By Alex Al-Kazzaz
Adrián Beltré is going to the Baseball Hall of Fame and deservingly so! The former third baseman's 20-year illustrious career speaks for itself, and his impressive list of accomplishments solidifies him as a certified legend in baseball and a true hall of fame. He joins Todd Helton (Colorado Rockies) and Joe Mauer (Minnesota Twins), both well-respected legends.
Beltré arrived in Texas in 2011. He had previously played for the Boston Red Sox (2010), Seattle Mariners (2005-2009), and Los Angeles Dodgers (1998-2004). During his time in Texas, he was part of the team that made the World Series in 2011, was selected to the All-Star three times, and earned two Silver Slugger awards and three Gold Glove awards. He would remain with the Texas Rangers until 2018 and announced his retirement from baseball in November of that year.
In his first year of eligibility, Beltré received a 95.1 vote percentage on the ballot. In 2019, he had his number (#29) retired by the Rangers, and in 2021, he was inducted into the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame.
Entering his third year with the Rangers, Beltré was appointed team captain. In 2014, he would reach the 2,500-hit milestone and surpass Vladimir Guerrero for all-time career hits for players born in the Dominican Republic. He reached the 3,000-hit milestone three years later, becoming the first Dominican player to do it.
Beltré is one of five players in MLB history to hit homer 100 times with three different clubs. He is also the only third baseman to have 3,000 career hits along with 400 career homers. Furthermore, Beltré is the all-time leader among third basemen in hits (3,166) and RBIs (1,707).
Beltré has left his mark in the sport. He'll join the likes of fellow Dominicans Guerrero and David Ortiz in the Hall of Fame. Longtime baseball manager Jim Leyland will join Beltré, Helton, and Mauer. The ceremony will be in July.
(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)