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Switch-hitter Carlos Beltrán slugged his way to Cooperstown with amazing postseason heroics
Ever since Carlos Beltrán was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in January, a lot has been said about his ability as a switch-hitter. He is regarded as one of the best switch-hitters to ever play the game.
Strangely, though, he didn’t become a switch hitter until after he made it to the pros. A natural right-handed hitter, Beltrán was an outstanding player at Fernando Callejo High School in his hometown of Manatí, Puerto Rico. After he graduated in 1995, he was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the second round of the 1995 MLB amateur draft and sent to the Gulf Coast Royals in the rookie ball Gulf Coast League.
After his first season in minor league ball, some Royals coaches felt that Beltrán would be a more effective hitter if he learned to switch-hit. The coaches were convinced that if Beltrán became a switch-hitter, it would bolster his offensive game, help him get to the majors faster, and probably extend his career. In addition, by batting lefty against right-handed pitchers, he could take advantage of his speed, getting a better jump out of the batter’s box and reaching first base faster. That, in turn, would boost his chances of getting on base and lead to making him an everyday player.
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Beltrán was up for the challenge, especially since one of the Royals’ best minor league hitting coaches, Kevin Long, was committed to working with the young outfielder to make the transition. However, the new Hall of Famer admitted, “He told me it wasn’t going to be easy.”
Despite the hard work, Beltrán was a determined student. While the sure-handed hitter was committed to hitting the ball hard up the middle, no matter which side of the plate he stood on, he didn’t try to duplicate his swings from both sides of the plate. His left-handed swing had more of an uppercut and he finished with two hands holding the bat. By contrast, his right-handed swing was more level and while he started with two hands on the bat, it featured a one-handed follow-through.
“I didn’t try to be the same guy from both sides of the plate. I embraced that I was different from both sides,” the nine-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner (2006–07) said. He added that when he batted right-handed he looked for the ball at the top of the strike zone and when he batted lefty he was a low-ball hitter.
“To me you have understand who you are as a hitter. It’s OK to be a different hitter from both sides of the plate,” he said.
To appreciate what it takes to become a switch-hitter, you have to understand the work Beltrán put in to make the transition. During the offseason between 1995-96, when Beltrán and Long worked on the switch-hitting transformation, the Royals’ young star spent endless hours practicing hitting from both sides.
The 1999 American League Rookie of the Year described his relentless workout routine: “On Monday, I took 200 swings—100 from the right side, 100 from the left. Tuesday 400, with 200 from the right and 200 from the left. Wednesday 600, Thursday 800, and Friday 1,200 on what I called ‘Empty the tank’ day.”
He did this week after week for months during that offseason.
“At the end of each week I had blisters everywhere. But I believed it would all pay off,” he said.
It did. By the end of his 20-year major league career (1998–2017), Beltrán was one of the most respected switch-hitters in the game, with 435 home runs, 2,725 hits, 565 doubles, 78 triples, and 1,587 RBI, combined with 312 stolen bases.
“I really think I made it into the Hall of Fame because I learned how to hit from the left side. I think Kevin Long is a very big part of my big-league career and I attribute the success I had hitting from the left side to him,” he said.
POSTSEASON HERO
Beltrán savored his tenure with the Kansas City Royals (1998–2004) and hoped he could spend his entire career with just that one team.
“That was one of my dreams, to play my whole career in one organization,” the three-time Gold Glove winner (2006–2008) said.
But on June 24, 2004, Beltrán was traded to the Houston Astros. The Astros were in the National League Central Division at the time.
“After all those years with the Royals, I get to Houston and I have a chance to play playoff baseball, something that never happened while I was with the Royals,” said Beltrán, whose first foray into playoff baseball made him a star and ranked him alongside the greats of game when it came to postseason play.
Beltrán was somewhat anxious when he first got to Houston. He thought fans and players on the team expected him to carry the club. But he said two veterans on the Astros, future Hall of Famers Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio, calmed him down.
The two established Houston stars were especially helpful when the Astros made it to the playoffs in 2004.
“They said, ‘Hey, have fun, enjoy it. You never know when you will have another chance to be in the playoffs.’ That took a big weight off my shoulders and I was able to just play,” Beltrán, now 48, said.
And play he did. Beltrán put on a batting clinic in the 2004 postseason that is considered one of the most iconic performances ever seen in October. The Astros played the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS (NLDS) that year. In the five-game series, won by the Astros 3 games to 2, Beltrán batted .455 with four home runs and nine RBI. In Game 1, he hit a big home run to help the Astros win 9–3. Then in Game 5, Beltrán hit two home runs to clinch the series and propel the Astros to the NLCS.
“People were saying to me, ‘Where did you come from?’” Beltrán recalled, smiling.
But it gets better. In the 2004 NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals, Beltrán delivered another stellar performance. He literally carried the Houston offense, hitting another four home runs, one in each of the first four games. His home run in the seventh inning of Game 4 won the game for Houston, 6–5. By homering in the last game of the NLDS and hitting a round-tripper in each of the first four games of the NLCS, Beltrán set a major league record for five consecutive postseason games with a home run.
Though Houston lost the 2004 NLCS to the Cardinals, Beltrán put up amazing numbers, batting .417 in the series with 10 hits, five RBI and four stolen bases. Overall in the 2004 postseason, Beltrán batted .435 with eight home runs, 14 RBI, 20 hits and six stolen bases in 12 games. It proved to be one of the best offensive postseasons of all time and made Beltrán part of October baseball lore.
After that 2004 postseason, Beltrán was a free agent and signed with the New York Mets. While playing for the Mets (2005–2011), Beltrán hit 149 homers in seven seasons and compiled a .280 batting average. The 6-foot-1 power hitter also had 559 RBI and 100 stolen bases with the Mets.
Beltrán did reach the postseason with the Mets in 2006 and once again produced in the two series the Mets were in—the NLDS against the Dodgers, which the Mets won, and the NLCS versus the Cardinals, which the Mets lost. He had 10 hits, three homers, five RBI and a .278 batting average for the Mets in the 2006 postseason. The 2006 season with the Mets was a good one for Beltrán as he hit 41 homers, had 116 RBI, and 38 doubles, while batting .275 for the season.
The switch-hitter remained with the Mets until July 28, 2011, when he waived his no-trade clause and was dealt to the San Francisco Giants. He had a good remainder of the 2011 season with the Giants, playing in 44 games and batting .323 with seven home runs and 18 RBI. With the Mets and the Giants in 2011, Beltrán had a combined .300 batting average in 142 games.
Beltrán wanted to keep playing after the 2011 season and chase that elusive World Series ring he craved. Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals for 2012 and 2013, he returned to the postseason both years, contributing once again with five more homers over the course of the two postseason runs for the Redbirds. St. Louis even made it to the World Series in 2013 but lost in six games to the Boston Red Sox.
“For me, the timing was perfect to play with the Cardinals. I had some wonderful teammates. Really good players,” the veteran outfielder said.
He finished his career with the New York Yankees (2014–Aug 2016), the Texas Rangers (remainder of 2016), and then returned to Houston for his last season in 2017.
With Houston in 2017, Beltrán finally won a World Series when the Astros defeated the LA Dodgers 4 games to 3. He retired after the 2017 season and finished his career with a .307 postseason batting average in 65 games and 215 at-bats. He had 66 hits with 15 doubles, 16 homers, and 42 RBI in October play.
Many fans considered Beltrán a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but he didn’t get in until his fourth year on the ballot. It’s believed that the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal delayed Hall of Fame honors for Beltrán.
The scheme came to light in 2019 and involved the Astros using technology to steal signs from opposing teams during Houston’s championship run in 2017 and for part of the 2018 season. The plot was believed to be player-driven. MLB conducted an investigation and players were granted immunity for their cooperation with the probe. When MLB released its report in January 2020, Beltrán was the only player mentioned.
“There’s no doubt that the Astros’ situation has been a topic. I feel like a lot of times there are agendas that are not positive toward my way,” Beltrán said. “There’s no doubt in baseball you’re going to go through ups and downs. You’re going to make good decisions, so-so decisions, right, and also you are going to make bad decisions.”
He went on to say that he still gets plenty of love from people in baseball, from former teammates and from people in the clubhouse (Beltrán currently serves as a special assistant to the Mets’ president of baseball operations).
“They know the type of person that I am,” he said. “But at the same time I understand that that’s also a story that I have to deal with.”
But Beltrán noted that the episode doesn’t define him. Case in point: In 2013, he won the prestigious Roberto Clemente, presented to a player of extraordinary character who made immense contributions to society both on and off the field. Among his charitable undertakings, Beltrán founded and funded a baseball academy in Puerto Rico for underprivileged youth, which offered both academics and high-level baseball training.
Not only was it a great honor to be selected for the Baseball Hall of Fame, but he was also thrilled to be one of six players from Puerto Rico to be recognized in this way. Besides Beltrán, the other Puerto Rican–born players who are enshrined in Cooperstown are Clemente, Orlando Cepeda, Roberto Alomar, Ivan Rodríguez, and Edgar Martínez.
