As Beltran calls it a career, Luhnow arrives at GM meetings with few holes to fill.
Productive career lasting 19 seasons ends with Series title
ORLANDO, Fla. — Carlos Beltran went out on top.
Less than two weeks after capturing with the Astros the World Series championship that had eluded him for nearly two decades, the 40-year-old Beltran announced his retirement from playing. The nine-time All-Star and potential Hall of Famer made a decision that many had expected official Monday morning via an essay on The Players’ Tribune.
Beltran’s contract with the Astros expired at season’s end. He signed for one year and $16 million last winter, his second stint with the team. Many peg him as a future manager. Though his production lacked in his final major league season, Beltran was immediately revered by his Astros teammates for his veteran leadership and wisdom.
“I had always dreamed about winning a championship, and I
chased every opportunity to do so in my career,” Beltran wrote. “But I never thought that I needed to win a World Series to make my career complete.
“… I realized early on that my purpose in this game was to share knowledge with younger players and to give back to the game of baseball. I always wanted to do that — that, and be the best teammate I could possibly be. Over 20 years, I feel like I accomplished that. So whether we won or lost Game 7, I would have still been happy with my career.
“But it still feels nice to have a ring.”
Top switch hitter
Beltran finishes his career with 2,725 hits, 435 home runs and 1,587 RBIs in regular-season play. Among switch hitters, his 1,078 extra-base hits rank second all-time behind only Hall of Famer Eddie Murray (1,099). He won three Gold Gloves and two Silver Slugger Awards.
Beltran, who played for seven teams, is the only switch hitter in baseball history with at least 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases. He’s also one of the all-time great postseason performers, an extensive sample highlighted by his epic 2004 playoffs for the Astros.
“He was worth every penny for us,” Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow said Monday at the Waldorf Astoria in Orlando, site of the annual GM meetings. “The fact that we were able to have him finish his career with the Houston Astros meant a lot to us. It meant a lot to our players. It meant a lot to our city.
“He obviously had a historic run in 2004. To be able to come back and help us win a championship — and he helped us win in a lot of ways. Even though his numbers were not what they were (in 2016), he contributed in a lot of ways that were not really seen by our fans. … He really was a player-coach for us this year, and he contributed in ways that lead me to believe there’s no way we win the championship without him this year.”
Off-field presence
Beltran provided the 2017 Astros a stable veteran presence, a mentor to their core of young stars, like shortstop Carlos Correa and third baseman Alex Bregman. On the field, he batted just .231 with a .666 OPS that suggested the end was near. Playing time waned and by the World Series came only in a bench role.
But even so, Astros players raved about his impact. After the Astros’ Game 7 win at Dodger Stadium, the 23-year-old Correa hugged Beltran and told him, “We did this for you.” Helping to get Beltran a ring “meant everything to me,” Correa said that night, echoing a feeling of others.
“It’s incredible for him. Very few people get to experience that in general but to have that be his lasting memory, he’s so worthy of it by the type of teammate he was and the type of person he is,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said.
“Really at the beginning of free agency last year he talked about choosing a team where he felt like he could win because he felt like that was the last thing that he hadn’t accomplished. What a way to choose a team and end a Hall of Fame-worthy career.”