5 reasons why Carlos Beltr¨¢n belongs in Hall of Fame

This browser does not support the video element.

Now in his third year on the Hall of Fame ballot -- after registering a solid 46.5 percent of the vote in his first go-round and seeing a spike to 57.1 percent last year -- Carlos Beltr¨¢n's candidacy remains rather polarizing.

On merit alone, the longtime center fielder has one of the best cases for election among the players on the docket this year, based on his performance and production over a 20-year big league career. The Puerto Rican-born Beltr¨¢n was, after all, a Rookie of the Year winner (1999), a nine-time All-Star and a three-time Gold Glove honoree.

Beltr¨¢n's link, however, to the Astros' sign-stealing scandal from 2017 -- the final season of his playing days -- complicates matters.

While Baseball Writers' Association of America voters have to weigh that factor as they consider whether to put a check next to Beltr¨¢n's name, let's focus on his on-field exploits here. Although he cracked the top five in MVP voting only once (finishing fourth in the NL in 2006) and fell short of many of the "conventional milestones," like 3,000 hits and 500 home runs, here are five stats that make a strong case for Beltr¨¢n's place in Cooperstown.

This browser does not support the video element.

1,500 Runs and 1,500 RBIs

Only 38 players in AL/NL history have reached the 1,500 mark in both runs scored and runs batted in. With 1,582 runs and 1,587 RBIs, Beltr¨¢n is one of them.

Of those, 30 have been enshrined in the Hall of Fame -- and that does not count Miguel Cabrera and Albert Pujols, both of whom should be a first-ballot electee.

That leaves only the following names not in Cooperstown: Alex Rodr¨ªguez, Manny Ram¨ªrez, Gary Sheffield, Barry Bonds and Rafael Palmeiro -- a group of superstars connected to performance-enhancing drugs in some form.

Put simply, if a player scores and drives in 1,500 runs, Hall of Fame induction usually follows.

500 Doubles, 400 Home Runs and 300 Stolen Bases

Even more rare is the 500/400/300 club.

Only five players in AL/NL history have achieved 500 doubles, 400 homers and 300 steals in their careers. Here's the list in full: Rodr¨ªguez, Bonds, Andre Dawson, Willie Mays ... and Beltr¨¢n, who has 565 two-baggers, 435 dingers and 312 thefts. That is a collection of the most dynamic power-speed threats baseball has ever seen.

What's wild is that even if you remove the qualifier for 500 doubles, the list remains unchanged: It's the same five players -- and only them. If you want to boil down Beltr¨¢n's case to a single stat, this is as persuasive as any.

This browser does not support the video element.

Unparalleled Stolen Base Rate

Speaking of swipes, Beltr¨¢n's career stolen base success rate is the best among all players with at least 200 career steals in the Live Ball Era (since 1920).

Highest SB% in the Live Ball Era (minimum 200 SB)

  1. Carlos Beltr¨¢n: 86.4% (312 SB, 49 CS)
  2. Trea Turner: 85.8% (279 SB, 46 CS)
  3. Christian Yelich: 85.1% (205 SB, 36 CS)
  4. Mike Trout: 84.8% (212 SB, 38 CS)
  5. Tim Raines: 84.7% (808 SB, 146 CS)

It's even more noteworthy when laid out like so, because you can see the gap between Beltr¨¢n and Hall of Famer Raines, the only other retired player in the Top 5. The three active base-stealers conceivably could chase down Beltr¨¢n, but even Turner couldn't catch him yet after a famously record-setting perfect season of swipes in 2023.

This browser does not support the video element.

70 WAR Career Threshold

To be exact, Beltr¨¢n accrued 70.1 career wins above replacement by Baseball Reference's measure. That puts him in the top 10 among center fielders.

Of the 64 position players to reach 70 career WAR in AL/NL history in the Modern Era (since 1900), all but nine -- including Beltr¨¢n -- are Hall of Famers.

The eight others? Many of the names already have been mentioned: Pujols, Rodr¨ªguez, Bonds and Palmeiro. The four remaining are Lou Whitaker and Bobby Grich -- a pair of second basemen who are two of the most overlooked players in the history of Hall voting -- as well as Pete Rose and, none other than Mike Trout, who almost certainly will be a first-balloter once his stellar career comes to an end.

This browser does not support the video element.

1.000 Postseason OPS

Last but certainly not least, there's Beltr¨¢n's incredible October r¨¦sum¨¦.

In his postseason career, he slashed .307/.412/.609 -- good for a 1.021 OPS that checks in among the top 10 in AL/NL history.

Highest Postseason OPS (minimum 100 PA)

  1. Lou Gehrig: 1.214 OPS
  2. Babe Ruth: 1.214 OPS
  3. Randy Arozarena: 1.104 OPS
  4. Lenny Dykstra: 1.094 OPS
  5. Paul Molitor: 1.050 OPS
  6. Hank Greenberg: 1.044 OPS
  7. George Brett: 1.023 OPS
  8. Carlos Beltr¨¢n: 1.021 OPS
  9. Bryce Harper: .996 OPS
  10. Albert Pujols: .995 OPS

Beltr¨¢n's most memorable playoff performance came in 2004 with the Astros, when he hit eight homers to tie Bonds' 2002 run for most in a single postseason (since surpassed by Randy Arozarena's 10 in 2020). But Beltr¨¢n also crushed in the 2006 NLCS with the Mets (despite the lingering memory of that showdown being his infamous series-ending strikeout looking) as well as in the 2012 and '13 playoffs with the Cardinals.

All told, Beltr¨¢n finished with 16 career postseason home runs and more walks (37) than strikeouts (33) in 65 games. That's the sign of a star player rising to the occasion against the best the sport has to offer.

More from MLB.com

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com