New Arrival: Carlos Beltran, of, Kansas City Royals
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There was a time, I want to say roughly 2006, that you might have been hard pressed to say who was the better player, Carlos Beltran or Bobby Abreu. At that point, each had enjoyed strong careers. Beltrán, a nine‑year veteran, was a Rookie of the Year winner with three All‑Star selections, a Gold Glove, and a Silver Slugger under his belt. He had amassed 40.4 WAR. Abreu, eleven years into his career, had two All‑Star selections, a Gold Glove, and a Silver Slugger. He had amassed 49.5 WAR.
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Beltrán, in the end, simply aged better. He would finish with 70.0 career WAR to Abreu’s 60.2. It’s worth noting, though, that Abreu retired with a better OPS+ than Beltrán (128 vs. 119). While you could argue that prime Abreu was the better all‑around hitter, Beltrán had more power, hitting 435 career home runs to Abreu’s 288.
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Beltrán was a very good player for a very long time and deserved his spot in the Hall of Fame. Abreu was one of the best players of the 2000s but ultimately didn’t reach Beltrán’s level by the end of his career.