The Star Player Being Kept Out of Cooperstown by a Trash Can

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According to his statistical legacy, Carlos Beltrán has the credentials to be inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame.

He is one of just five players in history with 400 home runs and 300 stolen bases. He was an elite defender in center field, a skillful base runner, and a legendary postseason performer.

“Nobody seems to think that he doesn't deserve the Hall of Fame,” said Ryan Thibodaux, a 43-year-old baseball enthusiast who tracks publicly available Hall of Fame ballots.

But when this year's election results were announced Tuesday, Beltrán was still left waiting for his invitation.

Three candidates made the cut. Ichiro Suzuki became the first Japanese-born player to be inducted into Cooperstown Hall of Fame. He will join CC Sabathia, a starting pitcher, and Billy Wagner, a close-register pitcher, in a summer ceremony. They both earned the required 75% of the vote in their tenth and final year of being considered for eligibility.

In the meantime, Beltrán fell short for the third year in a row, even though his experience looked like it more than qualified him. This time, he came very close, receiving votes on 70.3% of the 394 ballots that were submitted.

, to be exact.

.

Being targeted in such a public manner completely demolished Beltrán's reputation, causing serious repercussions. He lost his position as manager of the New York Mets even before he had a chance to manage a single game, leaving his career in baseball hanging in the balance.

Former Astros manager A.J. Hinch and his bench coach Alex Cora swiftly returned to their managerial positions after serving out one-year suspensions as a result of being involved in the scandal. Carlos Beltrán remains without another chance yet.

The irony is that before Manfred's report came out about the Astros, Beltrán was seen as a model citizen. Former Mets general manager Omar Minaya, who once gave Beltrán a $119 million contract, said he's the most respected player he has ever met in his 40 years in baseball front offices. In 2013, Beltrán won the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award, which goes to the player who best represents the ideals of baseball through sportsmanship and community service.

The Astros held Beltrán in such high regard that they signed him mainly because they believed he would boost team morale in the clubhouse. They were even willing to give him the nod over players who they expected to make a bigger impact on the field.

All of that faded quickly when Beltrán got tied to the most infamous dugout in sports.

“He was extremely respected within the industry,” said Jay Jaffe, the author of “The Cooperstown Casebook,” “until everything about the sign-stealing scandal surfaced.”

Notably, the Hall of Fame has a history of recognizing players who were not always rule-abiding.

Garland Perry famously threw spitballs long after the rule against them was made. Whitey Ford scratched baseballs with his wedding ring to get the upper hand on batters. Hank Greenberg even confessed to being part of a sophisticated (for 1940s standards) sign-stealing scheme that helped the Detroit Tigers win the pennant.

But eight years after their tainted World Series championship, the Astros still maintain an untouchable status, with Beltrán seen as the mastermind of the scandal.

I hope," Minaya said, "that time will give those people a chance to see the value he brought to the game.

It seems likely that Minaya's wish will come true. Only 46.5% of voters checked Beltrán's name when he was first on the ballot two years ago. The number of voters supporting him increased last year to 57.1%. And after another growth in popularity, Beltrán is now so close to getting into the Hall of Fame, which may also help his former Astros teammates Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa.

It comes at a time when the industry's negative views about Beltrán are beginning to fade. Three years after hiring and then letting him go as manager, the Mets rehired Beltrán in 2023 as a special assistant.

Earlier this month, Puerto Rico named Beltrán general manager of its 2026 World Baseball Classic team. José Daniel Quiles, president of the Puerto Rico Baseball Federation, views Beltrán's involvement in sign-stealing as a matter that is "closed," and believes he has "earned the right to be inducted into the Hall of Fame."

For the third consecutive time, however, not enough voters gave their agreement.

jared.diamond@wsj.com