Mets hires Carlos Beltran as their first Latino Manager
Post and Courier Pool

Former All-Star outfielder Carlos Beltran, aged 42, replaces Mickey Callaway as the first Mets' Latino manager in Major League Baseball. Beltra is the fourth Puerto Rican to lead a Major League Team, following Alex Cora of the Boston Red Sox, Charlie Montoyo of the Toronto Blue Jays and Dave Martinez of the Washington Nationals.

Mets announced Carlos Beltran as the team manager on Friday night after Mickey Callaway was fired way back in October. The former manager was fired because Callaway was not able to bring the team in the playoffs for second consecutive year.

According to a report from NBC News, before 2005 season, Carlos Beltran led a remarkable series when he signed the seven-year contract worth $119 million. And during this season, he served as one of the most productive position players in the Mets history.

He also played in other teams like the Astros, Cardinals, Giants, Royals, and Yankees and lasted with an overall career of 20 seasons.

Meanwhile, his former teammate in Astros, Carlos Correa who won a World series with him in 2017, said that Beltran will be an amazing manager and will be a game-changer. After the 2017 season, Beltran decided to retire in the league as a player but his passion in baseball did not stop because he served as the special adviser to Brian Cashman, the general manager of the Yankees.

NY Times reported that the Mets took into account in choosing Carlos Beltran as the team manager because aside from being a remarkable baseball player, Carlos also possesses professionalism in the field of sports.

Carlos Beltran is not new in the Mets culture, since he played in the team from 2005 to 2011 before he became a free agent. Remembered as a quiet leader, Carlos Beltran learned to assert himself over the years and was respected throughout the baseball team. His reputation grew more when he joined other teams.

Moreover, it is not only the Mets who offered a managerial position to Carlos Beltran but also the Yankees. However, Beltran chose to join the Mets because it is closer to his heart, after playing for the team for several years.

There are now five Latino managers in the league since 2004 and about 30 percent of the players in the league are Latinos. Amidst his new career as the new team manager of the Mets, Carlos Beltran needs to hire new pitching coach after Dave Eiland was fired in June. While Phil Regan, aged 82, will serve as the interim coach for the rest of the season.

Aside from Carlos Beltran, one of the candidates for the Mets team manager was Eduardo Perez who is an ESPN analyst and the son of the Hall of Famer Tony Perez. Even if he was not chosen, Perez thanked the Mets for considering him for the position. Along with this, he also showed support for Carlos Beltran on Twitter.

Read more: Mets Hire Carlos Beltran as Their New Manager and Carlos Beltrán to make MLB history as the Mets' first Latino manager