Carlos Beltran is officially calling it a career. The 20-year MLB veteran announced his retirement through the Players’ Tribune rather than spend another offseason looking for a job. And he does so after finally being part of a World Series winner.
Carlos Beltran announces retirement after winning the World Series
Beltran finally won the World Series, and now he’s going out on top.
Andrew Dieb-USA TODAY Sports
Beltran had a tough 2017, but it was also his age-40 season, so he might have left the game behind even if he had put together another solid campaign. Over a career that began back in 1998 at the age of 21, Beltran played for the Royals, Astros, Mets, Giants, Cardinals, Yankees, Rangers, and the Astros again.
For his career, Beltran was a .279/.350/.486 hitter, good for an OPS+ of 119, but his bat wasn’t all he brought to the table. It’s easy to forget now when he’s 40 years old and a guy who should always be the DH when he plays, but he was once one of the best defensive center fielders in the game, and his efficiency on the basepaths was a highlight for years: He stole 312 bases in his career and was caught just 49 times, good for an 86 percent success rate.
Beltran is one of the great players of his era, and he should be a Hall of Famer. Whether he actually gets voted in is another story — one to debate five years from now when he’s eligible.
Seriously, though, he should be enshrined in Cooperstown.
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