| Carlos Delgado | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Delgado with the New York Mets in 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||
| First baseman | ||||||||||||||||||
| Born: (1972-06-25)June 25, 1972 (age 53) Aguadilla, Puerto Rico | ||||||||||||||||||
Batted: Left Threw: Right | ||||||||||||||||||
| MLB debut | ||||||||||||||||||
| October 1, 1993, for the Toronto Blue Jays | ||||||||||||||||||
| Last MLB appearance | ||||||||||||||||||
| May 10, 2009, for the New York Mets | ||||||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics | ||||||||||||||||||
| Batting average | .280 | |||||||||||||||||
| Hits | 2,038 | |||||||||||||||||
| Home runs | 473 | |||||||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 1,512 | |||||||||||||||||
Stats atBaseball Reference  | ||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Member of the Canadian | ||||||||||||||||||
 Baseball Hall of Fame | ||||||||||||||||||
| Induction | 2015 | |||||||||||||||||
Medals
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Carlos Juan Delgado Hernández (born June 25, 1972) is aPuerto Rican former professionalbaseball player andcoach. He played inMajor League Baseball primarily as afirst baseman, from 1993 to 2009, most prominently as a member of theToronto Blue Jays, where he was a member of the1993 World Series-winning team, won the 2000American League (AL)Hank Aaron Award, and was the 2003 ALRBI leader. He was also a two-time ALAll-Star player and a three-timeSilver Slugger Award winner during his tenure with the Blue Jays.
Delgado holds the Major League Baseball record for career home runs by a Puerto Rican player with 473. He is one of only six players in Major League history to hit30 home runs in ten consecutive seasons, becoming the fourth player to do so. During his 12 years with the Toronto Blue Jays, Delgado set manyteam records, including home runs (336), RBI (1,058),walks (827),slugging percentage (.556),on-base plus slugging (.949),runs (889),total bases (2,786),doubles (343), runs created (1,077),extra base hits (690), times on base (2,362),hit by pitch (122),intentional walks (128) and at bats per home run (14.9).[1]
Delgado also played for theFlorida Marlins andNew York Mets. In 2006, he was named the recipient of the prestigiousRoberto Clemente Award. On February 4, 2015, Delgado was elected to theCanadian Baseball Hall of Fame.[2]
Delgado was born inAguadilla, Puerto Rico to Carlos "Cao" Delgado and Carmen Digna Hérnandez. He grew up in the El Prado section of Aguadilla. There, he attended elementary school alongside his three siblings. Both his father, "Don Cao", and his grandfather, Asdrúbal "Pingolo" Delgado, were well-known figures in the town. Delgado has said that this made him feel "protected," but that it also demanded that he had to behave properly.[3]
Delgado attended Agustín Stahl Middle School andJosé de Diego High School, from which he graduated in 1989. Delgado has expressed his strong feelings of pride in being anAguadillano, noting everything he holds dear is found in the municipality, and his off-season house is located there. He is friends with many people who live there, many of whom he played Little League baseball with.[3]
At the age of 16, several major league organizations including theCincinnati Reds,Montreal Expos,New York Mets,Texas Rangers, andToronto Blue Jays saw his potential and attempted to sign him. He signed with the Blue Jays in 1988, after being discovered by team scoutEpy Guerrero.[4] In 1992, Delgado played for theDunedin Blue Jays of theFlorida State League and produced 30 home runs and 100 RBI, leading the league in both categories, along with a .324batting average.[5][6] That season, he was namedUSA Today'sMinor League Player of the Year.[7] Before the 1993 season, he was named the number 4 prospect in theminor leagues byBaseball America and was promoted to the Double-AKnoxville Smokies.[5] That year, he hit .303 with 25 home runs, 102 RBI, and 102 walks, winning theSouthern LeagueMVP Award.[5][8]
As aSeptember call-up, he made his major league debut on October 1, 1993, drawing a walk in his first careerplate appearance.[4][9] Though he didn't play in the 1993 postseason, in which the Blue Jays won theWorld Series, he was awarded aWorld Series ring.[10] Originally a catcher, Delgado played in left field for the Blue Jays in 1994 and 1995,[4] before switching to first base, where he became one of the most productive sluggers in the major leagues. Starting in 1997, he hit at least 30 home runs in ten consecutive seasons.[4] A two-timeAll-Star, in 2000 and 2003, Delgado holds several Blue Jays single-season and career records. He won theHank Aaron andThe Sporting NewsPlayer of the Year Awards in 2000, and theSilver Slugger Award in 1999, 2000, and 2003.
In 1999, Delgado hit a career-high 44 home runs, along with 134 RBI, and a .272 batting average. The next year, he batted a career-high .344, along with 41 home runs, 57 doubles, and 137 RBI. He finished fourth in the 2000American LeagueMVP voting.
On September 25, 2003, in a game against theTampa Bay Devil Rays, Delgado became the 15th major league player to hitfour home runs in one game. He hit a three-run home run in the first inning offJorge Sosa, then again off Sosa while leading off the fourth, then offJoe Kennedy while leading off in the sixth and then offLance Carter leading off the eighth inning. Delgado is the only player to hit four home runs with only 4at-bats in a game.[11] In the 2003 season, Delgado hit 42 home runs and led the Majors with 145 RBI, while batting .302; he finished second toAlex Rodriguez for the AL MVP Award. He was namedAL Player of the Week on September 30, 2003, and again on September 7, 2004.[12][13]
Following the 2004 season, Delgado became a free agent, and was pursued by theBaltimore Orioles,Florida Marlins,New York Mets,Seattle Mariners andTexas Rangers. The Blue Jays were not interested in re-signing him, due to payroll constraints.[14]
On January 25, 2005, Delgado chose to sign with theFlorida Marlins, signing a four-year, $52 million contract.[15][16] He made a successful transition to theNational League, with a .301 batting average, .399 on-base percentage, 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.
Following the 2005 season, the Marlins performed one of their periodic salary-cutting maneuvers, unloading some of their higher-paid players. On November 23, 2005, the Marlins sent Delgado and $7 million to theNew York Mets forMike Jacobs,Yusmeiro Petit, and Grant Psomas.[17]
Delgado responded well as the Mets' cleanup hitter, hitting 38 home runs and driving in 114 runs in 2006. With Delgado hitting between fellow Puerto RicanCarlos Beltrán and third basemanDavid Wright, the Mets had the best record in the National League in 2006 but lost to theSt. Louis Cardinals in theNational League Championship Series in seven games. At season's end, with Delgado was tied withDuke Snider with 407 career home runs,[18] 41st most in MLB history at the time. Through 2006, Delgado was the all-time leader for interleague play RBIs with 131, and second all-time in home runs with 43.
Carlos Delgado had early struggles in the 2007 season, with his batting average at .196 on May 3, but his numbers improved as the season progressed.[19] On May 9, 2007, he hit a home run intoMcCovey Cove during a game against theSan Francisco Giants, becoming the first visiting player to have hit threesplash home runs atAT&T Park.[20] Delgado ended the season tied withCal Ripken Jr. for 37th place on theall-time career home run list with 431.[21]
During spring training 2008, Delgado was diagnosed with a hip impingement, but the Mets decided to keep him on the active roster. As in the previous year, Delgado began the season in an offensive slump with a .204 batting average in April, and hitting just three home runs, but once again his stats improved as the season continued. In May, his batting average increased to .235 with five home runs. On June 15, 2008, Delgado brokeJuan González's record for most runs batted in by a Puerto Rican player.[22] On June 27, Delgado set a new Mets record with 9 RBIs (hitting a two-run double, grand slam, and three-run home run) in an interleague game versus theNew York Yankees, breakingDave Kingman's club record of 8.[23] In the final game before the All-Star break, Delgado hit his 17th home run of the season.[24] Between June and July his batting average improved, rising to .260 with 19 home runs. Between July 23–31, Delgado hit four home runs.[25][26][27][28]
On August 21, 2008, against theAtlanta Braves, Delgado went 5 for 5 with 3 singles, 3 RBIs, a double, and a walk-off single scoringDavid Wright in the ninth off the glove of left fielderOmar Infante. It was the first time he had gone 5 for 5 in 10 years. The Mets swept the three-game set. On August 25, 2008, against theHouston Astros, Delgado hit two 3-run homers to lead the Mets to a 9–1 victory in the finale of the series.[29] On September 7 he became the third Mets player in history to have at least 65 RBIs in a 65-game stretch in a season. On September 9, he tiedDave Kingman's record of most multi-home run games during a season as a Met with 7. Delgado notched his 2,000th career hit on September 21, 2008, against the Atlanta Braves. On October 31 the Mets exercised Delgado's $12 million option.[30] Delgado was ninth in the voting for the 2008National LeagueMVP Award, behindAlbert Pujols,Ryan Howard,Ryan Braun,Manny Ramirez,Lance Berkman,CC Sabathia,David Wright andBrad Lidge.[31]
Delgado was the first Major League player to hit a home run into the Pepsi Porch atCiti Field on April 8, 2009.[32] He played his last major league game against thePittsburgh Pirates on May 10, 2009.[33] Eight days later on May 18, the Mets announced that Delgado had abone spur and a tornlabrum in his hip, and he would have to undergo surgery.[34] The Mets reported the next day that the surgery was successful and Delgado would be out for approximately ten weeks, which would delay his quest for 500 home runs.[35] However, he did not play again in 2009.[33]
Delgado filed for free agency on November 5.[36] Delgado made his return to thePuerto Rico Baseball League (PRBL) winter league, registering a batting average of .364 and one home run in his first three games.[37] He had seven hits in eight games in the winter league season.[4]
In February 2010, Delgado underwent another hip operation, this time to reconstruct thelabrum on his right hip. He also underwent a micro-fracture procedure on his hip socket. Although Delgado had reportedly received interest from MLB clubs, including the Mets and Marlins, he felt pain in his hip and decided to undergo the second surgery to be better prepared for the coming season. According to his agent, David Sloane, Delgado "felt, despite the time it would take, it was a better option for him to be the Carlos Delgado of old instead of an old Carlos Delgado."[38]
On August 7, 2010, theBoston Red Sox signed Delgado to a minor league contract.[39] He played 5 games with the Triple-APawtucket Red Sox between August 9 and 15, collecting 3 singles in 13 at-bats with 2 RBI. This was the entire extent of Delgado's 2010 season after Delgado suffered a setback with his surgically repaired hip.[5][40]
On April 13, 2011, Delgado officially announced, while inSan Juan, Puerto Rico, his retirement from professional baseball after 17 MLB seasons.[41][42]
On December 7, 2012, the Blue Jays announced that Delgado would be the 10th person inducted to the club'sLevel of Excellence. The induction occurred on July 21, 2013, atRogers Centre in Toronto.[43] Delgado threw the ceremonial first pitch for that day's Blue Jays game.[44]
In 2,035 games over 17 seasons, Delgado posted a .280 batting average with 1241 runs, 483doubles, 18triples, 473 home runs, 1,512 RBI, 1,109 walks, .383 on-base percentage and .546 slugging percentage. He finished his career with a .992fielding percentage primarily as a first baseman. In ten postseason games, he hit .351 (13-for-37) with eight runs, three doubles, four home runs, 11 RBIs and six walks.[4]
Delgado represented thePuerto Rico national team in international competition. In the2006 World Baseball Classic, he singled in his only at-bat of the tournament.[45] His role on the Puerto Rican squad was much more prominent at the2009 World Baseball Classic, where he slashed .438/.625/.938 in 16 plate appearances. Delgado led the team with 7 walks and tied withIván Rodríguez for the most home runs on the team with 2 apiece.[46]
After his retirement, he washitting coach for Puerto Rico in the2013 World Baseball Classic. He reprised his role in the2017 World Baseball Classic.[47][48]
After retiring, Delgado has continued to work in matters closely related to baseball. In February 2013, he was announced as the new member of the Board for the Development of the Puerto Rican Full-Time Athlete. This agency is directed by theDepartment of Sports and Recreation of Puerto Rico.[49]
Also, in March 2013, he served ashitting coach for thePuerto Rico national baseball team that represented the island at the2013 World Baseball Classic. The team finished second in the rankings.[50] He reprised his role as hitting coach for Team Puerto Rico in the2017 World Baseball Classic.[51]
In his only appearance on theBaseball Hall of Fame ballot in 2015, Delgado received just 3.8% of thevote, below the 5% minimum required to remain on future ballots. That same year, he was elected to theCanadian Baseball Hall of Fame. In November 2025, it was announced that Delgado would appear on theContemporary Baseball Era Committeeballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame.[52]
Delgado lives in his hometown ofAguadilla, Puerto Rico. He is married to Betzaida García, who is also from Aguadilla.[3] They have a son, Carlos Antonio, and in 2010 adopted a baby daughter, Mariana Isabel.[53]
Like his hero,Roberto Clemente, Delgado is a well-known peace activist, and has been open about his political beliefs. As part of theNavy-Vieques protests, Delgado was actively opposed to the use of the island ofVieques, Puerto Rico as a bombing target practice facility by theUnited States Department of Defense, until bombing was halted in 2003. He was also against theoccupation of Iraq. In the 2004 season, Delgado protested the war by silently staying in thedugout during the playing of "God Bless America" during theseventh inning stretch. Delgado does not make a public show of his beliefs, and even his teammates were not aware of his views until a story was published in July 2004 in theToronto Star. Delgado was quoted as saying "It's a very terrible thing that happened onSeptember 11. It's (also) a terrible thing that happened inAfghanistan andIraq, ... I just feel so sad for the families that lost relatives and loved ones in the war. But I think it's the stupidest war ever." The story was the subject of a media frenzy, mostly in New York, where on July 21, 2004, as was anticipated, Delgado was booed by Yankee fans for his passive protest during a game atYankee Stadium.[54] Delgado had explained that the playing of "God Bless America" had come to be equated with a war in which he didn't believe.[55] In aNew York Times interview, Delgado said this is what he believed in, and "It takes a man to stand up for what he believes."[55] After being traded to the Mets, in a conciliatory measure, Delgado opted to stand during the singing of "God Bless America".
Among other charity work, Delgado is well known for his generous visits to hospitals in his hometown where, onThree Kings Day, he brings toys to hospitalized children. In 2006, he joinedPuerto Rico's Senate President in co-sponsoring aThree Kings gift-giving effort in the town ofLoíza. Delgado started his own non-profit organization, "Extra Bases", to assist island youth. In 2007, Delgado donated video conference equipment to allow his hometown's Buen Samaritano Hospital to establish a regular link with a hospital inBoston in order to allow for remote diagnoses throughtelemedicine.
Delgado has also contributed to improving Puerto Rico's public education system. In 2007, he participated in "Sapientis Week", an initiative sponsored by the non-profitSapientis which brings distinguished public figures into classrooms in order to raise the public's awareness of the education crisis in Puerto Rico. Delgado taught a class on Athletic Mental Training and Health at the Ramon Power y Giralt School in theLuis Llorens Torres public housing complex.
For his efforts, Delgado was awarded theRoberto Clemente Award in 2006.[56] The award goes to the player in baseball who best exemplifies humanitarianism and sportsmanship, and was named afterHall of Famer Roberto Clemente in 1973. Prior to the 2008 season of thePuerto Rico Baseball League, Delgado was involved in an initiative to provide economic help to theIndios de Mayagüez team.[57]
· Baseball Almanac| Achievements | ||
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| Preceded by | Batters with 4 home runs in one game September 25, 2003 | Succeeded by |
