| Adrián Beltré | |
|---|---|
| Texas Rangers – No. 29 | |
| Third baseman | |
| Born: April 7, 1979 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic |
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| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| June 24, 1998 for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| Career statistics (through 2011) |
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| Batting average | .276 |
| Home runs | 310 |
| Runs batted in | 1,113 |
| Hits | 2,033 |
| Teams | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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Adrián Beltré Pérez (born April 7, 1979) is a Major League Baseball (MLB) third baseman for the Texas Rangers.
The youngest player in the National League when he made his major league debut, he has also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1998–2004), the Seattle Mariners (2005–2009), and the Boston Red Sox (2010). He bats and throws right-handed. He is known for his signature home run swing, dropping to one knee when connecting with an off-speed pitch.[1]
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He was signed out of the Dominican Republic by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1994. All-Star catcher Alex Avila's grandfather was the scout who signed him. Beltré attended Liceo Maximo Gomez High School, where he developed into one of the school’s top players. In 1994, while working out at Campo Las Palmas, the Los Angeles Dodgers facility, he was spotted by scouts Ralph Avila and Pablo Peguero. Though only 15 and weighing just 130 pounds, he had a lightning-quick swing and electric throwing arm. On the insistence of Avila and Peguero, the Dodgers signed Beltré in July. He received a $23,000 bonus. When it was revealed that Beltré had signed his initial contract at the age of 15, commissioner Bud Selig suspended the Dodgers' scouting operations in the Dominican Republic for a year, because signing a player at that age was prevented under MLB rules.[2]
After being called up to the majors from the then Dodgers Double-A affiliate San Antonio Missions, Beltré made his major league debut on June 24, starting at third base in the first game of an interleague series against the Anaheim Angels. At the time, he was the youngest player in the National League.[3] During his first at-bat, Beltré smashed a two-out RBI double off Angels starter Chuck Finley into left field to score Paul Konerko from second base to tie the game. He would hit his first home run six days later against Texas Rangers starter Rick Helling. At the end of the 1998 season, Beltré would finish with 13 errors at third base while batting .215 with seven home runs.
The Dodgers saw Beltré develop into a consistent and durable young star during his time with the team, as he hit .265 while hitting 18 homers a year (on average). From 1999 through 2003, Beltré also started 710 games at third base (out of 810 games played) averaging a .948 fielding percentage.
Beltre led MLB in 2004 with 48 home runs, and he was honored with the Babe Ruth Home Run Award.[4]
Beltré was signed by the Seattle Mariners as a free agent before the 2005 season to a five-year, $64 million deal. Regressing to his pre-2004 form, he batted just .255 with 19 home runs and 87 RBI. Manager Mike Hargrove did not give up hope on Beltré, saying, "I think it's a season that, personally, he's disappointed in. I think it was a year that he will improve on the longer he's here and the longer he's in the American League."
2006 was, likewise, a disappointment for Beltré and led some to suspect that he had used steroids in his contract year of 2004, or at least had ramped up his production in order to be considered for a heftier contract.[5] Beltré, in an interview for the Seattle Times, denied his dropoff in 2006 to have anything to do with steroids.[6] After batting .167 through April 10, Ted Miller of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer suggested that Beltré may become one of the Mariners' greatest busts.[7] By June 5, 2006, Beltré's batting average was slowly improving, from .109 on April 16 to .236 at that time. After hitting his first home run in April, and his second later that month, Beltré improved his hitting, getting more hits in ballgames, most notably doubles. He also hit two home runs in the first five days of June, good signs for Beltré as well as the Mariners.
On July 23, 2006, against the Boston Red Sox, Beltré hit an inside-the-park home run, the first one ever in Safeco Field history.
Though it wasn't a great season for Beltré, it was his best as a Mariner. He hit .276, had 26 home runs, and had 99 RBI. He also had a career high 41 doubles. He also was honored with a Fielding Bible Award for being the top MLB defensive third baseman during the year.[8]
The 2007 season wasn't one of Beltré's better defensive years statistically.[9] In 2007, he tied with Brandon Inge for the AL lead in errors by a third baseman, with 18, but Beltré ranked second in the league in assists, total chances, and range factor. He also had the lowest fielding percentage of all third basemen in the league, .958.[9][10] Beltré was awarded the Gold Glove award.
On September 1, 2008, Beltré hit for the cycle, becoming the fourth Seattle Mariner to do so. Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Stephen Drew hit for the cycle that day as well, the first time two players had done so since 1920.[11] He won his second Fielding Bible Award for his defense that year.[12]
Beltré's decision not to wear a cup despite playing third base has been well-documented.[13] This really came back to hurt him on August 13, 2009, when he took a hard ground ball to the crotch.
Although he stayed in for the remainder of the 14 inning victory, he was put on the DL after suffering bleeding in one of his testicles.[14]
In his first game back from the DL from that injury, teammate Ken Griffey Jr. conspired with those responsible for the Safeco Field PA system to have Beltré's at-bat intro music be the waltz from The Nutcracker Suite.[15]
Beltré declared free agency on November 5, 2009.[16]
On January 7, 2010, Beltré signed a one-year, $9 million deal with the Boston Red Sox, which had a $5 million player option for 2011 with a $1 million buyout.[17]
Beltré led the Red Sox in batting average (.321) in 2010 and tied David Ortiz for the team lead in RBI (102). He finished the year with 189 hits in 589 at bats. He had 28 home runs and 84 runs scored. Beltré led the Majors in doubles, with 49 (also a career high). He also finished fourth in the AL in batting average, and was fifth in the AL in total bases (326) and slugging percentage (.553). He also had two stolen bases on the year, and finished ninth in the MVP voting.[18] On defense, he tied for the AL lead in errors by a third baseman, with 19.[19]
On January 5, 2011, Beltré signed a six-year, $96 million contract with the Texas Rangers. He was on the 2011 American League All Star team.[3] On September 4, Beltré hit a line single to right against the Boston Red Sox for his 2,000th career hit. On September 11, 2011, Beltré hit two home runs, including the 300th of his career, against the Oakland Athletics.
In 2011, Beltré batted .296 with 32 home runs (5th in the AL).[3] He was third in the American League in slugging percentage (.561), sixth in RBIs (105), and ninth in OPS (.892).[3] Through 2011, he led all active third basemen in career putouts (1,660) and errors (235).[3] He won his third Fielding Bible Award for his outstanding defense.[20]
On October 4, 2011, in an ALDS playoff game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Beltré became the sixth player—the first in a Division Series—to hit three home runs in a Major League playoff game.[21][22] He added a fourth playoff home run on October 24, when he went down to one knee chasing an outside curve ball.[23]
On November 1, 2011, Beltré was honored with the Gold Glove Award for the 2011 season.[24] On November 2, 2011 he was awarded the Silver Slugger Award.[25]
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Andruw Jones |
Youngest Player in the National League 1998 |
Succeeded by Rick Ankiel |
| Preceded by Barry Bonds |
National League Player of the Month September 2004 |
Succeeded by Derrek Lee |
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