Carlos Beltran quotes:

Major League Baseball should retire Roberto Clemente's number, just like they did Jackie Robinson's.

Now that I feel 100 percent, I'm looking forward to playing my game the way I want to-getting on base, stealing bases and trying to help the team any way I can.

It's going to be crazy. I'm guessing when we play against the Dominicans, half the field will be Dominican fans and half will be Puerto Rican fans. With all the big-time players in the World Classic, it's going to be huge.

I used to think it would be neat to play my whole career with one team. But as a baseball player you want to come to the ballpark every day knowing you have a chance to win and that the games mean something.

My mom and dad gave me everything they could have given me.

When you're close to your family, you want to be close to them.

I pray to God to be a great player, but I want to keep my life.

I like to be aggressive. I like to swing the bat.

I was always thinking, 'One day I want to be like Bernie Williams.'

I just need to come to the park every day thinking something good is going to happen to me and hoping today is going to be the day.

I know there are a lot of expectations of me, and I will do the best I can.

My goal is to win. It doesn't matter how I do. I want to do well, but I just want the team to win.

I like people talking about me, about my defense or what I'm doing. I like to see that, and that makes me work hard.

I think I can play in the big leagues 10 or 15 years. But more important to me is winning-win, make the playoffs.

I'm a family man. I just love being around my family.

When I was in Kansas City everything was going well for me. My marriage was good and I was very successful in baseball but something was missing in my life. That something was Christ. Every human being is born with a little defect in his heart. That defect is a hole in the heart that can only be filled by Jesus Christ.

I have more confidence than I ever have before.

Running after balls, diving, taking a home run away, it gives me such a good feeling. I am happy to do it.

I don't want to be hiding from people. It would be difficult to be recognized everywhere, so that I couldn't do things ordinary people do.

I learned that I have to work hard every day, that I can't get down if I get in a slump.

I can't change something that I've been all my life. But I can work to express myself and talk more.

I play because I know I can play the game, so it's their decision whether or not they want to keep me or they wanna trade me. Whatever decision they make, I will understand it.