Ranking the 15 greatest Mets outfielders in franchise history

9/28/08 3:42:51 PM -- Queens, NY, U.S.A  -- The Florida Marlins visit the New York Mets. The Mets
9/28/08 3:42:51 PM -- Queens, NY, U.S.A -- The Florida Marlins visit the New York Mets. The Mets / Robert Deutsch, USAT via Imagn Content
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The Mets Carlos Beltran tosses his bat aside after hitting a three-run homer in the 7th inning, as / Thomas E. Franklin / NorthJersey.com,

2. Carlos Beltran

The only manager in Mets history to never lose a game is also the best center fielder in franchise history. Prior to the 2005 season, Carlos Beltran signed what at that time was the biggest contract in Mets history, signing a seven-year $119 million-dollar deal. He came to The Big Apple with high expectations and in my opinion, he surpassed them.

In his six and a half seasons as a Met, Beltran slashed .280/.369/.500 with 149 home runs and 559 RBI. He tacked on 100 stolen bases in 839 career games in orange and blue.

Beltran made five all-star teams, won two Silver Slugger Awards, and three Gold Gloves. His best season came in 2006, when he slashed .275/.388/.594 with 41 home runs and 116 RBI. The home runs and RBI were both career highs for Beltran, and the home runs tied Todd Hundley for the franchise's single season record before Pete Alonso broke it in his rookie year.

He won the Silver Slugger Award and Gold Glove for center field and finished fourth in the MVP voting. Unfortunately, that 2006 season is remembered for Beltran striking out looking to eliminate the Mets in the NLCS, but that doesn't take away from everything Beltran did to get them to that spot. He slashed .296/.387/.667 with three home runs and four RBI in the seven games. He also scored eight runs.

Beltran is in the top ten in just about every major statistical category in Mets history and if he does get inducted into the Hall of Fame, he'll likely go in with a Mets cap on.