Carlos Beltrán has mixed emotions when he reflects on his time with the Mets. But that seven-year tenure will soon be immortalized in team history.
Beltrán spoke for the first time since it was revealed he will have his No. 15 retired by the Mets and be inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame on Sept. 19.
“It really means a lot, even though at times I feel like I was misunderstood,” Beltrán said before Tuesday’s 4-3 series-opening win in 10 innings against the Diamondbacks at Citi Field. “It’s sweet, it’s … bitter at times because I felt there were moments where I was doing everything possible to try to connect with the fan base and for some reason, at times it was hard, because the message that was delivered sometimes, out there, about me didn’t allow me to connect with the fans. But believe it or not, this was the team where I feel like I grew the most. As a character, as an individual, as a player.”
Working as a special assistant to president of baseball operations David Stearns, Beltrán says his relationship with the fans — when he interacts with them around the ballpark — is better.
That experience, too, with New York media and all the added attention that comes with playing here has helped in his evaluation of players and as a mentor for them.
“I feel sometimes that you have to dig deep and to see if that player wants to come to a city like New York,” Beltrán said. “That attention is gonna be different. And at the same time, I always try to [make] myself available to have conversations with those players, just to share my experience. Hopefully, some of those experiences can help.”
Manager Carlos Mendoza said he “considers him like a brother. Every time he’s around, he impacts all of us in here.”
Having his number retired by the Mets is not something Beltrán expected, given the length of his tenure with the team and his mixed relationship with fans.
So, the honor provides him with a clear indication of what he meant to the organization, even if it wasn’t always a perfect marriage.
“I believe that it’s validation of the effort of my career as a ballplayer,” Beltrán said. “In the years that I played here, there’s no doubt that I went through a lot of ups and downs as a player. Being able to recognize that I deserve to have my number retired is very, very special for me.”
The jersey retirement comes after Beltrán found out he will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. This year has been so good to him that he joked he might get a “2026” tattoo.
Beltrán will wear a Mets hat on his Baseball Hall of Fame plaque. Despite a tenure filled with friction, he will forever be a Met.
“My identity as a baseball player,” Beltrán said, “is here.”
