Carlos Iván Beltrán (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkaɾlos βelˈtɾan]; born April 24, 1977) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball outfielder.

[9] During the off-season, Beltrán taught himself to hit left-handed, with advice from New York Yankees outfielder Bernie Williams and Royals minor league coach Kevin Long.

[16] Injuries restricted Beltrán to 98 games during the 2000 season and he slumped to .247,[13][17] losing his center field position to the popular Johnny Damon.

His luck changed in 2004, as Beltrán began the year with eight home runs and 19 RBIs and was selected as American League Player of the Month for April.

[13] Playing for a small market club and represented by agent Scott Boras, Beltrán endured trade rumors through the 2003 and 2004 seasons.

Following an interleague doubleheader loss to the last-place Montreal Expos, Royals' general manager Allard Baird informed reporters that he was preparing to dismantle the team and rebuild it for the 2005 season.

He hit two home runs in Game 5 of the previous playoff round in the National League Division Series (NLDS) against the Atlanta Braves; it was the first time Beltran or the Astros had won a postseason series and his performance was the first time that an Astro had hit two home runs in a postseason game.

[30] On August 11, 2005, in a game against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park, Beltrán was seriously injured after colliding head-to-head with fellow Mets outfielder Mike Cameron when both were diving to catch a ball in shallow right center field.

[34] Beltrán played for Puerto Rico in the 2006 World Baseball Classic, joining Carlos Delgado, Bernie Williams, Javier Vázquez, Iván Rodríguez and others on the team managed by St. Louis Cardinals third base coach José Oquendo.

[43] Beltrán's 41 home runs tied the Mets' single season record for homers, matching Todd Hundley's total in 1996.

[48] Beltrán came fourth in the National League MVP award voting, behind winner Ryan Howard, Albert Pujols, and Lance Berkman.

[52] In July, he made his fourth All-Star Game appearance and upon the conclusion of the season, won his second straight Gold Glove award.

[64] On July 28, 2011, after he waived his no-trade clause, the Mets traded Beltrán to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for pitching prospect Zack Wheeler.

[68] On September 14, Beltrán hit two solo home runs against San Diego Padres' starting pitcher Mat Latos.

[13] On December 22, 2011, Beltrán agreed to a two-year deal with the St. Louis Cardinals worth $26 million which included a full no-trade clause.

[76] In a June 29 home game versus the Pittsburgh Pirates, he recorded a single in the third inning for his 2,000th hit, becoming the 270th player in MLB history to do so.

Down 5–7 in the 9th inning in game 5 of the NLDS, Beltrán hit a leadoff double off of Drew Storen, eventually scoring two outs later on a Daniel Descalso single.

[87] In October, Beltrán was the recipient of the Roberto Clemente Award, becoming the fourth Cardinals player to win it, joining Albert Pujols, Ozzie Smith, and Lou Brock.

At the top of the 10th inning, with the game still tied 2–2, Beltrán threw out Mark Ellis at the plate after catching a fly ball, completing a double-play that prevented the Dodgers from taking the lead.

[92][93] In Game 1 of the 2013 World Series against the Red Sox, Beltrán injured his ribs in the 2nd inning after robbing David Ortiz of a grand slam.

He collected his 2,473rd career hit on April 27 against the Texas Rangers to pass Ted Simmons for tenth place on the all-time list for switch-hitters.

He became the fourth player, after Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds and Willie Mays, to reach 2,500 hits, 400 homers, 300 stolen bases and 1,000 walks.

[113] On August 1, 2016, the Yankees traded Beltrán to the Texas Rangers for prospects Dillon Tate, Erik Swanson, and Nick Green.

In Game 4 on October 9, Beltrán hit a ninth-inning RBI double that proved to be the deciding run in a 5–4 victory that clinched the ALDS for the Astros.

[134] When Major League Baseball confirmed that the Astros had stolen signs illegally, Beltrán was the only player named in the commissioner's report.

[136][137] Following the conclusion of the tournament, which was won by United States upon beating Puerto Rico in the final,[138] Beltrán was named to the 2017 All-World Baseball Classic team.

[142] On November 1, 2019, the Mets hired Beltrán as their manager to replace Mickey Callaway, signing him to a three-year contract with a club option for a fourth year.

[143][144][145] However, on January 16, 2020, before Beltrán ever managed a game, he and the Mets mutually agreed to part ways after he was the only player implicated by name for his role in the Houston Astros sign stealing scandal.

While sliding into second base for his 300th career steal on June 15, 2012, joining the 300–300 club, a cross necklace popped out of his jersey, and after the game, he told a reporter "all the glory" was God's.

[154] In 2017, Beltrán was named winner of Sports Illustrated's inaugural Hope Award for his work in assisting Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.