Hall of Fame Poll: Carlos Beltrán

I’m going to skip Bronson Arroyo, who is on the ballot for the first time.

Arroyo had a nice career. He played 16 seasons, 419 games, 383 starts, a 4.28 ERA and a 148-137 record. He made one All-Star game, got MVP votes once and Cy Young votes once (amazingly separate seasons).

He threw 200 innings 8 times (including 6 seasons in a row (he would have had 9 seasons in a row but threw 199 innings in 2011. Branson threw 240.2 innings in 2006, which would give you Hall of Fame credentials by itself if you did it now.

Arroyo deserves consideration for the Hall of Very Good, but he falls short of the Hall of Fame.

Carlos Beltrán, on the other hand, does have the numbers to be considered for the Hall.

Carlos played 20 seasons. In 2586 games, he hit .279/.350/.486 with 435 home runs, 1587 RBI, and 312 stolen bases. His 9,768 at-bats put him 39th all-time.

He made 9 All-Star teams, had MVP votes 7 times (but never made it higher than 4th), won 2 Silver Sluggers, and won 3 Gold Gloves.

He has a 70.1 career bWAR, 70th all-time among position players.

Beltrán played on teams that made it to the playoffs seven times. He hit .307/.412/.609 in 65 playoff games. And he was on one World Series winner.

That World Series team might actually cost him some Hall of Fame votes, as that was with the trash can-pounding, sign-stealing Astros. Beltrán was named as one of the Masterminds behind the plan, and his teammates claimed he ‘intimidated’ some into going along with the scheme. The scandal cost him the manager’s job with the Mets. He had signed a three-year contract with the Mets, but they parted ways after the MLB report.

It will be interesting to see if that costs him votes from the Writers.

Without the scandal, he’s an interesting candidate. He was never thought of as the best player in the game. He was fourth in MVP voting once. In other years he finished 9th, 12th and then had four seasons he ranged from 20th to 26th in voting.

But he had the bulk numbers that would usually get a guy into the Hall.

I guess it depends on how you view the Hall. Is longevity and bulk number enough? Or do they have to be one of the best players in the league for a few seasons?

And, of course, do you believe cheating should excuse a player from consideration? How do you compare Beltrán’s cheating to say Barry Bonds’ cheating?