Outrage as MLB icon is finally elected to Hall of Fame despite legacy tarnished by controversy and cheating scandal
MLB fans have been left outraged after former star Carlos Beltran was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame despite controversies which later marred his career.
On Tuesday, it was confirmed that former centerfielder Beltran was one of two MLB legends to be part of the 2026 inductees for the Hall of Fame - having received 84.2 percent of the votes.
Shortly after the announcement, however, fans voiced their grievances as they noted Beltran's role in the infamous Houston Astros sign stealing scandal.
Back in 2019, an MLB investigation found that the Astros had broken league rules - during the 2017 season - by illegally using video cameras to steal signs from rivals.
Beltran, who had just been hired as Mets manager when the report broke, has since apologized for his role in the scandal but it remains a grey cloud over his career.
And it didn't take long for fans to mention the scandal after it was confirmed that Beltran was among the inductees to the Hall of Fame.
MLB fans voiced their outrage after Carlos Beltran was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame
The Baseball Hall of Fame's Class of 2026 was revealed after the ballots went public
Taking to X, one fan wrote: 'So they do let cheaters in the HoF'.
Similarly, another fan said: 'Since when are you letting cheaters into the HOF?'.
'Genuinely surprised he got in this early cause of the cheating scandal with Houston astros,' another disgruntled supporter wrote.
While Beltran was the only player to be named in the investigation report, the extent of his involvement in the scheme has been disputed.
On Tuesday, the 48-year-old addressed the frustrations from MLB fans surrounding his induction and admitted that, in life, 'you're going to make bad decisions'.
According to the NY Post, he said via a Zoom call: 'There's no doubt the Astros situation has been a topic.
'At the end of the day, when I look at my career, when I look at the things in the game of baseball, there's no doubt you're gonna go through ups and downs.
'You're gonna make good decisions [and] you're gonna make so-so decisions, right? And, also, you're gonna make bad decisions.
'When I retired from baseball, I thought everything I built… meaning like relationships and good people, I was able to relate myself with, I thought that was gonna be lost.
As a result of the scandal, he resigned from his post as the newly-appointed manager of the Mets - which he only accepted two-months prior
'Being back in the game, I still receive love from the people. I still receive love from the players. The teammates inside the clubhouse know the type of person that I am. At the same time, I understand that's also a story I have to deal with.'
Beltran was the only player named in the MLB investigation of the scheme. As a result, he resigned from his post as the newly-appointed manager of the Mets - which he only accepted two-months prior.
In a statement at the time, Beltran said: 'As a veteran player on the team, I should've recognized the severity of the issue and truly regret the actions that were taken.
'I am a man of faith and integrity and what took place did not demonstrate those characteristics that are so very important to me and my family. I'm very sorry. It's not who I am as a father, a husband, a teammate and as an educator'.
Across 20 MLB seasons, Beltran finished with a career .279 batting average, 435 home runs and 312 stolen bases. He's one of five players with over 400 career homers and over 300 stolen bags - alongside Willie Mays, Andre Dawson, Barry Bonds and the aforementioned Rodriguez.
His postseason career was particularly notable, batting .307 all-time in the playoffs and slugging 16 home runs across 65 games.
Beltran also set the MLB record for most runs scored by a single player in the postseason, when he crossed home plate 21 times in 12 games in 2004.
Across 20 MLB seasons, Beltran finished with a career .279 batting average, 435 home runs and 312 stolen bases
The Puerto Rican native and switch-hitter was best known for his time with the New York Mets from 2005 to 2011, before he was traded to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for future starter Zach Wheeler.
Prior to the Mets, Beltran spent seven seasons with the Kansas City Royals - winning Rookie of the Year with them in 1999. Later in his career, he'd be named an All-Star nine times, won the Gold Glove Award three times and the Silver Slugger Award twice.
Beltran would finish his career with the likes of the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees and Texas Rangers before retiring with the Houston Astros in 2017.
After previously being traded to Houston in 2004, Beltran returned and won the World Series in his final year.
