Nine-time MLB All-Star Carlos Beltran, who played for both the New York Mets and New York Yankees, announced his retirement on Monday.
After an illustrious 20 years in the majors split between Kansas City, both sides of New York, San Francisco, St. Louis, Texas, and Houston, Carlos Beltran was able to finally hoist the Commissioners Trophy earlier this month and conclude his playing career a champion.
While most assumed that Beltran playing until he was 40 was due to the fact that he was so hungry for a championship, he disproved that in his Players’ Tribune article, explaining that he contemplated retirement over the summer and even during Houston’s incredible World Series run.
— Carlos Beltran (@carlosbeltran15) November 13, 2017
“I had always dreamed about winning a championship, and I chased every opportunity to do so in my career. But I never thought that I needed to win a World Series to make my career complete. Like I said before, I realized early on that my purpose in this game was to share knowledge with younger players and to give back to the game of baseball. I always wanted to do that — that, and be the best teammate I could possibly be. Over 20 years, I feel like I accomplished that. So whether we won or lost Game 7, I would have still been happy with my career.”
Beltran was a sure lock for Cooperstown with or without the storybook ending that was the 2017 postseason, but it is safe to say that Beltran deserved a ring as much as any other player in the game.
Beltran leaves baseball with a slash line of .279/.350/.486, 1,582 runs, 2,725 hits, 435 homers and 1,587 RBI. While he may not have surpassed 3,000 hits, his power stats more than make up for it.
A Rookie of the Year, three-time Gold Glove winner and nine-time All-Star. Have a career, Carlos Beltran.
