Controversy continues over whether to enter the Hall of Fame for outfielder Carlos Beltran (46). His grades are excellent, but the shadow of ‘sign stealing’ during his time in Houston is still strong.
Beltran, who qualified for the Hall of Fame challenge this year, recorded 435 home runs and 312 stolen bases with a career batting average of 0.279 and OPS of 0.839 in 20 seasons until his retirement from the major leagues in 2017. He was selected as an All-Star nine times and won the Silver Slugger Award twice. His defense in center field was also excellent enough that he won the Gold Glove Award three times.
However, the reaction of the voting group is still lukewarm. According to Ryan Thibodeau, who unofficially counts the results of ballots for the Hall of Fame of BBWAA members every year, Beltrán’s vote rate as of the 23rd (local time) was only 55.9%. In order to cross the threshold of the Hall of Fame, you must receive votes from more than 90% of the remaining half of the voters who have not disclosed the voting results. His chances of entering the first year are virtually slim. John Heyman of the New York Post called Beltrán “one of the worst team scandals ever”. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal also criticized, saying, “Houston’s garbage can-tapping was the most heinous act ever to come out of the team, and Beltrán was the ringleader.” Rosenthal explained why he did not vote for Beltrán, citing the BBWAA’s related rules that require integrity, sportsmanship, and character in addition to grades and skills to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
What holds Beltrán on his feet is, of course, the ‘sign stealing’ scandal of 2017. That year, Houston stole the opposing team’s battery sign with an electronic device and delivered it to the hitters by knocking on a trash can. The instigator was Beltrán during his retirement season. Several players asked Beltrán to stop sign-stealing, but he was denied. Testimonies came out that no one could disobey his words as the team’s oldest and superstar.
However, voices defending Beltran are also not small. The story of Beltran’s grades being so outstanding comes first. The fact that ethical standards are gradually blurring in recent years as the controversy continues over the voting of drug users has also had an impact.
Bob Nightingale of USA Today said in a column on the 22nd, “Beltran is the only switch-hitter in history to have recorded more than 2,500 hits, 300 home runs, and 300 stolen bases. “No player in center field with a WAR (contribution to win over substitute) of 70 or higher has not been inducted into the Hall of Fame,” he wrote. The Athletic’s Dan Connolly said: “Sign stealing is definitely a nuisance, but I’ve also voted for some players who have taken PEDs 먹튀검증over the past few years. It’s not a pleasant thing, but I think Beltran deserves a place in the Hall of Fame.” Rosenthal and Heyman, who are critical of Beltran, are predicting that “someday Beltran will also enter the Hall of Fame.”
The final results of the Hall of Fame will be released on the 24th at 6:00 pm (8:00 am Korean time). The possibility of inclusion of slugger Todd Helton, who represented the Colorado Rockies, and third baseman Scott Rolen, who played in Cincinnati and St. Louis, are being discussed.