With the baseball season quickly approaching, there are a lot of things to look forward to. Another reason has been added as Carlos Beltran has joined YES Network as an analyst. He will be alongside Michael Kay and Paul O’Neill calling Yankee games in the booth. Here is some of the highlights of Beltran’s career and what can be expected of him in his new role.
Beltran was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the second round as the 49th overall pick in the 1995 MLB Draft. He made his debut on September 14, 1998 against the Oakland Athletics. He got his first MLB hit off of pitcher Buddy Groom.
In 1999, Beltran was named the AL Rookie of the Year, where he received 26 of the 28 first-place votes. He became the first rookie since Mike Piazza to drive in 100 or more runs, along with being the first AL Rookie to get 100 or more RBIs since Mark McGwire. Beltran hit .293 with 22 home runs and 108 RBIs.
In 2004, Beltran was name to his first All-Star team, but was traded to the Houston Astros, where he played for the NL All-Star team. He went 1-2 and scored a run in the All-Star game. He made seven more NL All-Star appearances in his career.
Beltran then signed with the New York Mets as a free agent in 2005. He spent seven years here which was the same amount of time with the Royals. He had good numbers with a .280 batting average, 449 walks, 100 stolen bases, 149 homers and 559 RBIs.
Beltran’s career numbers are great with a career batting average of .279, 2,725 hits, 1,587 RBIs, 1,084 walks, 435 HR and 312 stolen bases.
There is one flaw in Beltran’s career and that is the cheating scandal. This happened when he was on the Houston Astros in 2017. The scandal has to do with stealing signs and Beltran’s name was mentioned as to being involved.
The ironic part about this is Beltran was the only player mentioned by name, but he was never suspended. Why is this odd? Well, the former Astros bench coach Alex Cora, along with former manager AJ Hinch were suspended for one year each. They landed managerial jobs right after their suspensions. Would being a YES analyst qualify as moving up after the scandal for Beltran? It quite possibly could. Clearly that blemish never stopped anyone from hiring Hinch or Cora, so why would it stop Beltran from getting a new gig?
Image Courtesy of Robert Sabo from Steve Serby/New York Post
The new addition to the YES Network brings an interesting dilemma for Yankee fans. As they are watching games, they will be listening to Kay, O’Neill and Beltran. Beltran is replacing David Cone who is now with ESPN. Cone may be working some Yankee games, but they will be very limited. Also, with Ken Singleton retiring, Beltran’s addition is needed.
Beltran may cause some Yankee fans some agitation based on the scandal. Once baseball starts, everyone will know soon enough if this is the case.
Some fans probably will never forget how the Yankees lost to the Astros in the ALCS in seven games. After the Astros got caught cheating, a lot of fans probably felt like they got robbed from a World Series appearance.
The best thing for Beltran to do is to just do his job and talk about the game and what he brought to the game of baseball. Talk about how some hitters can do better or how a player’s approach at the plate leads to success or failure. Beltran has been there as a player for 20 years. Let him analyze the game and bring his expertise to the table. Hopefully, Yankees fans can get past that and welcome a new face and voice for the Yankees.
Featured Image Courtesy of Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
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