Getty
Carlos Beltran will don a Mets cap on his plaque at the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Carlos Beltran did not start or finish his career with the New York Mets. But he’ll be remembered as a member of the Mets for all eternity.
Beltran will don a Mets cap on his plaque at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, becoming the third player to sport a logo for the Queens-based team.
Beltran joins his former Mets teammate Mike Piazza and superstar starting pitcher Tom Seaver as the only other players with a Mets logo on their caps at the museum in Cooperstown, New York.
Beltran was granted admission into the Hall of Fame along with former Mets infielder Jeff Kent and longtime Mets nemesis, and Atlanta Braves star center fielder Andruw Jones, last month. They will be inducted into the Hall on July 26.
Carlos Beltran Will Don A Mets Cap On His Hall of Fame Plaque
Beltran played for seven teams in 20 big-league seasons. He came up as a can’t-miss prospect with the Kansas City Royals, had a postseason for the ages in 2004 with the Houston Astros then toiled with the San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees and Texas Rangers at the end — before finally winning that elusive World Series title with the 2017 Astros.
But all along, Beltran felt the Mets were his home.
“Every team I played for shaped my journey, and I’m grateful to all of them,” Beltran said according to MLB.com. “With the Mets, I experienced my greatest individual growth and success. I’m honored that my Hall of Fame plaque will feature the Mets logo, and I’m proud that every team I played for will be listed on the plaque.”
Aside from his growth, Beltran played the most games of his career with the Mets (839) of any club in his career while spending seven seasons in Queens. He was a five-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glove winner and two-time Silver Slugger with the Mets, and he ranks fourth in Mets history in OPS (.869) and is seventh on the Mets’ all-time home run list (149) and RBIs list (559).
Carlos Beltran’s No. 15 Will Likely Be Retired By The Mets This Year
When he bought the Mets in 2021, Steve Cohen made it a point to get the organization on better footing with their all-time greats.
Of course, he reignited Old Timers’ Day in 2022, where he honored more than 60 Mets alums. They have retired the numbers of Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry and David Wright in the past two seasons.
So look for Beltran’s No. 15 to be sent to the rafters at Citi Field this year.
As one of the best players in Mets history, Beltran’s number retirement was always possible. But the fact other players have worn No. 15 — most recently Tyrone Taylor just last season — since Beltran left kept the door open for someone else to make it memorable.
Still, with Beltran going into the Hall in 2026 and as a member of the Mets, a Beltran Day seems inevitable. Plus, the Mets already intend to celebrate the 1986 team — it is the 40th anniversary after all — but could remind fans of their NL East Division-winning 2006 team, of which Beltran was a member.
Pat Pickens is an experienced sports writer and media personality who has written for outlets like NHL.com, the Associated Press, the New York Times and USA Today. He covers the NFL, NBA, NHL and NBA as a breaking news contributor at Heavy. More about Pat Pickens
More Heavy on Mets
Loading more stories