Texas Rangers legend Adrian Beltre was overwhelmingly elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday, January 23. Beltre became the latest first-ballot Hall of Fame selection from the franchise. Beltre was a fun player to watch. Beltre’s attention-grabbing plays, defensive skills, and lengthy career longevity helped him become regarded as one of the greatest third basemen of all time. With that said, I have ten fun facts about the (new) Hall of Famer Adrian Beltre for you.
Ten Adrian Beltre Fun Facts
10. Adrian Beltre and the Word “Young” Go Together Like Peanut Butter and Jelly
Adrian Beltre, a Dominican former third baseman in MLB, has never ceased to amaze us. Beltre was first signed as an amateur free agent but went on to make his MLB debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 24, 1998, at just 19 years old. He was the youngest player in the National League (NL) in 1998, the third youngest in the NL in 1999, and the fourth youngest in the NL in 2000. As you can see, Beltre did many great things when he was younger.
9. Adrian Beltre’s Age Was a Mystery to the Los Angeles Dodgers
Age is just a number for the most part. However, Adrian Beltre’s age was a mystery to the Los Angeles Dodgers. According to SB Nation’s Lone Star Ball, the Dodgers didn’t know Beltre was 19 when he made his MLB debut. They thought he was 20. They signed Beltre when he was only 15 and thought he was 16. And, when it was revealed Beltre was only 15 when he was signed, the Dodgers were suspended from the Dominican Republic for a year. Adrian Beltre’s agent, Scott Boras, asked MLB to nullify Beltre’s contract with the Dodgers and make him a free agent, which would’ve set him up for a historic payday. But MLB didn’t do it.
8. Adrian Beltre Has a Pet Peeve
Adrian Beltre is a Dominican native from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Beltre attended Liceo Maximo Gomez High School before being spotted by MLB scouts Ralph Avila and Pablo Peguero while working out at Campo Las Palmas, a Los Angeles Dodgers facility, in 1994. But this doesn’t mean Beltre is always warm, friendly, and eager. Beltre’s pet peeve is people touching his head, including his then-teammates. It’s safe to say he’s anti-head touching.
7. Adrian Beltre’s Spirit Has Always Been Young
Some people never grow up. Adrian Beltre is one of those people, but in a good way. Beltre was 39 years old in 2018. Beltre’s leg issues sent him to the DL four times from 2016 to 2018. He reportedly kept saying he wouldn’t decide on the 2019 MLB season, but the words “go home” and “goodbye” kept creeping into his interviews. But, despite being old by baseball standards, his spirit was still young by general ones.
6. Adrian Beltre Has a Friend in Elvis Andrus
Adrian Beltre and Elvis Andrus are like the Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin of baseball. Beltre and Andrus, a Venezuelan free-agent shortstop who last played for the Chicago White Sox in 2023, are friends. The duo have a nine-year age difference, but Andrus was reportedly Beltre’s chief tormentor by rubbing his head after home runs, mimicking him in a field of pop flies, keeping up a constant stream of chatter, etc. The duo were also Texas Rangers teammates for eight years. Beltre has never been afraid to show the public how much he loves the game of baseball and how much he has on the field, but having Andrus next to him made it easier for him to show the latter.
5. Adrian Beltre Once Went Hungry
No, Adrian Beltre didn’t grow up poor. But there was a moment in time when he went hungry. Beltre has always hated pickles, so he went hungry often when he stayed in Dodgertown with some non-English-speaking Latinos. When asked what it was like to order food in English, Beltre told ESPN: “I lived with several Latinos, and they did not speak English, so we adapted little by little. We started by ordering food at McDonald’s or Subway after the game. We did a little bit of everything to order. What helped me was arriving at the place, pointing at a photo [of food], saying something as if I were murmuring, letting them answer me, and saying “yes.” But I didn’t know what they were going to give me. Whatever came, I tried to eat it.”
“I went hungry a lot because I’ve always hated pickles. A lot of times, the food at McDonald’s came with a lot of pickles, and when I ordered, I’d just grab the food, go to the hotel, sit down to eat, and open it to find pickles. I’d immediately throw it in the trash.”
4. Adrian Beltre’s Culture Shock Echoed Other Immigrants’ Culture Shocks
When he first arrived in the United States, Adrian Beltre’s number one culture shock was the English language. Beltre knew very little English. Beltre told ESPN:
“I tried very hard to learn the language, although I knew it wouldn’t be an easy journey. I wanted to not only stand out in baseball but also to have the freedom to express myself and to ask for what I wanted. One of the things that bothered me most wasn’t not knowing the language but not being able to express myself when I wanted to say something. I had to live with my internal voice because I didn’t know how to say something.”
“In my first year in the United States, there was a player of Cuban descent named Dan Ricobo who spoke Spanish and English well. So I asked him for a favor: [I asked] if I could bring him one English word daily so he could teach me how to use it in a sentence. That’s how I learned little by little, and I was never afraid that people would make fun of me when I said a wrong word.”
3. Adrian Beltre Thinks Latino Fans Have an Edge
Latino fans might be different than their American counterparts after all. According to ESPN, Adrian Beltre thinks the average Latino fan feels the game more and wants to be involved in the game. Beltre said that Latino fans are a little more boisterous than Americans, as they like to shout, support the players, etc. Perhaps Latino fans share the Latino love for baseball, just like Latino players.
2. Adrian Beltre Has Faith in Latino Players Like Himself
Adrian Beltre might be biased, but he reportedly believes in Latino players like himself. As I’ve mentioned in the previous entry, there’s a Latino love for baseball among fans and players alike. Although Adrian Beltre has described baseball as a hobby he enjoys, the sport also brought him stress, dilemmas, etc. Beltre stressed to ESPN:
“The Latino player has an incredible love for the game, and that’s what motivates us to become much better than the Americans. Obviously, we’re on foreign territory, and maybe it’s true and reasonable that if the Latino and the American are doing the same job, they’re going to give the job to the American. That’s how it was when I was in the minors. Sometimes, I’d talk to the boys in the minors and explain that this is a way to force yourself to do better. I don’t want them to see it as being on par [with the Americans]. They have to be better.”
1. Adrian Beltre’s Son Is Following in His Father’s Footsteps
Adrian Beltre and his wife, Sandra Beltre, have been married since 2003. The couple have three children: Cassandra Beltre (born 2003), Adrian Beltre Jr. (born 2005), and Camilia (born 2010). Adrian Beltre Jr. is the only son of the now-Hall of Famer and his beautiful wife. At 5-foot-11, Adrian Jr., also known as AJ, plays baseball as an infielder and a pitcher. In August 2023, the Seattle Times reported that AJ committed to play baseball at the University of Washington after high school. He’s currently a senior at Maranatha High School in Pasadena, California.
As expected, Adrian Jr. was influenced by Adrian Beltre, who fueled his son’s motivation for the game of baseball. AJ told Sportskeeda: “It just really drove my love for the game. I always loved baseball, but being around big leaguers every day was something really special for me — something I really miss. But it was awesome for me as a kid and really fueled my love for the game.”
“I feel like being the son of a big leaguer, seeing where they got to, what they were able to do, playing the game they love and getting paid for it, that’s always been a dream of mine. Baseball has just always been my life and something I really love.”
