Carlos Beltrán, one of the latest members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, has not yet determined which cap he will wear on his Hall of Fame plaque, he stated recently. Beltrán played seven seasons with the Kansas City Royals and another seven with the New York Mets, appearing in slightly more games with New York (839 versus 795).
“There is no doubt my best years in baseball are with two teams – the Kansas City Royals and the New York Mets,” Beltrán said. “That’s a decision that I would love to sit down with my family, with (my wife) Jessica, with my kids and make a decision on that. I did really enjoy my time in New York. Now I work as an advisor for the Mets, so there’s a lot of weight in the New York cap.”
Ultimately, the Hall of Fame holds the authority on which team will be represented on the player’s plaque, though the player does have some influence.
“The Hall of Fame provides guidance to each new inductee as to which logo, if any, may be represented on the cap of his plaque,” Jon Shestakofsky, Baseball Hall of Fame vice president of communications and content, told CBS Sports last year. “While the Hall has the final decision regarding which logo is depicted, we collaborate with the electee to come to a conclusion that accurately reflects their career in the game. All teams are listed in the text of the plaque.”
Several players with lengthy careers like Beltrán have been shown with a blank cap on their Hall of Fame plaques. Notable recent inductees who faced this include Roy Halladay, Greg Maddux, and Mike Mussina.
Beltrán played for 20 seasons from 1998 to 2017, starting with the Royals. His full career included stints with the Astros, Mets, Giants, Cardinals, Yankees, and Rangers, ultimately playing a total of 2,586 games.
Beltrán retired with a .279/.350/.486 batting average, totaling 2,725 hits, 435 home runs, and 312 stolen bases. He was an impressive defensive center fielder at his peak, ranking among the Mets’ franchise leaders in several categories.
This was Beltrán’s fourth year on the Baseball Writers Association of America’s Hall of Fame ballot, with support steadily increasing from 46.5% to 84.2% this year, needing 75% for induction.
Andruw Jones was also inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame this year and is likely to feature a Braves hat on his plaque, given he spent 12 of his 17 MLB seasons with Atlanta.
