KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Twenty-seven years since his induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, now 73 years old, George Brett had come to appreciate a perk of seniority for the marathon annual ceremony in Cooperstown: a stage seat in the back row by the air conditioning, out of view enough to be able to maybe daydream some during the ancillary moments.

Last Sunday, though, Brett was puzzled to find himself assigned a more conspicuous second-row seat.

No wonder it initially was a mystery to him. Turns out it was something the Hall of Fame likes to do in circumstances Brett never before had experienced: having a close connection with a new inductee.

In this case, it was Carlos Beltran — now just the second man drafted by the Royals to enter the Hall of Fame.

(At least if you don’t count NFL Hall of Famers Dan Marino and John Elway; each was selected by the Royals in 1979 but opted not to sign).

Perhaps Brett one day also will enjoy such a sensation with Salvador Perez, who set the notion more front of mind last week by breaking Brett’s franchise home run record with his 318th.

Or with sky’s-the-limit Bobby Witt Jr., whom Brett figures will break many of his franchise records if the Royals can keep him most or all of his career.

While those relationships are more currently apparent, though, Beltran’s ascent had great meaning to Brett … even if he would prefer Beltran entered with his plaque bearing a Royals cap instead of a Mets version.

Because Brett and Beltran had a significant rapport at a pivotal time in Beltran’s career — including, as it happens, a foreshadowing episode in Cooperstown during Brett’s induction weekend in 1999.

While the moment had become a vague memory to Brett, Beltran reminded him of it Friday night at the Hawkeye Bar & Grill in Cooperstown.

When Brett approached Beltran to congratulate him, he recalled, Beltran said, “Who would ever have thought it besides you?”

When Brett said, “what do you mean?” Beltran reset the scene.

Before the Royals and Rangers played in an exhibition game during the 1999 induction weekend in Cooperstown, Brett beckoned Beltran over to introduce him to Orlando Cepeda — one of four men entering the Hall via the veterans committee that year, along with the modern-era group of Brett, Nolan Ryan and Robin Yount.

Knowing that Beltran particularly admired Cepeda as a fellow native of Puerto Rico, Brett introduced him as the “next” Puerto Rican player bound for the Hall of Fame.

Never mind that Beltran was a 22-year-old rookie.

Brett had seen enough to believe in what he said.

“It wasn’t rocket science,” said Brett, who considered Beltran a five-tool player reminiscent in some ways of Witt.

Otherwise, he added, with a laugh, he would simply have told Cepeda “this is a guy from Puerto Rico; I just want to introduce you.”

For his part, Beltran, carrying a baseball for Cepeda to sign, was sheepish.

“ ‘I don’t think that’s a good statement, George,’ ” Beltran remembered saying at a news conference last week. “And George said, ‘Well, Carlos, everything is possible in life.’ ”

As he has looked back, Beltran now figures that created a certain subliminal vision of all that could be.

Especially since Brett underscored to him that the potential would mean nothing if he got complacent after a debut season in which he was recognized as American League Rookie of the Year.

In fact, Brett said words to that effect in a news conference after his induction in 1999 included a question about Beltran.

“I think he’s got star quality written all over him,” Brett said then. “Now, if he can learn not to be content with what he’s accomplished, and he gets better and better every year, he has a chance to be in this Hall. I love watching him play.”

So much so that Brett threw thousands of batting practice pitches to Beltran before he was traded in 2004, and they spoke often about hitting.

No wonder Beltran’s speech on Sunday included a tribute to Brett along with recognition of forever Royals area scout Johnny Ramos (“my scout,” as Beltran called him); Royals’ rookie league manager Bob Herold, who made him feel like he belonged because he spoke Spanish and Wilmington Blue Rocks manager Kevin Long — who helped Beltran learn to switch-hit.

Then, Beltran added, he had the “incredible privilege to be around one of the greatest competitors this game has ever seen, Mr. George Brett.”

As the cameras turned to Brett waving a small Puerto Rican flag, Beltran added, “You taught me something that I will never forget. That greatness is built long before anyone is watching.”

As he thought of all the conversations he’d appreciated, Beltran smiled about one term in particular.

“ ‘Carlos, hit the ball hard, not far. Hit the ball hard, not far’ ” — words Brett has impressed upon young slugger Jac Caglianone, too.

Turning toward Brett, he said, “I love you, my man, for everything that you did for me.”

Much as Brett wished Beltran entered the Hall as a Royal, he personally thinks of him as a Kansas City Royal and figures the fact Beltran didn’t make that choice mostly reflects his time in Royals history.

When Beltran was called up in September 1998, Brett reminded, the Royals were owned by a trust commissioned to keep the team in town at the behest of late Royals founder Ewing Kauffman.

“And that trust had one job,” Brett said. “Don’t lose money.”

That mindset prevailed through most of the first decade of David Glass’ ownership, which helped explain why the Royals couldn’t or wouldn’t keep many high-quality players as they approached free agency.

Instead of seeing him as a future Hall of Famer who should be a franchise pillar, the Royals dispensed him to Houston in 2004 in a three-way trade that brought them back catcher John Buck, third baseman Mark Teahen and pitcher Mike Wood.

Teahen hit .269 with 293 RBIs in five seasons with the Royals, and Buck hit .235 with 259 RBIs in six seasons. Wood had a 5.28 ERA in 87 games over three seasons with the Royals.

Playing for seven teams, Beltran finished his career after the 2017 season with 435 home runs, 1,587 RBIs, 2,725 hits, 312 stolen bases and an .837 OPS. He was selected to the All-Star team nine times and earned three Gold Gloves.

The Royals made a mighty effort to re-sign Beltran after the 2013 season that featured Brett being in on it. In the clubhouse, as Brett described it, temporary adjoining lockers bore the uniforms of each. On the Jumbotron, they flashed highlights of him as a Royal.

While the numbers at the negotiating table never were disclosed, Beltran opted for a three-year, $45 million deal with the Yankees. He told the Puerto Rican newspaper Primera Hora that he had “better offers on the table, but at this stage of my career, I want to compete and to have the opportunity to go to the World Series.”

Funny how things play out: While the Yankees missed the playoffs in 2014 and were eliminated in the American League wild-card game in 2015, the Royals returned to the postseason for the first time since 1985 with back-to-back World Series appearances and won it all in 2015.

With Perez as the MVP — and a player this era of the franchise under Dayton Moore and, later, J.J. Picollo, recognized they should try to make a Royal for life.

“You couldn’t ask for anybody better,” said Brett, who recorded a congratulatory video to Perez. “Sal has meant so much to this organization (and) been a cornerstone of it for a long, long time.

“The smile on his face is so infectious; a fan favorite from his first day in the big leagues.”

The 36-year-old Perez is signed only through 2027 and his production has dipped dramatically this season, at least to date. It seems highly likely he’ll finish his career here but not altogether certain, either, depending on how much longer he wants to play.

Moreover, Brett wonders if the Royals will be able to keep Witt, given the ongoing realities of baseball economics.

“There’s not going to be a lot of guys, Hall of Fame guys, anymore that just play for one team,” Brett said. “It’s just not going to work out, especially if it’s a small-market team.”

As for whether Perez (and, way down the road, Witt) one day will join Brett and Beltran in Cooperstown, that’s a separate matter of debate and data for a later time.

But you can count Brett as a believer in Perez’s credentials — and he’s got a track record going back 27 years on Beltran.

“And sure enough it happened,” Brett said, “which is pretty cool.”

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