Carlos Beltran proud to officially join Hall of Fame as a forever Met: ‘Shaped my life’

COOPERSTOWN — The Mets spent the most money in franchise history, joining the Dodgers to invite the kind of scrutiny that has owners pushing for a salary cap, to field what is currently the third-worst team in baseball and destined for a sell-off.

A well-liked manager has been fired.

Popular stars from past seasons are gone, in some cases leaving without offers from the Mets to retain them.

New additions have, almost universally, disappointed.

The club’s owner has acknowledged there has been “regression” within the farm system.

In nearly every way, it is difficult to be affiliated with the Mets these days.

Into this moment stepped Carlos Beltrán, who did not have to choose the Mets on his Hall of Fame plaque but did, and who did not have to express such pride in the organization but did.

“To Steve and Alex Cohen, I know this year might not look pretty,” the newly inducted Hall of Famer said during his speech on an idyllic and sunny afternoon here, “but what makes me proud is the culture that you have been able to create: making players, families, and employee values [important].

“And especially myself — having experience in different chapters in the Mets organization, I have to tell you guys that I have never been prouder to call myself a Met.”

Beltrán is officially called a Hall of Famer, the star of stars at a ceremony that also enshrined Andruw Jones and Jeff Kent.

Of the estimated 12,000 in attendance, the largest contingent probably was not Mets fans or Braves fans or Giants fans but Puerto Ricans, who were loud with a call-and-answer “Puerto Rico” cheer as he stepped to the microphone.

“We’re proud, man, we’re proud people,” the sixth Puerto Rican elected later said.

With 57 Hall of Famers sitting on the stage behind him, Beltrán used 17 minutes Sunday to tour through his life and career, thank as many people as he could and explain why he forever will be seen as a Met — but only after a pretaped introduction by former teammate Carlos Delgado.

Among those Beltrán thanked: his parents (who heard a message in Spanish), his wife, Jessica, their children, his island, various former coaches and teammates, members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America who voted for him and members who did not, and commissioner Rob Manfred — who presided over the report that named Beltrán (and no other player) as a key figure in the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal that helped them win the 2017 World Series.

Not mentioned in the speech was the scheme, which played a part in Beltrán being held out of the Hall until his fourth year on the ballot.

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An otherwise strong reputation as a person and leader, nine All-Star Games, three Gold Gloves and undeniable offensive numbers from a player who blended power and speed like few others — he finished with 435 home runs and 312 steals, joining a 400-300 club that consists of Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Willie Mays and Andre Dawson — ensured he reached baseball immortality.

Forever, his bronze plaque will show that he was a Met and not a Royal, where he also spent 6 ¹/₂ seasons.

With the Mets from 2005 to 2011, Beltrán said he grew the most and became “the best version of myself.”

It is also a place to which he has returned, briefly a manager before the scandal broke in 2020, and now a special assistant to David Stearns, who along with the Cohens was present at the ceremony.

Beltrán’s No. 15 will be retired at Citi Field on Sept. 19, and surely at the event will be another Mets figure whom Beltrán thanked: Terry Collins, who managed Beltrán in 2011.

“You reminded me, Terry, that setbacks don’t really define us,” said Beltrán, who had to overcome several setbacks, most notably a rough first season in Queens. “What defines us is how we respond to them.

“So the fact that you took your time to connect with me, to push me, to encourage me, to challenge me — I appreciate my friend [and] our relationship.”

Of the Yankees, with whom he starred from 2014 to 2016, Beltrán referenced how heavy the pinstripes were, calling the honor of playing for such a prestigious organization “not only a privilege, it’s a responsibility.”

But as became a theme in speech and in his career, he then returned to Queens.

“And then, the New York Mets,” Beltrán, the third Hall of Famer with a Mets cap on his plaque, said to cheers. “Every organization shaped your career. New York shaped my life. It was here where I experienced my greatest success and some of my greatest challenges.

“Playing for the Mets made me a better man and a better leader.”