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Carlos Beltran was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the writers Tuesday night after a stellar career at the plate and being directly linked to the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal.
It’s the ties to the scandal from the Astros’ 2017 World Series season that left baseball fans scratching their heads as to why Beltran received enough votes to reach the threshold.
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Houston Astros designated hitter Carlos Beltran (15) is congratulated by teammates after scoring in the fourth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on July 29, 2017. (Rick Osentoski/USA TODAY Sports)
They sounded on social media.
MLB’s report after investigating the Astros found they broke the rules for using electronics to steal signs en route to winning the 2017 World Series. In the report, Beltran was specifically mentioned as someone who played a major role in it. In fact, he was the only person mentioned in the report.
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New York Mets right fielder Carlos Beltran goes for the ball during the third inning of an MLB baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, April 22, 2011 in New York. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun, File)
This came out as Beltran was about to embark on his first season as a manager in the MLB, something he has wanted to do since he left the game as a player. But the Mets had to move on and eventually hired Luis Rojas before being replaced by Buck Showalter early last year.
No formal punishment was ever handed out to the players. The Astros’ organization was fined $5 million and forfeited draft picks. Team owner Jeff Luhnow and then-manager AJ Hinch were suspended for the 2020 season — which was later hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
Beltran’s numbers at the plate speak for themselves.
He was a lifetime .279 hitter with 435 home runs who was a nine-time All-Star and the 1999 American League Rookie of the Year. He played for the Astros, Mets, Kansas City Royals, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees and Texas Rangers. His career spanned 20 years.
Beltran received 84.2% of the vote – an increase of nearly 14% from last year’s round of voting. Still, no superstars tied to MLB’s steroid scandal have been selected.
New York Mets’ Carlos Beltran smiles during an introductory baseball news conference in New York, Nov. 4, 2019. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
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He was selected along with former Atlanta Braves star Andruw Jones.
