The Mets will have a third former player representing the team on his Hall of Fame plaque.
Carlos Beltrán will wear a Mets cap on his plaque, the Hall of Fame announced Tuesday, joining Tom Seaver and Mike Piazza as the only players in the franchise’s history with such a designation.
Beltrán told The Post last summer that his plan, if elected, was to wear a Mets cap on his Hall of Fame plaque. A source indicated that Beltrán likely didn’t immediately announce his intention after his election last month as a show of respect to the Royals, for whom he spent 6 ½ seasons to begin his career.
Carlos Beltran playing for the Mets. Anthony J. Causi
Also, Mets officials have discussed the possibility of retiring Beltrán’s No. 15 this season, according to a source. Already, the organization has ceremonies planned to induct members into the Mets Hall of Fame (Beltrán, Lee Mazzilli and Bobby Valentine will be enshrined) and celebrate the 40th anniversary of the franchise’s last World Series title in 1986. Team officials must decide if they want to have a third ceremony that would affix Beltrán’s number to the rafters.
Beltrán, now a special assistant with the Mets, played for the team from 2005-11 and produced an .869 OPS over that stretch. Some of his luster with the organization is obscured by the called third strike he took with the bases loaded against Adam Wainwright to end Game 7 of the NLCS against the Cardinals.
Later, Beltrán returned to the organization as manager. He was forced to resign after only 77 days as part of the fallout from the Astros’ illegal sign-stealing scheme. Beltrán was named as one of the ringleaders.
If Beltrán’s involvement in the scheme stalled his Hall of Fame selection, the derailment was brief. This year, his fourth on the ballot, he obtained 84.2 percent of the vote by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America to gain entrance into the Hall of Fame. A candidate needs to reach the 75 percent threshold for induction.
Andruw Jones will join Beltrán as a BBWAA inductee to the Hall of Fame in July. Also gaining induction was Jeff Kent, who was selected in December by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee.