jobs. So being a little island in the Caribbean, I think you grow watching the game of baseball and you grow up watching all the guys that represent the island. When you’re little, hopefully, you wanna get the chance to hopefully do that. Right? And help your family and thank God I have been able to do all that.”
“I was able to build a high school in Puerto Rico, The Carlos Beltrán Baseball Academy, which specializes in baseball. Because at the end of the day, baseball is the hook for us to educate kids to have opportunities to come study in the United States and continue their education. So, that’s where I really spend my time now, trying to promote that. And in the fifteen years that we’ve been open, we have graduated more than 600 kids. And all of them have come through the United States, gone home with their education and become professionals. Some others have chosen to sign as professional baseball players and we’re proud of the job that we’re doing.”
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