Draft and minor leagues The
Kansas City Royals selected Beltrán in the second round of the
1995 Major League Baseball draft. After he signed, the Royals assigned him to the
Gulf Coast Royals of the
Rookie-level Gulf Coast League. Originally only hitting right-handed, he batted .276 with no home runs. During the off-season, Beltrán taught himself to hit left-handed, with advice from
New York Yankees outfielder
Bernie Williams and Royals minor league coach
Kevin Long. In 1996, he played for the
Spokane Indians of the
Class A-Short Season Northwest League, and the
Lansing Lugnuts of the
Class A Midwest League. In 1997 he spent the entire season playing for the
Wilmington Blue Rocks of the
Class A-Advanced Carolina League. He began the 1998 season with Wilmington and received a promotion to the
Wichita Wranglers of the
Class AA Texas League.
Kansas City Royals (1998–2004) 1998–99 Beltrán made his major league debut as a
September call-up in a 16-6 win over the
Oakland Athletics on September 14, 1998, getting a
single in his first plate appearance. Unlike many players, he never played in
Triple-A. By 1999, he won the job as the Royals' starting
center fielder and
leadoff hitter. He hit his first home run in the second inning of the season opener on April 10, a 9-4 road win over the
Chicago White Sox. He displayed significant power by midsummer and was moved to the #3 slot in the
batting order after the All-Star break. Beltrán won the
American League Rookie of the Year award, batting .293 with 22 home runs, 108 RBI and 27 stolen bases in 156 games, and led the league's center fielders with 395 putouts and 16 assists.
2000–2003 Injuries restricted Beltrán to 98 games during the 2000 season and he slumped to .247, losing his center field position to the popular
Johnny Damon. After Damon was traded to the Athletics following the season, Beltrán regained his job in 2001 and recaptured his rookie form. He batted .306 with 24 home runs and 101 RBIs that season, followed by lines of .273-29-105 in 2002 and .307-26-100 in 2003, and led the league in assists and double plays in 2001 and in assists in 2002. In the first 69 games of the 2004 season, Beltrán batted .278 with 15 homers, 51 RBI, and 14 stolen bases. As the end of his contract neared, the two sides failed to negotiate a long-term deal. Following an interleague doubleheader loss to the last-place
Montreal Expos, Royals
general manager Allard Baird informed reporters that he was preparing to dismantle the team and rebuild it for the 2005 season.
Houston Astros (2004) On June 24, 2004, the Royals traded Beltrán to the
Houston Astros in a three-team deal, which also sent relief pitcher
Octavio Dotel from the Astros to the Athletics, while the Royals picked up Oakland minor leaguers (pitcher
Mike Wood and third-baseman
Mark Teahen) and Astros catcher
John Buck. While still a Royal, Beltrán had been selected as an AL starting outfielder for the
All-Star Game. After being traded to the Astros, Beltrán was ruled ineligible for the AL roster and was not listed on the NL roster. However, after NL starter
Ken Griffey Jr. went on the disabled list, Beltrán was named his substitute. For the rest of the 2004 season with the Astros, Beltrán played 90 games, batting .258 with 23 home runs, 53 RBI, and 28 stolen bases. Overall in 2004 with both teams, Beltrán played 159 games with a .267 batting average,
38 home runs, 42 stolen bases, 104 RBI, and 121 runs scored. since exceeded only by
Daniel Murphy's home runs in six consecutive postseason games in 2015. In 12 games in the 2004 playoffs, Beltrán batted .435 with 14 RBIs and 21 runs scored.
New York Mets (2005–2011) 2005–06 Following the 2004 season, Beltrán became a
free agent. The Yankees were tipped as favorites, and Beltrán allegedly offered them a $19 million discount. The Yankees declined, and the crosstown
New York Mets signed him to a seven-year, $119-million contract, the biggest in franchise history at the time. It became the tenth contract in baseball history to surpass $100 million. On August 11, 2005, in a game against the
San Diego Padres at
Petco Park, Beltrán was seriously injured after colliding head-to-head with fellow Mets outfielder
Mike Cameron when both were diving to catch a ball in shallow right center field. Cameron missed the rest of the season with a
concussion, temporary loss of vision, and two broken cheekbones. Beltrán suffered
vertigo for a while, although both players eventually recovered. A
quadriceps injury bothered him most of the 2005 season and limited his speed. In 582 at bats, Beltrán's stats included career lows in batting average (.266), home runs (16), RBIs (78), runs scored (83), and stolen bases (17). Beltrán played for Puerto Rico in the
2006 World Baseball Classic, joining
Carlos Delgado,
Bernie Williams,
Javier Vázquez,
Iván Rodríguez and others on the team managed by
St. Louis Cardinals third base coach
José Oquendo. His 2006 season was an upgrade on his first year in New York. Boosted by 10 home runs in May, he surpassed his home run total from the previous year before the season was half over. Beltrán's performance secured him a spot in the
2006 All-Star Game, his third. Five other Mets joined him, including three as starters. Beltrán was a standout for the NL as the only batter with multiple hits, along with two stolen bases. He scored the go-ahead run that gave the National League a 2–1 lead in the third inning, though the American League won the game. He hit
grand slams in consecutive games on July 16 and 18, becoming the 23rd player to do so. Another grand slam at the end of July made him only the third Met to hit three in one season. Beltrán continued to produce with a
walk-off home run against the Cardinals on August 22, off
closer Jason Isringhausen. It was Beltrán's second walk-off of the season, following a 16th-inning gamewinner against the
Philadelphia Phillies. Beltrán's 41 home runs tied the Mets' single season record for homers, matching
Todd Hundley's total in 1996. (The record was broken by
Pete Alonso in 2019.) His 127 runs scored gave him sole possession of the Mets' single-season franchise mark. He and teammate
José Reyes won the
Silver Slugger Award at their respective positions. He also tied for the major league lead in times reached base on an error (13). Beltrán's defense was also recognized during the 2006 season, as he received his first
Gold Glove Award. He made only two
errors in 372
total chances to give him a .995
fielding percentage, and recorded 13 outfield assists and 6 double plays. He also won a
Fielding Bible Award as the top fielding center fielder in the major leagues. Beltrán finished fourth in the NL's
Most Valuable Player Award voting, behind winner
Ryan Howard,
Albert Pujols, and
Lance Berkman. Returning to the playoffs, Beltrán hit three home runs in the
NLCS, bringing his career playoff total to 11 home runs in 22 games.
2007–08 In
2007, Beltrán hit below .230 from May to July. However, he improved in August and September, finishing with a .276 batting average and 112 RBIs. In July, he made his fourth All-Star Game appearance and upon the conclusion of the season, won his second straight Gold Glove Award. On August 29, Beltrán collected all five RBIs for the Mets including a grand slam with two outs in the 9th to give the Mets a 5–2 lead, going on to win 5–4. Beltrán hit the last and only Mets home run in the final regular season game at
Shea Stadium (the last home run was by
Dan Uggla). The home run was a two-run shot that tied the game 2–2 against the
Florida Marlins. Beltrán won his third straight Gold Glove award in the outfield for the Mets.
2009–2011 Beltrán recorded his 1,000th RBI against
Scott Olsen (of the
Washington Nationals with a
triple in the third inning on April 24, 2009. In voting for the
2009 All Star Game, Beltrán was third among NL outfielders (2,812,295 votes), trailing only
Ryan Braun (4,138,559) and
Raúl Ibañez (4,053,355). On January 13, 2010, Beltrán had surgery on his knee and was originally expected to miss 8–12 weeks. The procedure was performed by Beltrán's personal physician Dr.
Richard Steadman. The Mets stated that the surgery was done without their consent, and the team expressed their disappointment with Beltrán's decision. However, his agent Scott Boras claimed that the Mets consented to the procedure. Beltrán played his first game of the 2010 season on July 15. Due to his declining defense, in 2011 Beltrán was moved from center field to
right field. On May 12, playing against the
Colorado Rockies, Beltrán hit three two-run home runs in a 9–5 Mets road victory. It was the only three-home run game of his career, and he became only the eighth Mets hitter in history to hit three home runs in a game.
San Francisco Giants (2011) On July 28, 2011, after he waived his
no-trade clause, the Mets traded Beltrán to the
San Francisco Giants in exchange for pitching prospect
Zack Wheeler. The Mets also sent $4 million cash to the Giants to cover Beltrán's remaining $6.5 million contract, which expired at the end of the 2011 season. The day after the trade, Beltrán got his first hit with the Giants (an RBI single to left field in the first inning), going 1-for-5 while playing right field against the
Cincinnati Reds. The Giants eventually lost to the Reds 4–3 in thirteen innings. On September 14, Beltrán hit two solo home runs against
San Diego Padres starting pitcher
Mat Latos. The shot gave him 20 home runs for the season and 300 for his career. Prior to this game, Beltrán had never hit against Latos. Both home runs were hit to the right side of the field with Beltrán batting from the left side. The 299th hit the arcade, and the 300th landed in
McCovey Cove which increased the "
Splash Hit" count to 59. Both home runs proved to be crucial, as the Giants swept the Padres in a 3-game series, with a score of 3–1. His home runs in the series accounted for 4 out of the 14 runs. After Beltrán signed with the Cardinals, he attained numerous milestones, personal as well other firsts. On April 4, 2012 (
Opening Day), Beltrán recorded the first-ever hit in a regular-season game at
Marlins Park against
Josh Johnson of the
Miami Marlins. On May 2 he had a career-high 7 RBI in a 12-2 win over the
Pittsburgh Pirates with a pair of three-run home runs and an RBI single. Beltrán was named
NL Player of the Week on May 14 after he hit .360 (9-for-25) with 6 home runs, 13 RBIs, 8 runs and 30 total bases for a 1.200 slugging percentage and 1.648
OPS in the previous six games, including a 9-7 12-inning loss to the
Atlanta Braves on May 11 in which he had a career-high 13 total bases with a pair of home runs, a triple and a double. He hit safely in five of the six games and homered in four of them. It was his ninth career weekly award, and sixth in the NL. On June 1, in his first game at
Citi Field after leaving the Mets, the crowd gave him a standing ovation. In one notable moment, a Beltrán batted ball touched the outside part of the foul line but was ruled a foul ball in a game in which former teammate
Johan Santana was credited with throwing the first
no-hitter in Mets history. Two weeks later, on June 15, while batting against another former team in the
Kansas City Royals, Beltrán stole second base in the second inning to become the first switch-hitter in major league history to attain 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases, and the eighth player overall. In a June 29 home game versus the [Pirates, he recorded a single in the third inning for his 2,000th hit, becoming the 270th player in major league history to do so. The day after he got his 2,000th hit, Beltrán collected his 400th double, becoming the 170th player to do so. Beltrán also participated in that year's
Home Run Derby. The Mets announced on June 18, 2012, that Beltrán was selected as the starting center fielder for 50th Anniversary Mets All-Time Team. In the
2012 National League Wild Card Game, his first postseason game since 2006, Beltrán had 1 hit in 4 at bats, scoring a run in the 4th inning. In the
2012 National League Championship Series, Beltrán batted .300 with 2 RBI and 2 stolen bases. He played in 6 of the 7 games in the series, missing most of Game 3 and all of Game 4 after suffering a knee injury. Playing in the third NLCS Game 7 of his career, Beltrán went 1–4 at the plate as the Cardinals lost 9-0 to the
Giants.
2013 In
2013, Beltrán played in 145 games with a .296 batting average, 24 home runs and 84 RBI. That same month, he was selected to his third straight All-Star Game. In October, Beltrán was the recipient of the
Roberto Clemente Award, becoming the
fourth Cardinals player to win it, joining
Lou Brock,
Ozzie Smith, and Albert Pujols. In the
2013 National League Division Series against the
Pirates, Beltrán had 4 hits in 18 at bats, hitting 2 home runs with 6 RBI in the series. In Game 1 of the
2013 National League Championship Series against the
Los Angeles Dodgers, Beltrán hit a double at the bottom of the 3rd inning to tie the game 2–2. In the top of the 10th inning, with the game still tied 2–2, Beltrán threw out
Mark Ellis at the plate after catching a fly ball, completing a double play that prevented the Dodgers from taking the lead. At the bottom of the 13th inning, Beltrán hit a walk-off single off of
Kenley Jansen, giving the Cardinals a 3–2 victory. For the whole NLCS, Beltrán had 6 hits and 6 RBI in 21 at bats. The Cardinals won the series 4–2, and Beltrán advanced to the first World Series in his career. In Game 1 of the
2013 World Series against the
Boston Red Sox, Beltrán injured his ribs in the 2nd inning after
robbing David Ortiz of a grand slam. Despite the injury, Beltrán would play in all 6 games of the series, batting .294 with 5 hits and 3 RBI as the Cardinals fell to the Red Sox four games to two. Beltrán filed for free agency after the World Series ended on October 30. On November 9, Beltrán declined a one-year, $14.1 million qualifying offer from the Cardinals, making him a free agent.
New York Yankees (2014–2016) On December 6, 2013, Beltrán agreed to a three-year, $45 million deal to join the
New York Yankees, despite receiving a $48 million offer from another team. The deal became official on December 19, 2013.
2014 On April 13,
2014, Beltrán played at
first base for the first time in his professional career after
Francisco Cervelli left the game due to a hamstring injury. On the night of May 12, 2014, Beltrán experienced soreness in his right elbow. It was revealed that the elbow had a
bone spur, and he was immediately given a cortisone shot. He was placed on the 15-day
disabled list on May 15, 2014. He was activated on June 5, 2014. To prevent any further damage to the elbow, he was used primarily as a
designated hitter for the remainder of the season. On September 16, 2014, Beltrán left the team for an indefinite period of time due to his wife's
miscarriage.
2015 Beltrán got off to a slow start in 2015, batting .162 through April. He slowly improved throughout the season and by the end of August had a batting average over .280. On July 3, Beltrán was placed on the 15-day disabled list with an
oblique injury. He was activated on July 19. On August 14 against the
Toronto Blue Jays, Beltrán hit a
pinch-hit go-ahead 3-run home run in the 8th inning. It proved to be the game winner and temporarily put the Yankees back in first place. He reached 500 career doubles on August 31 against the
Boston Red Sox. Beltrán ended the regular season with 19 home runs, 67 RBIs and a .276 average in 133 games. In the
2015 American League Wild Card Game against the
Astros, Beltrán had 1 hit in 4 at bats as the Yankees fell to the Astros 3–0.
2016 On April 25,
2016, Beltrán became the 84th player to make
10,000 career plate appearances. He collected his 2,473rd career hit on April 27 against the
Texas Rangers to pass
Ted Simmons for tenth place on the all-time list for switch hitters. Beltrán hit his 400th career home run against the White Sox on May 15, the 54th player in major league history to do, the fourth switch hitter, the third Puerto Rican-born player, and the fifth to do so with 300 stolen bases and 500 doubles. On May 28, Beltrán homered for his 2,500th career hit off
Matt Moore of the
Tampa Bay Rays, joining
Roberto Clemente,
Iván Rodríguez and
Roberto Alomar as just the fourth Puerto Rican-born player to reach the milestone, and the 99th player overall to reach 2,500 hits. He became the fourth player, after
Willie Mays, Barry Bonds and
Alex Rodriguez, to reach 2,500 hits, 400 homers, 300 stolen bases and 1,000 walks. On June 7, Beltrán became the
38th player to record 1,000 career extra base hits. He was selected to his ninth
All-Star Game at
Petco Park in San Diego. In a 5–3 loss to the
Boston Red Sox on July 15, he became the 55th player, and fourth switch hitter, to reach 1,500 RBIs for his career. In 99 games with the Yankees, Beltrán batted .304 with 22 home runs and 64 RBI. Beltrán hit his first home run for Texas on August 3 against the
Baltimore Orioles, also scoring his 1,500th run on the play. Towards the end of the season, Beltrán stated that he had "no plans to retire", contradicting his statements before the season. Beltrán ended the season with a .295 average, 29 home runs and 93 RBI in 151 games between the Yankees and Rangers.
Second stint with the Astros (2017) On December 3, 2016, Beltrán signed a one-year, $16 million contract to return to the
Houston Astros for the 2017 season as their designated hitter. According to a 2023
Frontline documentary about the Astros during the period, former Astros GM
Jeff Luhnow stated that they signed Beltrán due to his potential effect and influence on the team's clubhouse and its young roster, and not for his analytical production. Former Astros video and advance info manager Antonio Padilla also stated that upon his arrival, he was viewed as a leader of the team, was a
walking encyclopedia, and remarked that he had an aura around him on the team, especially with its Latin players who viewed him very prestigiously. On July 17, after not having played in the field in two months, his teammates held a mock funeral for his glove. The Astros won 101 games and clinched the
AL West division title, marking the second time in franchise history they won at least 100 games. They faced the
Boston Red Sox in the best-of-five
ALDS. In Game 4 on October 9, Beltrán hit a ninth-inning RBI double that proved to be the deciding run in a 5–4 victory that clinched the series for the Astros. The Astros overcame one of Beltrán's former teams, the
Yankees, in the
ALCS in seven games. As the Astros advanced to the
World Series, it was the second of Beltrán's career, where they opposed the
Dodgers. During the series, Beltrán registered three plate appearances over three games, going 0–3. The Astros defeated the Dodgers in seven games, making Beltrán a World Series champion. Beltrán announced his retirement from playing on November 13, 2017. Two years later, it was revealed via a
sign stealing scandal that the Astros had broken MLB rules during the 2017 season. According to the report, an electronic sign-stealing scheme was implemented during the season, allegedly spearheaded by a coach and a "veteran player". Many have speculated that the coach and player in question were
Alex Cora and Beltrán, with some Astros players' testimonies lining up with some of their speculations. When Major League Baseball confirmed that the Astros had stolen signs illegally, Beltrán was the only player named in the commissioner's report. Beltrán apologized for his role in the scandal. ==International career==