Carlos Juan Delgado Hernández (born June 25, 1972)
is a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball first
baseman for the New York Mets. As of the end of the
2007 season, Carlos Delgado ranks thirty-seventh
(37) among all-time Major League home run hitters.
Delgado is sixty-nine (69) home runs away from
joining the 500 home run club and is only four (4)
away from becoming the all-time home run hitter
among Puerto Rico-born players. See: List of top 500
Major League Baseball home run hitters.
In the summer of 1988, the Texas Rangers, New York
Mets, Montreal Expos, Cincinnati Reds and Toronto
Blue Jays all wanted to sign Carlos. He chose the
Toronto Blue Jays. During the 1993 season, he broke
in to the major leagues with the Blue Jays.
Originally a catcher, he switched to first baseman
and became one of the most productive sluggers in
the Major Leagues. A two-time All Star, in 2000 and
2003, Delgado holds several Blue Jays single season
and career records. He won the Hank Aaron and The
Sporting News' Player of the Year awards in 2000,
and the Silver Slugger Award in 1999, 2000, and
2003. Delgado is the fourth player in major league
history to hit at least 30 home runs in 10
consecutive seasons, and amassed 100 RBI or more in
seven of his ten full seasons.
On September 25, 2003, in a game against the Tampa
Bay Devil Rays, Delgado became the fifth American
League player and 15th major leaguer to hit four
home runs in one game. He hit a three-run home run
in the first inning, then led off the fourth, sixth
and eighth innings with solo shots. He was named AL
Player of the Week (September 30, 2003). He was
named again on September 7, 2004.
Delgado became a free agent following the 2004
season and was pursued by the Baltimore Orioles,
Florida Marlins, New York Mets, Seattle Mariners and
Texas Rangers. On January 25, 2005, he chose the
Marlins, signing a four-year contract worth a
reported $52 million. He successfully transitioned
to the National League, hitting for a .301 batting
average, .399 on-base percentage, with 33 home runs
and 115 RBI in 2005. At the same time, he shared the
major league lead in errors for a first baseman,
with 14.
On November 23, 2005, the Mets traded Mike Jacobs,
Yusmeiro Petit and Grant Psomas to the Marlins for
Delgado and $7 million. The deal was part of the
Marlins' "market correction" where they were
unloading some of the higher paid players. Delgado
responded as the feared cleanup hitter for the Mets,
hitting 38 home runs and driving in 114 runs. With
Delgado hitting between fellow Puerto Rican Carlos
Beltran and star third baseman David Wright, the
Mets had the best record in the National League in
2006, but lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in the
NLCS, 4-3.
Through 2006, Delgado is the all-time leader for
interleague play RBI with 131, and second all-time
in home runs with 43.
Through the 2006 season, in 14 years of major league
service, Delgado has a career .282 batting average,
and a .390 on-base percentage with 407 home runs and
1,287 RBI in 1,711 games.
