The Hall of Fame… it’s an honor every kid grows up hoping to achieve, right? I can’t be the only one who wanted to grow up, go pro in their favorite sport, and be one of the best to ever do it. I didn’t think so. That dream became reality for two baseball players this past week: Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones. They are joined by Jeff Kent, who was voted in by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee. That gives us three inductees who will be honored this July in Cooperstown.

Cooperstown is a really cool place—somewhere I went as a kid. It was awesome back then, but it’s definitely a place I’d love to go back to as an adult. I’ll for sure make a trip up there at some point.

All three of these guys are players I remember growing up watching, especially Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones. Beltrán because he played for the Mets (LFGM), and Andruw because he played for the Braves—one of our biggest rivals. I’m really glad both of them got in, especially Andruw. I’ve been on his side for years when it comes to Hall of Fame debates.

Even with Carlos being tied to the Astros cheating scandal—which cost him the Mets manager job at the time—I still believe he’ll manage the Mets one day. If voters were able to look past that and elect him into the Hall of Fame, I don’t see why the Mets would hesitate to hire him in the future. I was genuinely excited when we first hired him and really wanted to see how that played out.

Why Andruw Jones deserves this: he was an elite defensive center fielder with serious power. He won 10 Gold Glovesat one of the most demanding defensive positions in baseball history. He hit 434 home runs, drove in over 1,200 RBIs, and was close to 2,000 career hits. Now, he didn’t age gracefully—no denying that. His final year in Atlanta was rough offensively, even though he still won his 10th (and final) Gold Glove. After that, he bounced around with the Dodgers, Rangers, White Sox, and Yankees to finish his career.

He only had one more season of playing at least 100 games after leaving Atlanta, and that was his lone year in Chicago, where he still hit 19 home runs with 48 RBIs. Injuries definitely slowed him down, and showing up overweight to Dodgers spring training in 2008 hurt him badly. He went from an elite defensive center fielder to a below-average one almost overnight. But in his prime? He was ELECTRIC. As a Mets fan, I hated playing against him—but I also respected the hell out of him. He finished his career as a 5x All-Star, 1x Silver Slugger, and 10x Gold Glove winner.

Now let’s talk Carlos Beltrán.

Man, I remember when we signed him. I was eight years old, living in upstate New York, and my brother and I were losing our minds. The Mets landed one of the most sought-after free agents on the market—and not the Yankees, but us. At the time, it was the largest contract in Mets history: 7 years, $119 million.

We brought in a premier center fielder entering his prime—his age-28 season. A former Rookie of the Year and All-Star. His first year was rocky, no doubt. Adjusting to New York, the media, the spotlight—it’s not easy. He finished that first season hitting .266/.330/.414 with 16 home runs and 78 RBIs. Not terrible, but not what you expect from the biggest free-agent signing in franchise history.

Then Year Two happened.

He made the All-Star team, won a Silver Slugger, a Gold Glove, and finished 4th in MVP voting. He hit 41 home runs, drove in 116 RBIs, and slashed .275/.388/.594. Absolute monster season. From there on out, Carlos was consistently great for the Mets. He finished his Mets tenure as a 5x All-Star, 2x Silver Slugger, and 3x Gold Glove winner.

Beltrán was a massive part of some of my core Mets memories growing up. Those teams with Wright, Reyes, Delgado, Pedro, Johan—man, that era meant everything to me. Reyes is still my favorite Met of all time (though Lindor might be tying him), and one of the biggest reasons #7 is my favorite number. Carlos was right there with him.

I really hope Beltrán chooses to go into the Hall with a Mets cap. If he does, he’d become just the third Met to do so—joining Tom Seaver and Mike Piazza (another reason I played catcher growing up). We have other Hall of Famers who played for us, but not many who chose the Mets for their plaque. Hopefully, Carlos makes it three.

It’s always special seeing players you grew up watching make the Hall—especially when they played for your team. I’m still hopeful that David Wright somehow gets in, though I know it’s a long shot. His peak was absolutely Hall of Fame caliber, but injuries robbed him of the longevity and counting stats. Still, anything’s possible.

Side note: I’m actually enjoying how the Mets offseason has come together over the last week or two. It looked like there was no plan at first, but they’ve executed really well lately in my opinion. I’m sure more moves are coming, and I’ll definitely have a piece up soon breaking it all down.

Congrats to Jeff Kent, Andruw Jones, and Carlos Beltrán.

And remember…

LET’S. FUCKING. GO. METS. 🟠🔵

– Jett Garden