Wilpon: Beltrán with Mets feels like 'his calling'

NEW YORK -- Don’t tell Mets COO Jeff Wilpon that Carlos Beltrán, officially named the 22nd manager in Mets history on Monday, doesn’t have managerial experience. He's not worried about it.

Wilpon pointed out that Beltrán was a special adviser with the Yankees and learned the nuances of the game from general manager Brian Cashman. And while he didn’t play often with the Astros during their World Series title run in 2017, Beltrán was learning his craft as a manager by watching AJ Hinch, widely considered one of the game's best. Often you heard that Beltrán was mentoring young players such as Carlos Correa and Alex Bregman.

Beltrán played in all or part of 20 big league seasons, appearing in the postseason seven times. It's conceivable that he could be elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame as a player while managing the Mets.

During the interview process, Beltrán didn’t try to play to the audience -- he's been through it all. He has had the high of highs and the low of lows. It also helped that Beltrán played in New York with both the Yankees and Mets.

“He was the same consistent Carlos Beltrán that we have known for a long time,” Wilpon said. “He wants to be there for the players, give back to the community and to baseball. It feels like it is ... his calling, in terms of what he wants to do next in his next life.”

Beltrán’s next life with be mentoring a Mets team that won 86 games this past season. There's a balance of young and veteran talent.

• Cora on Beltrán: 'He's a student of the game'

Omar Minaya, who is a special assistant to general manager Brodie Van Wagenen, was one of two people in the organization [Allard Baird, assistant GM of scouting and player development, is the other] who highly recommended to ownership that Beltrán is the right guy to lead the Mets to the next level.

“He was able to communicate to all players. He was able to help all players of all kinds,” said Minaya, who signed Beltrán to a free agent contract before the 2005 season. “Sometimes people think he connects with [just] the Latin players; he connects with everybody. He is a giver of information. He is consistent. You know what to expect from him.”

Baird, a former GM with the Royals, worked with Beltrán during his years in Kansas City, and he doesn’t see much difference in the Beltrán from then to the Beltrán of now.

“The one thing is, he has been consistent,” said Baird, who traded Beltrán to the Astros in 2004. “He has always been a thinking person. If somebody presented something to him, you could tell he was kind of stepping back, thinking through it, always trying to evaluate and ask questions. Those things have not changed.

“The only difference now is that he is more outgoing, where you knew he had a passion for the game. Now you are around him, you hear the enthusiasm when he talks about players, team and creating a culture that is conducive to winning.”