Yesterday in History: Adrian Beltre Signs With the Texas Rangers.

January 5th, 2011, marked the beginning of the ride of a lifetime.  The Texas Rangers signed a six-year $96 million contract with the then Boston Red Sox third baseman Adrian Beltre. Beltre already had a stellar career before arriving in Arlington, but it would only get better.

The Dominican native began his career in 1998 with the Los Angeles Dodgers at nineteen. He would go on to play for the Dodgers for a total of seven years, racking up a total of 966 games and 3,818 plate appearances. He recorded 949 hits, 147 home runs, and 510 RBIs in a Dodgers uniform. In his final season as a Dodger, he led the league in home runs (48), earning his first Silver Slugger Award.

The 2005 season found Beltre in another uniform. As a free agent, Beltre went north to sign a five-year, $64 million contract with the Seattle Mariners. His years in a Mariners jersey were not among his best.  He recorded only 751 hits, 103 home runs, and 396 RBIs in those five years. However, he would earn his first Rawlings Gold Glove during the 2007 season and his second in the following season. Upon the expiration of his contract in Seattle, he once again declared free agency.

In 2010, Adrian Beltre signed a one-year, $10 million deal with the Boston Red Sox. He recorded 189 hits, 28 home runs, and 102 RBIs during his brief tenure in Boston before again declaring free agency. During his season with the Red Sox, Beltre was named to the American League All-Star Team and earned his second Silver Slugger Award.  He was also named the Thomas A. Yawkey Red Sox MVP.

Now, let’s pause and tally up the current standings in Beltre’s illustrious career.  As of the end of the 2010 season, Beltre had racked up an astounding 1,889 hits, 278 home runs, and 1,008 RBIs in those thirteen years.  He entered his best years with two Silver Sluggers, one Rawlings Gold Glove, and one All-Star game under his belt.

Enter the 2011 season.  Adrian Beltre arrived in Arlington, Texas, following a heartbreaking loss to the San Francisco Giants in the 2010 World Series.  His arrival brought new life to the downtrodden team, injecting it with vitality and hope.  That 2011 team took us back to the World Series, where we once again had our hopes and dreams crushed by the bat of David Freese and the glove, or lack thereof, of Nelson Cruz.

During his eight-year tenure in a Rangers jersey, Adrian Beltre racked up 1,277 hits, 199 home runs, and 699 RBIs.  He was named an American League Rawlings Gold Glove recipient thrice in 2011, 2012, and 2016, with 2011 and 2012 also bringing him a Rawlings Platinum Glove Award. Two more Silver Sluggers joined the fray in 2011 and 2014. He was named to the American League All-Star Team in 2011, 2012, and 2014. 

The Rangers named Beltre the club MVP four times in 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2016. He was awarded the Wilson Team Defensive Player of the Year in 2012 and the MLBPAA Rangers Heart and Hustle Award in 2013 and 2014. 2014 also saw a Lou Gehrig Award. In 2017, Beltre was also awarded the Rangers Harold McKinney Good Guy Award and the MLB.com Personality of the Year.

Adrian Beltre’s 2017 season was fraught with injury but saw his 600th career double, 5,000 career total bases, and 3,000th career hit. With the end of the 2018 season came the end of Beltre’s Major League career, ending with 3,166 hits, 477 home runs, and 1,707 RBIs. Texas Rangers honored Adrian Beltre by retiring the 29 in a ceremony on June 8, 2019, making it only the fourth number in club history to be retired, following Nolan Ryan’s 34, Johnny Oates’ 26, and Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez’s 7.  Beltre was again honored with his induction into the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame on August 14, 2021.  2024 is Adrian Beltre‘s first year of eligibility for the National Baseball Hall of Fame Election Ballot, and as of this article, was almost unanimous (we’re looking at you, Boston).

Since his retirement, Adrian Beltre has been a stay-at-home dad to his three children, Cassandra, Adrian Jr., and Camila.  Adrian Jr., affectionately dubbed Baby Beltre, has recently committed to playing ball for the University of Washington.  Will we see another Beltre in a Rangers uniform? Only the future will tell.