Goodbye and good luck to Carlos Beltran, who is expected to accept a trade to the Giants and leave the Mets as one of the best players who ever came though here. The Mets are said to be taking back a hot pitching prospect by the name of Zach Wheeler and by the looks of things just might maintain their hold on third place now that David Wright‘s back, Daniel Murphy is hitting like crazy and Lucas Duda suddenly believes in himself.
Beltran’s place as the finest player ever to wear No. 15 for the Mets has long been established, surpassing the contributions of catching stalwart Jerry Grote and fading superstar George Foster even before his knee problems interrupted his progress. But his Metliness also cannot be denied. He was one of the few big-name free agents whose acquisition paid off in addition to the splash it made and his fortunes mirrored the Mets’: Valiently struggling in in 2005, dominant in 2006, receding in 2007, rebounding in 2008, banged-up, controversial and largely unavailable in ’09 and ’10; and suddenly relevant again in ’11.
Following is glance of the career accomplishments of notable Met No. 15s, ranked in ascending Metliness. Pitchers who wore 15 include Al Jackson (early years); Ron Darling (laboring latter years); Rick Aguilera, Don Aase and Dave Robertts. See the full list. Who’s your favorite?
| Player | Year(s) | Games | HR | RBI | SB | BA | Legacy |
| Carlos Beltran | 2005-11 | 838 | 149 | 558 | 100 | .280 | Best centerfielder ever |
| Jerry Grote | 1966-77 | 1235 | 35 | 357 | 14 | .256 | Seaver’s reciever |
| George Foster | 1982-86 | 655 | 99 | 361 | 5 | .252 | Unhappy bust |
| Matt Franco | 1996-2000 | 452 | 13 | 71 | 1 | .254 | Pinch-hitter who beat Rivera |
| Jose Vizcaino | 1994-96 | 334 | 7 | 121 | 18 | .282 | Pretty good, but forgotten once Ordonez arrived. |
| Claudell Washington | 1980 | 79 | 10 | 42 | 17 | .275 | A rich man’s Richard Hidalgo |
| Richard Hidalgo | 2004 | 86 | 21 | 52 | 3 | .228 | A poor man’s Claudell Washington |
Submitted by Gene F. on Thu, 07/28/2011 – 9:49am.
Beltran started in 36 with the Royals, but switched to 15 some time before 2002 and has worn 15 since. His new manager currently is in 15, so what does Carlos do?
Best part of the Beltran trade
Submitted by Dave Mackey (not verified) on Thu, 07/28/2011 – 11:34am.
No more of those stupid GEICO ads that conveniently point out that Beltran wears the #15….
GEICO
Submitted by gored82 on Thu, 07/28/2011 – 1:08pm.
But we’ll still have the ads when the 15th batter of the game comes up. And perhaps Carlos takes 5 (vacated by Pat Burrell) or 25.
Beltran will wear #15
Submitted by Matt B on Thu, 07/28/2011 – 1:15pm.
Bochy will give Beltran #15. I found this quote from him online regarding #15:
Giants Manager Bruce Bochy wears No. 15. So does Carlos Beltran.
“Nothing that a Rolex can’t fix,” said the smiling manager, who should have himself a new right fielder and badly needed No.3 hitter to scribble in Thursday’s lineup.
Bochy to 16
Submitted by Jon Springer on Thu, 07/28/2011 – 1:44pm.
According to the Internets, Bochy will wear 16, Beltran 15.
I hope he kicks the Phillies’ asses tonite the way we’re kicking the Reds’.
Beltran Still 15
Submitted by Dave Mackey (not verified) on Thu, 07/28/2011 – 4:22pm.
Confirmed by the Giants’ game notes. Beltran 15, Bochy 16.
Naked
Submitted by Jon Springer on Thu, 07/28/2011 – 8:36pm.
Actually, Bochy is wearing a jersey with no number on it (under a windbreaker), The Giants seamstress didn’t have time to make a 16 for him
What’s in a name?
Submitted by gored82 on Fri, 07/29/2011 – 12:02am.
So maybe you should change the site’s name to GBTN, lol…