Astros' Correa Speaks Up for Beltrán: One Year of Mistakes Shouldn't Overshadow Hall of Fame Career

Houston Astros veteran third baseman Carlos Correa recently expressed that he has admired fellow countryman Carlos Beltrán since childhood, feeling pleased about Beltrán’s induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He emphasized that a single year of mistakes should not diminish the achievements of an entire career.

Beltrán joined the Astros in his final professional season in 2017, becoming teammates with Correa, who was then in his third year in the major leagues. During the Astros’ annual fan event, Correa spoke about Beltrán: “Looking back at the year we played together, I tried to emulate many things he did.”

The Astros won the World Series in 2017, but two years later, the team was exposed for illegally using electronic devices to steal opponents’ signs that season, with Beltrán identified as a key figure orchestrating the cheating. Despite this, it did not decisively affect his Hall of Fame voting outcome. After four years of waiting, he was successfully inducted this year with 84.2% of the vote.

Correa said, “I told him I’m proud of everything he’s accomplished; he’s a great role model for me.” He further stressed, “Looking back at his final season in 2017, if you believe he had 19 seasons worthy of the Hall of Fame, I don’t think one year of mistakes should exclude him. One year shouldn’t outweigh an entire career.”

At 31, Correa himself is entering the latter half of his major league career. He mentioned that after returning to the Astros last year, he noticed young and less experienced players lack the systematic training necessary to sustain a full season, leading to more injuries. “There are essential pre- and post-game training routines we implement during spring training. If everyone stays healthy, I believe we will be a very strong team.”