Carlos Beltrán enjoys retirement from baseball

Florida. Carlos Beltrán was dressed as a chef, cooking a Valencian paella and with a glass of wine nearby. Meanwhile, his children passed between his feet or hugged him around the waist. His wife Jessica assisted him.

That describes how Beltrán is doing in retirement, a scene very distant from the one he lived as a player, when he spent eight months of the year away from home, away from his children.

And it seems to be something that Beltrán is enjoying to the fullest, now back as a permanent resident in his native Manatí, Puerto Rico, and fully involved in the administration of his baseball academy as well as the day-to-day issues of his three children. .

“I am happy,” he said. “We moved to Puerto Rico. We have been in Puerto Rico full time for a month, ”he continued.

“I am more involved with the Academy now that I am retired full time, as well as with my children. I get up every day at six in the morning and take them to school and look for them, enjoying my free time, ”he added.

Beltrán ended his career in 2017 with a special season in which he won his first and only major league championship, this one with the Houston Astros. Two years later he was going to start a new facet in baseball as a manager with the New York Mets, but the scandal of the theft of signals from the Astros exploded and when he was mentioned as one of the participants, he decided to resign to end the matter. . The fact that he was the only player mentioned, this because he had retired and was going to start a career as a manager, was a questionable act by the Major League Baseball Commissioner since in his report he did not mention anyone else.

In the loss, however, Beltrán made a profit by staying with those who hug him every day today and enjoy being taken to and from school by looking for them. In addition, since August 9, when his baseball academy – the Carlos Beltrán Baseball Academy and High School in the municipality of Florida) reopened to teach in person, he joined the administrative work of the institution that this year celebrated its tenth anniversary. There he is also more present and available for his students to see, who have seen him as a role model in baseball.

“I am right now from outside. At some point I want to spend my days in the batting cage, spend time with the outfielders and bring in players who bring their experience to the young people, that perspective of the player who has been successful, but also from the one that some way or another did not. so good for the decisions he made, for injuries or things that happen. I try to give it that two faces because it is the reality of what we live, ”he said.

At home, Beltrán even transformed the batting cage that he had to practice during his time between seasons on the island. He said that he turned it into a basketball court for him, and a volleyball court for his girls, who play the sport in which his father excelled before turning to baseball.

“I turned it (the cage) into a double basketball court and in the middle we put a mallita for the girls to practice there. I love seeing my children doing sports at home. The key to this is sports and education, ”he said.

And he also rides a bicycle with his compadre Carlos Delgado.

“When you are a player, you are a competitor. We recently went from Manatí to the Arecibo Lighthouse and turned. It’s 40 miles. We had fun. We caught up on the road, ”he said.

At some point I want to spend my days in the batting cage, spend time with the outfielders. “

–Carlos Beltrán, former player

All those family activities and with friends have Beltrán completely entertained and without missing the ball that he played for half of his life of 44 years.

The beautiful world that he is living wants to enjoy. Watch your children grow and compete. It can guide you. And you get the satisfaction that your children follow in your footsteps.

“I am having such a beautiful time with this freedom that I have that I do not think about the ball. I want to enjoy this ”, he said.

“I have a daughter who is 13 years old. The other is 9 years old. My son is 5 years old and the other day he had his first baseball practice. He had told me that he did not want to play, that what he wanted was to be a soccer player. ‘I told him treats. You have to give yourself the opportunity. ‘ He tried it and said ‘Daddy I liked it. When is the next practice? ‘ Now I am involved with him and enjoying it, ”he said.

Doesn’t rule out a return to baseball

As it is, the question of whether Beltran would consider a return to baseball in a managerial position or some other position would appear to be an inappropriate one. But is not. Beltrán admits that the ball that he continues to carry in his DNA because of the thousands of swings he has taken and the drums he has caught.

“Playing 20 years in the Major Leagues makes it difficult for you to walk away. Almost half of my life was spent playing baseball. In the future I do not rule it out, if the opportunity appears, if it is correct and makes sense, then we are going to move on. At the end of the day one has to understand that these types of positions do not arise frequently. And when they emerge, as a minority Latino player, it is something very positive to have an impact position in the Major Leagues, ”said who finished his career with an average of .279 with 435 HR.