Is Carlos Beltran a Hall of Famer?

[TS Garp]

Stats to date:

.281/.354/.492
419 hr
1529 rbi
1517 runs
2602 hits
311 sb (49 cs)

9 time all-star
3 Gold Gloves
2 silver sluggers
1999 rookie of the year
1 top 5 MVP finish
One of the best postseason hitters ever: .332/.441/.674 in 184 ab's

EDIT: I'd listed 491 home runs, originally. He actually has 419. Big difference...

[revo]

I'm going to say "No, great career but not HOF level."

He was a perennial All-Star (in terms of production, not fan votes), but out of his 19 seasons, he only finished twice in the Top 10 for MVP. I think that says it all.

[overkill94]

He'll be an interesting one - pretty good power numbers with no mention of PEDs along with the speed in his prime. Might be that he belongs in the fantasy baseball HOF more than the actual baseball HOF but I think part of his lack of MVP votes was being on a bad Royals team during his prime years.

[Sour Masher]

I voted close but no. But I should have voted if he pads his stats. I mean, it is possible he plays 3-4 more years and if so, he could get to 3000 hits, and that seems to make a guy an automatic HOFer, unless he is tainted by PEDs.

[Pogues]

He can, if he can pad his stats in a couple more years. 2900 hits would look awfully nice, along with 450 HR, 1700 or so RBI and runs.

[Riff Raff]

Eventually, yes.

[pitbull]

Well Tony Perez career stats are 23 yrs are:

.279/.341/.463
379 hr
1652 rbi
1272 runs
2,732 hits
49 sb (33 cs)

I would say since Perez is in I see no reason for Beltran not to be in.

[Judge Jude]

every player like Beltran from an earlier era is in the HOF already. factor in his defensive prowess in younger years and his ridiculous postseason stats, I find it comical that anyone would think he is not a HOFer.

[TranaGreg]

part of my bias with guys like Beltran is my fading memory ... he just came up two or three years ago, right? that outfield with Damon & Dye should be a good one for a few years.

[Sour Masher]

every player like Beltran from an earlier era is in the HOF already. factor in his defensive prowess in younger years and his ridiculous postseason stats, I find it comical that anyone would think he is not a HOFer.

I think the PED era has definitely set the bar higher for hitters, right or wrong. It's a weird reality, in which players who get popped don't get in, but their amazing performances still make others look worse by comparison.

[onejayhawk]

Beltran makes an interesting study. To me the tipping point is the top comparisons--Dave Winfield, Dwight Evans, Andre Dawson are big armed RF while Beltran was a quality CF. So, I reconsidered.

J

[onejayhawk]

I chanced across a mention of Beltran in an article on Adrian Beltre. Beltre is a no-brainer HoF player to SABR types, but not so much to many casual fans (such as the writers who vote). Beltre was one of 10 players who was below the HoF average for projected WAR but over for actual WAR. In his case, it was from being the second best defensive 3B in history, after Brooks Robinson.

Beltan was another of the 10 players. Again, this is possibly because his defense is under-rated by his hardware. He was the best defensive CF at least three times when he did not win the GG. The article is over a year old, so both players added outstanding seasons to their resume.

http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/adrian-beltre-is-hall-of-fame-worthy/

J

[Judge Jude]

Beltran makes an interesting study. To me the tipping point is the top comparisons--Dave Winfield, Dwight Evans, Andre Dawson are big armed RF while Beltran was a quality CF. So, I reconsidered.

J

exactly. the confusion is that so many great OFs - Cobb, Speaker, DiMaggio, Mantle, Mays, Griffey Jr - played CF. they were better hitters than even most corner-hitting OFs, so no bonus was needed.

when Beltran was a good CF in his prime along with that offensive contribution, that is one great player. way better than most teams could offer there, whereas your 30-HR lummox gets matched by my similar lummox.

[madducks]

Carlos Beltran has announced his retirement from baseball.
The 40-year-old gets to go out on top after winning the World Series with the Astros. A nine-time All-Star, Beltran will finish his career with a .279/.350/.486 batting line, 435 home runs, 1,587 RBI and 312 stolen bases. He played 20 years in the major leagues, having stints with the Royals, Mets, Yankees, Cardinals, Giants, Rangers and Astros. Beltran stands a very good chance of eventually being elected to the Hall of Fame.
(Source: The Players' Tribune via Rotoworld)

He also finished his career with 2,725 hits.

[Sour Masher]

CB is gonna be an interesting case. To me, he is borderline. I wouldn't be mad if he made it, and I wouldn't be mad if he didn't.