1999 Topps All-Star Rookie Outfielder Carlos Beltrán

Ok cats and kittens, let's talk Carlos Beltrán. The folks at Topps love a good overnight sensation story, and Beltrán was ready to deliver it. He skipped AAA and jumped to the big leagues to stay in 1999, shocking many by winning the AL Rookie of the Year award. So of course he was also headlining the 1999 Topps All-Star Rookie Squad.

A 2nd Round pick in 1995 out of Puerto Rico, Beltrán was well-known in Kansas City circles, but not considered a major league prospect in his first few pro seasons. He had a great glove, and was even named KC's best defensive minor league player in 1997. In 1998, he forced his way into the Royals' future plans by making a meteoric rise through the system. Still just 21 years old, he was promoted mid season to AA Wichita, where he hit .352/.427/.687 in 47 games. He was also stealing bases and playing elite defense in Center field. The surprising totals earned him a September call-up. He had started the year as the 93rd ranked prospect in baseball and found himself as the 14th by the time spring training rolled around in 1999. He made the Opening Day roster and began making his mark in the big leagues from there.

The early 00s Royals were probably one of the most exciting cellar dwellers in baseball. The outfield alone consisted of Beltrán, Johnny Damon, and Jermaine Dye. Well, at least for a little while. The Royals weren't major players in free agency, and at the time really struggled to re-sign their talented youngsters. Damon was traded in 2001 before the season started, then by mid season Dye was off to Oakland to join him. Beltrán stuck around a bit longer, through some fairly lean years. His talent was enough to keep fans interested and invested in the Royals, where he could be counted on for 20+ homers, 30+ steals, and Gold Glove worthy defense for parts of 7 seasons. He was a legit 5-tool player, and coming up on his prime (and free agent) years, which meant it was only a matter of time before he was traded.

In 2004,  the Astros spent big in the offseason to add Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte to their starting rotation. They already had future hall of famers Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell in their lineup, but there was one position that had been a glaring weakness for some time. The Astros needed a center fielder. When the team pulled off a three-team deal in June, they finally found the man they'd been missing. Houston execs gushed about Beltrán, and they got exactly the player they were hoping for. In 90 regular season games, he belted 23 homers, stole 28 bases, and had a 135 OPS+ to go with 4.5 WAR. That was just an appetizer for the post-season. In the NLDS against Atlanta, he went 10-22 with 4 homers and 9 RBI. He scored 9 runs and stole a pair of bases. He played equally well in the NLCS, hitting 4 more homers, scoring 12 times in the 7 game series and producing a WPA (win probability added) of .82 for the series, which trailed only the great Albert Pujols. The Astros were eliminated in that final game, but for that brief time, Beltrán made his value clear.  

Now a free agent and just entering his prime at age 28, Beltrán made his way to New York to try to make a legacy for himself and the Mets. Things didn't go quite as he planned, though hindsight shows that he was even better in New York (129 OPS+) than he was in Kansas City (111 OPS+). He was undone again by the Cardinals in the post season of 2006, losing in 7 games in the NLCS. Beltrán had the the final at bat in the series, and was locked up by an Adam Wainwright curve ball, which some Mets fans still hold against him. All told, he spent 7 seasons in Queens. Despite 5 All-Star Appearances and 3 Gold Gloves, Beltrán was often blasted by the New York media for the team's inability to win titles. He was well respected by his teammates and coaches, but just like his time in KC, as his contract came to a close, the writing was on the wall that a move would be made.

 

Just shy of the trading deadline in 2011, the Mets sent Beltrán to San Francisco in exchange for pitcher Zack Wheeler. Beltrán hit well for his new team down the stretch, slashing .323/.369/.551 with 7 homers, but the Giants finished 2nd in the NL West and missed the playoffs. A free agent again, Beltrán attempted the old fashioned "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em" strategy and signed with the St. Louis Cardinals. He had a pair of All-Star campaigns, as well as more post season glory. In the 2012 NLDS, he hit .444 with a pair of homers. He tormented the Dodgers the following year in the NLCS with 6 hits including the Game 1 walk off winner. 

He returned to New York in 2014, now as an elder statesman and reserve outfielder. He'd reach the post season in 2015 for a cameo appearance (1-4), then again with the Rangers in 2016 as a DH. The only thing left for Beltrán, with all his personal success in the post season and in his career, was to find a way to bring home a championship for his team.

In 2017, he'd get his chance. He was a well-loved and well-respected icon among his teammates, and they even jokingly held a funeral for his outfielder's glove in July, as Beltrán had become at that point more of a player/coach and pinch hitter. He was always a student of the game and like his coach Alex Cora, extremely adept at reading opponent's signs and tendencies.

R.I.P. Beltrán's legacy?

Now at this point, we have only the various accounts of other teammates, coaches and opposing players to guide what Beltrán did as part of the 2017 Astros' sign stealing scandal. What seems most damning is that his name was only one singled out among the players in the official report of the investigation. What his exact role and level of involvement was, we might never really know. Certainly he was working to help his team win by any means necessary and certainly crossed a line. His coach Alex Cora would say as much - but also wanted to make it crystal clear when he said that this wasn't a two man operation. Cora shared responsibility for the scandal with the whole team, didn't say he was any less guilty, but also didn't think what happened with Beltrán after the investigation was totally "fair."

Beltrán was hired to manage the Mets shortly before the news of the sign stealing scandal was released. he would resign his position before ever taking the field as manager, and hasn't returned to baseball since. He did just get hired by the Yankees of all teams to be an analyst for their broadcasts in 2022 (if MLB has any broadcasts is still up in the air at the moment). 

So, tally it all up - a Rookie of the Year, 2X Silver Slugger, 3X Gold Glove winner, 9X All-Star, and "World Series Champion" with some legit career numbers. His post-season career was quite impressive, earning him the nickname Señor Octubre. Out of all the people involved with the scandal, so far he seems to have been negatively impacted the most. It didn't hurt Marwin Gonzalez, George Springer, A.J. Hinch, or Alex Cora in the long term- it remains to be seen how Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve fare with their next contracts, but chances are they'll get paid well too.  

Maybe we'll get to hear more from Beltrán in the future about his role in all of this. He's scheduled to appear on the 2023 Hall of Fame Ballot, so one way or another we're bound to hear plenty of other people talk about it.