COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Carlos Beltrán went into the Hall of Fame wearing a Mets cap. George Brett would have preferred otherwise, and he said so.
Kansas City Royals’ Carlos Beltran hits a solo home run off Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Nate Robertson during the first inning Thursday, June 24, 2004, in Kansas City, Mo. The Tigers beat the Royals, 12-3. After the game Beltran was traded to the Houston Astros. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)
“I was just disappointed he didn’t choose the Royals,” Brett told World Baseball Network. “I was hoping he chose the Royals to go in — the Royals cap — because we gave him a start.”
Hall of Famer George Brett smiles during a news conference ahead of a baseball game between the Detroit Tigers and the Kansas City Royals at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb., Thursday, June 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
Kansas City drafted Beltrán in the second round in 1995 out of Puerto Rico. By September 1998 he was in the majors. In 1999 he was the American League Rookie of the Year.
Five thousand balls
Brett watched all of it, and threw a good deal of it.
Kansas City Royals Hall-of-Famer George Brett throws batting practice during baseball spring training on Friday, March 2, 2012, in Surprise, Ariz. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
“I probably threw him 5,000 balls at batting practice throughout his career,” he said. “I was always impressed with the way the ball came off the bat — learning to switch hit once he became a professional baseball player. It’s hard to do.”
Asked which side of the plate Beltrán was better from, Brett didn’t accept the premise.
“I don’t think there was a better side,” he said. “He was just a solid, all-around Gold Glove center fielder, Rookie of the Year. He could do it all.”
The trade, and everything after
Kansas City Royals coach Tony Pena, left, talks to former Royal and current Houston Astros’ Carlos Beltran prior to the start of the All-Star game in Houston Tuesday, July 13, 2004. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Beltrán was traded to Houston in June 2004, three weeks before that All-Star Game. He signed with the Mets that winter.
Why the Mets
He played seven seasons for Kansas City and seven for New York, and the résumé tilted east. Five of his nine All-Star selections, all three Gold Gloves and both Silver Sluggers came with the Mets. He appeared in more games in New York, 839 to 795.
St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, center, jumps for joy after New York Mets batter Carlos Beltran struck out to end Game 7 of baseball’s National League Championship Series, Thursday, Oct. 19, 2006, at Shea Stadium in New York. Home plate umpire Tim Welke, right, punches Beltran out. The Cardinals won 3-1 to advance to the World Series against the Detroit Tigers.(AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
“Every team I played for shaped my journey, and I’m grateful to all of them,” Beltrán said when the Hall announced the cap selections. “With the Mets, I experienced my greatest individual growth and success.”
He becomes the third player to be depicted in a Mets cap in Cooperstown, after Tom Seaver and Mike Piazza.
Seven teams, one plaque
Every club he played for is listed in the text of the plaque — and there were plenty. After Kansas City and Houston came the Mets, then San Francisco, St. Louis, the Yankees, and Texas.
St. Louis Cardinals’ Carlos Beltran (3) celebrates as he crosses home plate after hitting a solo-home run off Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Mark Melancon in the eighth inning of Game 3 of a National League division baseball series on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2013 in Pittsburgh. The Pirates won 5-3, to take a two game to one lead in the best of five series. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Carlos Beltran smiles during a news conference at Yankees Stadium, Friday, Dec. 20, 2013, in New York. The former St. Louis Cardinals outfielder signed with the New York Yankees on a $45 million, three-year contract. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
The Hall has the final say
Inductees don’t make the call alone. The Hall of Fame provides guidance on which logo, if any, appears on a plaque, and holds the final decision, though it works with each electee to reach a conclusion that reflects the career.
What Kansas City has left
Brett’s disappointment ran past one plaque.
“The Royals aren’t well represented here,” he said. “I think we’re gonna have a pretty good showing in a few years when Sal retires.”
Kansas City Royals’ Michael Massey, left, listens to former Royals player and Hall of Famer George Brett during batting practice prior to a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Thursday, June 12, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
He expects Beltrán’s new title to carry weight in a Mets uniform regardless.
“He’s gonna go to spring training, and guys will listen to him,” Brett said. “Not that they shouldn’t have listened to him before. But once you’ve got that HOF after your name — when you talk to 18-, 19-year-old kids, they’re gonna listen a little bit more.”
Beltrán was inducted July 26 alongside Andruw Jones and Jeff Kent, elected by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America in his fourth year on the ballot. He is the sixth Hall of Famer from Puerto Rico.
Kansas City Royals Vice President for baseball operations George Brett talks with players in the dugout before a spring training baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers Saturday, March 26, 2022, in Surprise, Ariz. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Brett, who still suits up for Royals spring trainings, described his own role with characteristic economy: “My wife calls me Slugger in a Tie.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source worldbaseball.com ’
