Carlos Beltran retired from playing baseball today:

Some of the best advice I have ever received in my life did not come from a ballplayer. It came from a golfer, if you can believe it.

It was Chi Chi Rodríguez.

I have been in many conversations with Chi Chi. He is a legend in Puerto Rico, and he is a very wise man. I remember in 1999 — when I was named Rookie of the Year — he approached me.

“Carlos,” he said, “what do you want to accomplish in life?”

I said, “I want to be successful, Chi Chi … successful at the game of baseball.”

And he said to me, “Oh, that’s super simple.”

I was confused. Simple? Was this a joke?

So I said to him, “If it’s so simple, why don’t you see more successful baseball players? Why can you only count the very best in the league on only two hands?”

He put his hand on my shoulder.

“To be successful in life, Carlos, you have to surround yourself with successful people. You can’t be afraid to ask questions to those people that you look up to.”

I have been very lucky in life to often work around people who were much smarter than or more talented than me. I always took it as an opportunity to learn. Beltran did the same thing.

The talk will now turn to whether Beltran deserves a place in the Hall of Fame. His overall batting number are very good, but his career averages don’t really jump out at you. Two things, I suspect will help his case. The first is that he had a long prime, from age 24 through age 31. In those eight season he averaged 5.8 bWAR a year.

The second thing that helps him is his outstanding post-season play. In 256 PA he hits .307/.412/.609, stepping up a few notches. He hit .417/.569/.772 with men in scoring position, and 32 of his 66 post-season hits went for extra bases. It’s an amazing performance when everything mattered most. I would cast a ballot for him.