Inside The Mets

New York Mets Reveal Plans to Retire Carlos Beltrán’s Number

Carlos Beltrán’s No. 15 will be retired this season, when the Mets also induct the star outfielder into their Hall of Fame.
Jul. 20, 2010; Phoenix, AZ, USA; New York Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Jul. 20, 2010; Phoenix, AZ, USA; New York Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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A slight change of plans for the New York Mets.

On Thursday, the club announced that Lee Mazzilli and Bobby Valentine will officially be inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame during a pregame ceremony on May 30. The original plan was to honor Carlos Beltrán on the same day, but according to Mike Puma of the New York Post, he will now have a separate ceremony to retire his No. 15 at some point this season.

Beltrán, 48, will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame this summer. While the switch-hitting outfielder played for seven different teams, he played more games, hit more home runs and compiled more wins above replacement with the Mets than with any other club.

In 839 games with the Mets from 2005 to 2011, Beltrán slashed .280/.369/.500 with 149 home runs, 208 doubles, 559 RBIs, 551 runs scored and 100 stolen bases. Five of his nine All-Star selections, all three of his Gold Gloves and both of his Silver Sluggers came during that span.

By the time Beltrán’s 20-year playing career ended in 2017, he had compiled 70.0 bWAR. That total ranks fourth among center fielders since 1960, trailing only Willie Mays, Mike Trout and Ken Griffey Jr. He is also the only switch-hitter in history with more than 2,500 hits (2,725), 400 home runs (435) and 300 stolen bases (312).

Beltrán returned to the Mets in January 2023 and continues to work as a special assistant to president of baseball operations David Stearns. He plans to enter Cooperstown with a Mets cap on his plaque, making him only the third player with that distinction. The other two are Tom Seaver and Mike Piazza.

When Beltrán’s No. 15 is retired, he will join the ranks of Mets legends such as Seaver, Piazza, Casey Stengel, Gil Hodges, Jerry Koosman, Keith Hernandez, Willie Mays, Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry and David Wright, whose numbers are displayed above the left-field grandstand at Citi Field. Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 is also retired by the club, as it is throughout Major League Baseball.

Beltrán will be inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame on the same day his number is retired, something that has only occurred twice before — for Seaver and Wright. The date of the ceremony has not yet been announced.

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John Sparaco
JOHN SPARACO

John Sparaco is a contributing writer for the Mets website On SI. He has previously written for Cold Front Report, Times Union and JKR Baseball, where he profiled some of the top recruits, college players and draft prospects in baseball. You can follow him on Twitter/X: @JohnSparaco

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