Adrián Beltré Pérez (born April 7, 1979) is a Dominican former professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the Baseball scorekeep ...
. During his career, Beltré played for the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
,
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...
,
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
, and
Texas Rangers in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
(MLB). He is regarded as one of the greatest third basemen of all time.
Originally signed as an amateur
free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
, Beltré made his MLB debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1998 at age 19. He batted and threw right-handed. Beltré hit a major league-leading 48 home runs while playing for the Dodgers in 2004, was the team MVP of the Red Sox in 2010, played in the 2011 World Series as a member of the Rangers, and tied for the major league lead in
hits
Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block
* ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998
* ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014, a British compilation album s ...
in 2013. On September 19, 2014, Beltré surpassed
Vladimir Guerrero
Vladimir Guerrero Alvino (born February 9, 1975), nicknamed "Vlad the Impaler", is a People of the Dominican Republic, Dominican former professional baseball player who spent 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a right fielder and des ...
as the all-time MLB leader for hits by a Dominican player, a record since broken by
Albert Pujols
José Alberto Pujols Alcántara (, ; born December 11, 1985) is a Dominicans, Dominican professional baseball Manager (baseball), manager and former first baseman and designated hitter who is the manager of the Leones del Escogido of the Domin ...
in 2019. On July 30, 2017, he became the 31st player in MLB history to reach
3,000 hits and the first
Dominican player to achieve that milestone. Beltré retired following the 2018 season with 3,166 career hits, 477
home runs
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run ...
, and 1,707 runs batted in. He
hit for the cycle
Hit means to strike someone or something.
Hit or HIT may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities
* Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super''
* Homicide International Trust or HIT, a fictional organization ...
three times in his career (2008, 2012, 2015), making him one of six players to do so in MLB history.
Having played 21 major league seasons and won the
Rawlings Gold Glove Award
The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances. It is awarded at each fieldin ...
five times, Beltré is notable for his defensive prowess and career longevity as well as his power hitting. He played in four
MLB All-Star Games and won the
Silver Slugger Award
The Silver Slugger Award has been awarded annually since 1980 to the best Batting (baseball), offensive player at each Baseball positions, position in both the American League (AL) and the National League (baseball), National League (NL), as determ ...
four times. Upon his retirement, Beltré was the only third baseman in history with both 3,000 career hits and 400 home runs. According to Baseball Reference, Beltré is also the third baseman with the third-highest WAR all time. He retired as the all-time leader amongst third basemen in career hits and RBIs, and ranked third in home runs amongst third basemen. He is also the fifth major-leaguer to have hit at least 100 home runs for three different teams. In
2024
The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...
, Beltré was inducted into the
Baseball Hall of Fame
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ...
in his first year of eligibility.
Early life
Beltré was born on April 7, 1979, in
Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo, formerly known as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic and the List of metropolitan areas in the Caribbean, largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean by population. the Distrito Na ...
,
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...
.
He attended Liceo Máximo Gómez High School.
While working out at Campo Las Palmas in 1994, a
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
facility — one of the first of its kind for a
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
(MLB) team in the Dominican Republic — Beltré was spotted by
scouts
Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth social movement, movement which became popularly established in the first decade of the twentieth century. It follows the Scout method of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activi ...
Ralph Avila and Pablo Peguero. Though only 15 years old and weighing , Beltré featured a quick swing and live throwing arm. On the insistence of Avila and Peguero, the Dodgers signed him in July 1994 with a $23,000
signing bonus
A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...
.
Professional career
Los Angeles Dodgers (1998–2004)
Beltré was a highly touted prospect when he began his major league career.
After being called up to the majors from the then-Dodgers' double-A affiliate
San Antonio Missions
The San Antonio Missions are a Minor League Baseball team based in San Antonio, Texas. The Missions compete in the Texas League as the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Nelson W. W ...
, Beltré made his major league debut on June 24,
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
, starting at third base in the first game of an interleague series against the
Anaheim Angels
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...
. At the time, he was the youngest player in the
National League
National League often refers to:
*National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada
*National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...
(NL).
During his first
at-bat
In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens upon completion of his turn at bat, b ...
, Beltré hit a two-out
run batted in
A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...
(RBI)
double
Double, The Double or Dubble may refer to:
Mathematics and computing
* Multiplication by 2
* Double precision, a floating-point representation of numbers that is typically 64 bits in length
* A double number of the form x+yj, where j^2=+1
* A ...
off Angels
starter Chuck Finley into
left field
In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering syst ...
to score
Paul Konerko
Paul Henry Konerko ( ; born March 5, 1976) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a first baseman from 1997 to 2014, most prominently as a member of the Chicago White Sox, where he was a s ...
from
second base
In baseball and softball, second baseman, abbreviated 2B, is a fielding position in the infield, between second and first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and feet, needs the ability to get rid of the ball quickly, and must ...
to tie the game. Beltré hit his first
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...
six days later against
Texas Rangers starter
Rick Helling
Ricky Allen Helling (born December 15, 1970) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher.
Early life and college
Helling attended Lakota High School in Lakota, North Dakota for three years, before graduating from Shanley High School in ...
. At the end of the 1998 season, Beltré finished with 13
errors at third base while
batting .215 with seven home runs.
At one point in the
spring training
Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...
prior to the start of the
1999 season, Beltré's agent,
Scott Boras
Scott Dean Boras (born November 2, 1952) is an American sports agent, specializing in baseball. He is the founder, owner and president of the Boras Corporation, a sports agency based in Newport Beach, California, that represents roughly 175 pro ...
, commented to him that "he couldn't believe" his relatively rapid ascent to the majors and handling of "such a difficult position like third base" at age 20. Beltré replied that he was 19 years old, not 20. Boras then realized that Beltré's date of birth in the Dodgers' records was incorrect and indicated the same to the team, but, that if they were to correct the mistake by compensating Beltré for signing him at younger than MLB's allowable age, they would no longer pursue the issue. Team personnel at Las Palmas denied Boras' assertion.
As a result, Boras and Beltré went public. Boras convinced
Commissioner of Baseball
The commissioner of baseball is the chief executive officer of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the associated Minor League Baseball (MiLB) – a constellation of leagues and clubs known as " organized baseball". Under the direction of the commiss ...
Bud Selig
Allan Huber "Bud" Selig
(; born July 30, 1934) is an American baseball executive who currently serves as the commissioner emeritus of baseball. Previously, he served as the ninth commissioner of baseball from 1998 to 2015. He initially served a ...
to investigate the Dodgers, and Major League Baseball suspended their scouting operations in the Dominican Republic for one year,
[ as well as Avila and Peguero. Dodgers ]general manager
A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...
Fred Claire, whom MLB did not contact during their investigation, publicly expressed surprise and that he was unaware of the incident.[ Selig awarded Beltré $48,500 in damages.
In ]2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
, Beltré had a breakout season in which he established a number of career highs, including leading MLB with 48 home runs. Other career highs included batting .334, 200 hits, 121 RBI, 104 runs scored, .629 slugging percentage
In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at-bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at-bats for a given player, an ...
, and a then-career high 32 doubles. He finished second in voting for the NL Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) and was honored with his first career Silver Slugger Award
The Silver Slugger Award has been awarded annually since 1980 to the best Batting (baseball), offensive player at each Baseball positions, position in both the American League (AL) and the National League (baseball), National League (NL), as determ ...
and the Babe Ruth Home Run Award.[At the following webpage, ''scroll down to'' "The Babe Ruth Homerun Award". ]
Seattle Mariners (2005–2009)
The Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...
signed Beltré as a free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
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
Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
Mike Hargrove
Dudley Michael Hargrove (born October 26, 1949) is an American former professional baseball first baseman and Manager (baseball), manager. He is currently employed as an advisor with the Cleveland Guardians in Major League Baseball (MLB). Hargrov ...
said after the season that he thought Beltré was personally disappointed in his first season in Seattle.
After Beltré batted .167 through April 10, Ted Miller of the ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' (popularly known as the ''Seattle P-I'', the ''Post-Intelligencer'', or simply the ''P-I'') is an online newspaper and former print newspaper based in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington, United States.
Th ...
'' wrote that he might become one of the Mariners' greatest busts. He hit his first home run on April 29, raising his average to .198, and continued to improve his performance, batting .281 with 24 home runs the rest of the season. On July 23, against the Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
, Beltré hit an inside-the-park home run
In baseball, an inside-the-park home run is a rare play in which a Batter (baseball), batter rounds all four bases for a home run without the baseball leaving the baseball field, field of play. It is also known as an "inside-the-parker", "in-the-p ...
, the first one ever in Safeco Field history.
Though it was not a great season for Beltré, it was statistically his best as a Mariner. He hit .276 and had 26 home runs, 99 RBI, and 41 doubles. He also won a Fielding Bible Award
A Fielding Bible Award recognizes the best defensive player for each baseball positions, fielding position in Major League Baseball (MLB) based on "statistical analysis, the eye test, and any other factors that anelistswish to utilize." John D ...
for being the top MLB defensive third baseman during the year.
Despite many miscues, Beltré received recognition for his defense in 2007. He tied with Brandon Inge
Charles Brandon Inge ( ; born May 19, 1977) is an American former professional baseball third baseman and catcher and currently a volunteer assistant coach for the Michigan Wolverines baseball team. He played 12 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, ...
for the AL lead in errors by a third baseman, with 18, but ranked second in the league in assists, total chances, and range factor. He had the lowest fielding percentage of all third basemen in the league at .958.[Seattle's Suzuki and Beltre win Gold Gloves](_blank)
HeraldNet.com In spite of leading third basemen in errors, Beltré won his first Gold Glove Award
The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual Fielding (baseball), fielding performances. It is awar ...
, becoming the first Mariners third baseman to win the award. He won his second consecutive Fielding Bible Award, as well.
On September 1, Beltré hit for the cycle
Hit means to strike someone or something.
Hit or HIT may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities
* Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super''
* Homicide International Trust or HIT, a fictional organization ...
, becoming the fourth Mariner to do so. Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...
shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...
Stephen Drew hit for the cycle that day as well, the first time two players had done so since 1920.
Beltré's decision not to wear a cup
A cup is an open-top vessel (container) used to hold liquids for drinking, typically with a flattened hemispherical shape, and often with a capacity of about . Cups may be made of pottery (including porcelain), glass, metal, wood, stone, pol ...
despite playing third base has been well-documented. This came back to hurt him on August 12, 2009, when he took a hard ground ball to the groin
In human anatomy, the groin, also known as the inguinal region or iliac region, is the junctional area between the torso and the thigh. The groin is at the front of the body on either side of the pubic tubercle, where the lower part of the abdom ...
. Although he stayed in for the remainder of the 14-inning victory, he was put on the 15-day disabled list (DL) after suffering bleeding in one of his testicles. In his first game after returning from the DL, teammate Ken Griffey Jr. conspired with those responsible for the Safeco Field public address system
A public address system (or PA system) is an electronic system comprising microphones, amplifiers, loudspeakers, and related equipment. It increases the apparent volume (loudness) of a human voice, musical instrument, or other acoustic sound sou ...
to have Beltré's walk up music be the opening march from '' The Nutcracker Suite''.
Beltré declared free agency on November 5, 2009.
Boston Red Sox (2010)
On January 7, 2010, Beltré signed a one-year, $9 million deal with the Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
. The contract had a $5 million player option for 2011 with a $1 million buyout.
While Beltré's career before coming to the Red Sox had been regarded as somewhat disappointing, he hit .321 with 28 homers and 49 doubles in 2010, benefiting from the hitter-friendly Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a ballpark located in Boston, Massachusetts, less than one mile from Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home field of Major League Baseball's (MLB) Boston Red Sox. While the stadium was built in 1912, it was substantia ...
. Beltré led the Red Sox in batting average and tied David Ortiz
David Américo Ortiz Arias (born November 18, 1975), nicknamed "Big Papi", is a Dominican Americans, Dominican-American former professional baseball designated hitter and first baseman who played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1997 ...
for the team lead in RBIs (102). 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 base
In baseball statistics, total bases (TB) is the number of bases a player has gained with hits. It is a weighted sum for which the weight value is 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple, and 4 for a home run. Only bases attained from hits ...
s (326) and slugging percentage
In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at-bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at-bats for a given player, an ...
(.553). He also had two stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base unaided by other actions and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or out ...
s on the year, and finished ninth in the MVP
MVP most commonly refers to:
* Most valuable player, an award, typically for the best performing player in a sport or competition
* Minimum viable product, a concept for feature estimating used in business and engineering
MVP may also refer to:
...
voting.
Texas Rangers (2011–2018)
On January 5, 2011, Beltré signed a five-year, $80 million contract with the Texas Rangers. He played with the Rangers for eight years until his retirement in 2018. Beltré's statistics improved when he was in his thirties. While he had previously played in pitcher-friendly ballparks in Los Angeles and Seattle, the Rangers' ballpark was known as a hitter-friendly environment. ''The Wall Street Journal'' described Beltré's Rangers tenure as "nothing short of brilliant".
2011
Beltré was on the 2011 American League All-Star team. On July 22, Beltré strained his hamstring
A hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in human anatomy between the hip and the knee: from medial to lateral, the semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris.
Etymology
The word " ham" is derived from the Old ...
and was also placed on the DL. On September 4, he singled to right for his 2,000th career hit. On September 11, Beltré hit two home runs, including the 300th of his career, against the Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...
. He was named the AL Player of the Month for September.
In 2011, Beltré batted .296 with 32 home runs, fifth in the AL. He was third in the American League in slugging percentage (.561), sixth in RBIs (105), and ninth in OPS (.892). The Fielding Bible said he saved 17 runs on defense in 2011.
On October 4, in Game 4 of the ALDS against the Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. They are one of two major ...
, Beltré became the sixth player to hit three home runs in a playoff game and the first do so in a Division Series
The Division Series is the quarterfinal round of the Major League Baseball postseason. Four series are played in this round, two each for both the American League and the National League.
1981 season
The first use of the term "Division Series ...
.
Beltré played in the World Series with the Rangers. He added a fourth playoff home run in Game 5 of the World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...
when he went down to one knee chasing an outside curve ball from Chris Carpenter
Christopher John Carpenter (born April 27, 1975) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays and St. Louis Cardinals from 1997 to 2012. A Cy Young Award wi ...
. The St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...
defeated the Rangers in seven games.
More recognition was bestowed on Beltré for his defense. On November 1, he was honored with his third Gold Glove Award and first by a Ranger third baseman since Buddy Bell
David Gus "Buddy" Bell (born August 27, 1951) is an American former third baseman and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB) currently serving as vice president and senior advisor to the general manager for the Cincinnati Reds.
After an 18-year ...
's six-year run from 1979 to 1984. He also won his third Fielding Bible Award.[ On November 2, he was awarded the ]Silver Slugger Award
The Silver Slugger Award has been awarded annually since 1980 to the best Batting (baseball), offensive player at each Baseball positions, position in both the American League (AL) and the National League (baseball), National League (NL), as determ ...
.
2012
Beltré was once again voted an to the All-Star Game
An all-star game is an exhibition game that showcases the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or division, bu ...
starter, along with teammates Josh Hamilton
Joshua Holt Hamilton (born May 21, 1981) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from 2007 to 2015, most prominently as a member of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers teams ...
and Mike Napoli. It was Beltré's third consecutive All-Star Game and the third of his career.
On August 22, against the Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...
, Beltré hit three home runs in his first three at-bats, including two in the same inning. He joined Pablo Sandoval
Pablo Emilio Sandoval Reyes (born August 11, 1986) is a Venezuelan-American professional baseball third baseman for the Staten Island FerryHawks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He has previously played in Major League Baseball ...
, Albert Pujols
José Alberto Pujols Alcántara (, ; born December 11, 1985) is a Dominicans, Dominican professional baseball Manager (baseball), manager and former first baseman and designated hitter who is the manager of the Leones del Escogido of the Domin ...
, George Brett
George Howard Brett (born May 15, 1953) is an American former professional baseball third baseman, designated hitter, and first baseman who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals.
Brett's 3,154 career hit ( ...
, Reggie Jackson
Reginald Martinez Jackson (born May 18, 1946) is an American former professional baseball right fielder who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City / Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, and Cal ...
, and Babe Ruth
George Herman "Babe" Ruth (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional Baseball in the United States, baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nickna ...
as the only players to hit a three-homer game in both the regular season and the postseason. On August 24, he hit for the cycle for the second time in his career. Both of his cycles came at Rangers Ballpark. With his first coming as a member of the Mariners, it was the first time in MLB history that a player had hit for the cycle more than once at the same stadium. He joined Joe DiMaggio
Joseph Paul DiMaggio (; born Giuseppe Paolo DiMaggio, ; November 25, 1914 – March 8, 1999), nicknamed "Joltin' Joe", "the Yankee Clipper" and "Joe D.", was an American professional baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career ...
as the only players in big league history to have a three-homer game and a cycle in the same week. For his efforts, Beltré was named the AL Player of the Week for August 20–26. During the week, he hit .433 (13-for-30) with three doubles, one triple, five home runs, nine RBI, and seven runs scored. He had the highest slugging percentage (1.100) in the majors, the most total bases (33), was tied for first in hits and home runs, and tied for second in RBI.[
After the season, Beltré won more defensive accolades. He won his second consecutive Fielding Bible Award and fourth overall.] He was won a Gold Glove Award and his second Platinum Glove Award. Wilson Sporting Goods
The Wilson Sporting Goods Company is an American sports equipment manufacturer based in Chicago, Illinois. Wilson makes equipment for many sports, among them baseball, badminton, American football, basketball, fastpitch softball, golf, racquetball ...
honored him as one of their Defensive Players of the Year in the first year of that award.
2013
The Rangers organization named Beltré the team captain
In team sport, captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field. In eithe ...
in 2013.
Beltré was named the AL Player of the Week for July 1–7. He batted .478 (11-for-23) with four home runs, two doubles and five RBI in six games. He led the American League in home runs, slugging (1.087), OPS (1.607), total bases (25), and extra-base hits (six) while producing the fourth-highest batting average. Beltré hit safely in all six games with two or more hits four times. He had the 24th multi-homer game of his career with a pair of home runs on July 4 against Seattle
Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
.
Maintaining his strong hitting throughout July, Beltré was named the AL Player of the Month, his fourth career monthly award. He batted .369 with four doubles, nine homers, 19 RBI, and 13 runs scored over 26 games. He tied for the major league monthly lead in home runs with Alfonso Soriano and total bases with Torii Hunter
Torii Kedar Hunter (; born July 18, 1975) is an American former professional baseball center fielder and right fielder. Hunter currently serves as Special Assistant to Los Angeles Angels general manager Perry Minasian. He played in Major League ...
(69). Beltré also was among the AL leaders in slugging percentage (second, .670), hits (tied for second, 38), extra-base hits (tied for fourth, 13), RBI (tied for fifth) and batting average (sixth). He capped off the month with a walk-off home run to lead the Rangers past the Angels
An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...
on July 31, the seventh walk-off home run of his career and first with Texas. It was his third monthly award with Texas, making him one of seven players to win multiple times with the Rangers, including Josh Hamilton
Joshua Holt Hamilton (born May 21, 1981) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from 2007 to 2015, most prominently as a member of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers teams ...
(four), Rafael Palmeiro
Rafael Palmeiro Corrales (born September 24, 1964) is a Cuban-American former baseball first baseman and left fielder. He played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for three teams. Palmeiro was an All-American at Mississippi State Univer ...
, Alex Rodriguez
Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez (born July 27, 1975), nicknamed "A-Rod", is an American former professional baseball shortstop, third baseman and designated hitter and current businessman. Rodriguez played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (ML ...
(both with three), Iván Rodríguez
Iván Rodríguez Torres (born November 27, 1971), nicknamed "Pudge" and "I-Rod", is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball catcher who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Ran ...
, Juan González and Rubén Sierra
Rubén Angel Sierra García (born October 6, 1965) is a Puerto Rican former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder. Over 20 seasons, Sierra played for the Texas Rangers (1986–92, 2000–01, 2003), Oakland Athletics (1992–95), New York Yanke ...
(two each).
For the season, Beltré played in 161 games and totaled a .315 average, 30 homers, 92 RBI and .509 slugging percentage. He led the AL with 199 hits and was fourth in batting average and fifth in total bases (321). He also made the top-10 in games played, slugging percentage and home runs. In the AL MVP voting, he was tied for seventh place. The Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America
The Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) is a professional association for journalists writing about Major League Baseball for daily newspapers, magazines, and qualifying websites. The organization was founded in 1908 and is known fo ...
named Beltré the Texas Rangers Player of the Year.
2014
On May 7, while facing Jorge de la Rosa of the Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...
, Beltré hit his 100th home run as a member of the Rangers, becoming the fifth player in major league history to hit 100 home runs with three teams, following Darrell Evans, Reggie Jackson
Reginald Martinez Jackson (born May 18, 1946) is an American former professional baseball right fielder who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City / Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, and Cal ...
, Alex Rodriguez
Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez (born July 27, 1975), nicknamed "A-Rod", is an American former professional baseball shortstop, third baseman and designated hitter and current businessman. Rodriguez played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (ML ...
, and Jim Thome
James Howard Thome (; ; born August 27, 1970) is an American former professional baseball first baseman, third baseman and designated hitter, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 22 seasons (1991–2012). A prolific power hitter, Thome ...
. On June 24, Beltré singled off Drew Smyly of the Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...
for his 2,500th career hit and the first hit of a 4-for-4 game. On September 18, Beltré singled off Sonny Gray in the first inning for his 2,591st hit, surpassing Vladimir Guerrero
Vladimir Guerrero Alvino (born February 9, 1975), nicknamed "Vlad the Impaler", is a People of the Dominican Republic, Dominican former professional baseball player who spent 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a right fielder and des ...
as the all-time hit leader among Dominican-born players.
Beltré finished the 2014 season batting .324, his highest average since 2004, with 19 home runs and 77 RBI in 148 games.
2015
In February, the Rangers picked up Beltré's option, which would have become guaranteed if he had reached 586 plate appearances in the 2015 season.
While playing against Cleveland on May 15, Beltré hit his 400th home run on a sinker from Bruce Chen. He became the 52nd player in MLB history to reach that plateau, and the fourth to do so while playing at least 75 percent of his games at third base.
On August 3, Beltré hit for the cycle with hits in each of the first, second, third, and fifth innings at home against the Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...
in a 12–9 win. It was his third career cycle, second as a Ranger, and third at the Rangers' home park, making him the only player ever to hit three cycles in one stadium. He became the first Rangers player to hit for multiple cycles. The first player in 82 years to hit for a third cycle, he became the fourth player to do so and tied the major league record for total career cycles, joining Long John Reilly, Bob Meusel
Robert William Meusel (July 19, 1896 – November 28, 1977) was an American baseball left fielder, left and right fielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for eleven seasons from 1920 through 1930, all but the last for the New York Yanke ...
, and Babe Herman
Floyd Caves "Babe" Herman (June 26, 1903 – November 27, 1987) was an American professional baseball player and scout. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a right fielder between and , most prominently as a member of the Brooklyn Dod ...
.
During the last week of the season, and the Rangers' run towards the AL West championship, Beltré batted .448 with two home runs and 13 RBI. He also went 2-for-4 with a home in the final game of the season to help the Rangers advance to their sixth AL West title. He finished the season with 18 home runs, 83 RBI, 163 hits, and .287 average.
Enduring a torn ligament in his left thumb over the last three months of the season, Beltré had surgery to repair it immediately after the season ended.
The Phi Delta Theta
Phi Delta Theta (), commonly known as Phi Delt, is an international secret and social Fraternities and sororities in North America, fraternity founded in 1848, and currently headquartered, at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Phi Delta Theta, alo ...
fraternity
A fraternity (; whence, "wikt:brotherhood, brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club (organization), club or fraternal order traditionally of men but also women associated together for various religious or secular ...
presented Beltré with the 2014 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
The Lou Gehrig Memorial Award is given annually to a Major League Baseball (MLB) player who best exhibits the character and integrity of Lou Gehrig, both on the field and off it. The award was created by the Phi Delta Theta fraternity in honor o ...
on September 17, 2015, making him the first Rangers player to win the award. He had contributed significantly to humanitarian acts in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex
The Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, officially designated Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, is the most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Texas and the Southern United States, ...
such as Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation, Texas Rangers RBI program, the I Love Baseball program, which operates in the Dominican Republic, the Baseball Tomorrow Fund, as well as the foundations established by a number of major league players.
2016
On April 15, Beltré and the Rangers agreed to a two-year, $36 million contract extension that would last through the 2018 seasons. The extension prevented Beltré from becoming a free agent at the end of the season.
Displaying a drop to one knee, Beltré hit a home run on a curve ball from Jesse Hahn of Oakland
Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...
on May 17. In a May 29 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...
, Beltré hit a two-run home run off Juan Nicasio to give him 1,501 career RBI, making him the 54th player to reach the milestone and the fourth third baseman. On July 2, Beltré became the 28th player all time to amass 10,000 career at-bats. On July 23, he became the 36th player all time to record 11,000 career plate appearances. Two days later, he hit a walk-off home run
In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. For a home run to end the game, it must be hit in the bottom of the final inning and generate enough runs to exceed the opponent's score. Because the opponent will not have an opp ...
, the ninth of his career, against the Athletics in the bottom of the ninth inning for a 7−6 win.
On August 24, Beltré, in a game against the Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...
, hit a go-ahead two-out double for his 2,900th career hit and led the Rangers to a 6–5 win. With this hit, Beltré became the 39th player in major league history to reach the milestone.
Beltré would once again show his signature home run knee drop after hitting a solo shot in the second inning in a game against the Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...
on September 13. His 30th of the season, it was the first time he reached the mark since 2013 and fifth in his career. Ten days later, his two-run home run in the eighth inning against the Athletics aided the Rangers in clinching the AL West division crown for the second year in a row and the seventh in franchise history. He also reached 100 RBI for the first time since 2012 and fifth time in his career. He won the Gold Glove at third base, the fifth of his career.
2017
Beltré began the 2017 season on the 10-day disabled list after injuring his right leg near the end of spring training.
On July 4, Beltré hit his 600th career double, becoming the 17th player all-time to reach that milestone. On July 7, Beltré became the 21st player to amass 5,000 career total bases. On July 26, Beltré was ejected by umpire Gerry Davis; in a game against the Miami Marlins
The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...
, Davis asked Beltré, who was the next scheduled batter, to move closer to the on-deck circle. Beltré responded by picking up the edge of the logo that marked the on-deck circle and moving it closer to where he had been standing, which prompted Davis to eject him.
Beltré collected his 3,000th hit with a double into left field against Wade Miley
Wade Allen Miley (born November 13, 1986) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners, Balti ...
of the Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...
on July 30, making him the 31st player to reach this milestone and the first Dominican born player to accomplish it.
Beltré played in only 94 games in 2017 due to hamstring and calf problems.
2018
Prior to the start of the 2018 season, the Rangers signed Bartolo Colón, giving them the only two active players with at least 20 seasons in the major leagues. On April 5, Beltré doubled in the second inning versus the Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...
to pass Rod Carew
Rodney Cline Carew (born October 1, 1945) is a Panamanian-American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a second baseman, first baseman and designated hitter from 1967 to 1985 for the Minneso ...
as the all-time Latin-American hits leader. On June 13, Beltré hit a double that gave him 3,090 career hits; this made him the all-time leader in hits by a player not born in the United States, surpassing former Mariners teammate Ichiro Suzuki
, also known mononymously as , is a Japanese former professional baseball outfielder who played for 28 seasons. He played the first nine years of his career with the Orix BlueWave of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), and the next 12 years w ...
.
On November 20, 2018, Beltré announced his retirement.
Career statistics
In 2,933 games over 21 seasons, Beltré posted a .286 batting average with 3,166 hits, 477 home runs, 1,707 RBI, 121 stolen bases, 1,524 runs, 636 doubles, a .339 on-base percentage, a .480 slugging percentage, and a .960 fielding percentage. In 28 postseason games, he hit .261 with five home runs and 11 RBI.
Playing style and reputation
Beltré is regarded as one of the greatest third basemen of all time. Having played 21 major league seasons and won five Gold Gloves, he was notable for his longevity, his fielding ability, and his power hitting.
Beltré's signature home run swing included a drop to one knee when connecting with a breaking ball
In baseball, a breaking ball is a pitch that does not travel straight as it approaches the batter; it will have sideways or downward motion on it, sometimes both (see slider). A breaking ball is not a specific pitch by that name, but is any ...
, particularly notable during Game 5 of the 2011 World Series in an at bat against Cardinals ace
An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or a club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the ...
pitcher Chris Carpenter
Christopher John Carpenter (born April 27, 1975) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays and St. Louis Cardinals from 1997 to 2012. A Cy Young Award wi ...
.[
Beltré's defensive style was somewhat unorthodox. Rangers ]manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
Ron Washington
Ronald Washington (born April 29, 1952) is an American professional baseball Manager (baseball), manager, Coach (baseball), coach, and former infielder. Since November 2023, Washington has been the manager of the Los Angeles Angels of Major Leagu ...
remarked that Beltré fielded ground balls incorrectly by stopping before catching the ball and relying very little on the positioning of his feet in throwing the ball to first base. Beltré explained that his arm was so strong that early in his career he was making many throwing errors; by planting his feet, he was able to improve his accuracy despite his lack of proper foot positioning.
Another major league manager, Joe Maddon
Joseph John Maddon (born February 8, 1954) is an American former professional baseball manager (baseball), manager and coach. He has managed the Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago Cubs, and Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB).
After playing ...
, compared the unique style of Beltré's defensive play to Ozzie Smith
Osborne Earl Smith (born December 26, 1954) is an American former professional baseball player. Nicknamed "The Wizard of Oz", Smith played shortstop for the San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals in Major League Baseball, winning the National ...
's "flair at shortstop", Stan Musial
Stanley Frank Musial (; born Stanislaw Franciszek Musial; November 21, 1920 – January 19, 2013), nicknamed "Stan the Man", was an American baseball outfielder and first baseman. Widely considered to be one of the greatest and most consistent ...
's "coiled batting stance", and the way Steve Carlton
Steven Norman Carlton (born December 22, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher for six different teams from 1965 to 1988, most notably as a member of the Philadelph ...
wrapped his left wrist before releasing a slider. Commented Maddon further on Beltré's defense, "There's a lot of guys that did things unique to them that weren't out of the ''Spalding Guide''. They did things you wouldn't teach, and if somebody else tried to do it, they would not be very good."[ Rangers bench coach Steve Buechele said, "He's not your most conventional third baseman, he does things his own way and has developed his own style over his career but there's something to be said for his hand-eye coordination and his hands. It's remarkable what he does. ... He's a super smart player, knows where to position himself."
Beltré was known for the sense of playfulness and joy that he exhibited on the field. He had a routine with Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus on pop flies where both men put their arms up to catch the ball. During a game against the Red Sox on June 26, 2016, Sandy León hit a foul ball which landed in the first row in the stands, just out of Beltré's reach. However, instead of returning immediately to the infield, he reached very close to the ball in a motion, pretending as if he were going to take it away from the fan who caught León's foul ball. Beltré also had a joking relationship with Mariners pitcher Felix Hernández, which included Beltré getting ejected in 2010, when the two former teammates first faced each other and Hernández hugging Beltré one day after Beltré's 3,000th major league hit.
Beltré was also known for his dislike of anyone touching the top of his head. Before the game where he recorded his 3,000th hit, he let his teammates touch his head. Much to his dismay, the act turned into a game, inducing repeat offenders such as his infield partner Andrus. Beltré also disliked ]Gatorade shower
The Gatorade shower, also known as the Gatorade dunk or the Gatorade bath, is a sports tradition that involves players surreptitiously dumping a cooler full of liquid (most commonly Gatorade mixed with ice cube, ice) over the head of their coach ( ...
s. After a game in which he hit a grand slam that provided the decisive runs in a 5–2 win over the Athletics on August 15, 2016, he took a broom from the groundskeepers closet and began combing an area of infield dirt. Still, Rougned Odor
Rougned Roberto Odor () (born February 3, 1994), nicknamed "Rougie", is a Venezuelan professional baseball second baseman who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, Balt ...
trotted to Beltré carrying a bucket filled with Gatorade, and in his attempt to drench Beltré, missed him with the launch of the column of the liquid.
Awards and accomplishments
;Awards
* All-World Baseball Classic Team (2006
2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification.
Events
January
* January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute.
* January 12 – A stampede during t ...
)
* 4× Fielding Bible Award
A Fielding Bible Award recognizes the best defensive player for each baseball positions, fielding position in Major League Baseball (MLB) based on "statistical analysis, the eye test, and any other factors that anelistswish to utilize." John D ...
at third base (2006, 2008, 2011, 2012)[
* ]Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
The Lou Gehrig Memorial Award is given annually to a Major League Baseball (MLB) player who best exhibits the character and integrity of Lou Gehrig, both on the field and off it. The award was created by the Phi Delta Theta fraternity in honor o ...
(2014)[
* 4× ]MLB All-Star
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual professional baseball game sanctioned by Major League Baseball (MLB) and contested between the all-stars from the American League (AL) and National ...
(2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
– 12, 2014
The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
)[
* 4× ]MLB Player of the Month
In Major League Baseball (MLB), the Player of the Month Award is given monthly during the regular season to two outstanding players, one each in the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and American League (AL). The NL first awarded t ...
(September 2004, September 2011, September 2012, July 2013)[
* 6× MLB Player of the Week (August 27, 2000; June 27, 2004; August 26, 2012; July 7, 2013; October 4, 2015; July 30, 2017)][
* 2× Rawlings American League Platinum Glove Award (2011, 2012)][
* 5× ]Rawlings Gold Glove Award
The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances. It is awarded at each fieldin ...
at third base
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...
(2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2016)[
* 4× ]Silver Slugger Award
The Silver Slugger Award has been awarded annually since 1980 to the best Batting (baseball), offensive player at each Baseball positions, position in both the American League (AL) and the National League (baseball), National League (NL), as determ ...
at third base
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...
(2004, 2010, 2011, 2014)
* 4× Texas Rangers Player of the Year (2012, 2013, 2014, 2016)
* Thomas A. Yawkey Award (Boston Red Sox team MVP) (2010)
* Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award
Wilson may refer to:
People
*Wilson (name)
** List of people with given name Wilson
** List of people with surname Wilson
* Wilson (footballer, 1927–1998), Brazilian manager and defender
* Wilson (footballer, born 1984), full name Wilson R ...
for the Texas Rangers (2012)[
;Selected MLB accomplishments
* First player from the ]Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...
to reach 3,000 hits.
* Played 2,933 major league games; upon his retirement, this was the 14th most in major league history.
* Retired as the only third baseman in history with both 3,000 career hits and 400 homers.
* Retired as the all-time leader amongst third basemen in career hits and RBIs and ranked third in home runs behind Mike Schmidt
Michael Jack Schmidt (born September 27, 1949) is an American former professional baseball third baseman who spent his entire 18-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Philadelphia Phillies from 1972 to 1989. Schmidt was a 12-time Al ...
(548) and Eddie Mathews
Edwin Lee Mathews (October 13, 1931 – February 18, 2001) was an American professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 17 seasons for the Boston / Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves (1952–1966); Houston Astros (19 ...
(512).
* One of five players to hit 100 home runs with three teams.[
* Holds the MLB record for hitting for the cycles accomplished in the same stadium (3 at Globe Life Park in Arlington).][
* Tied MLB record as fourth player to hit for the cycle three times.][
* Sixth player with a three-home-run game in both the postseason (October 4, 2011) and regular season (August 22, 2012).][
* Second player with both a three-home-run game (August 22, 2012) and a cycle (August 24, 2012) within the same week.][
* Had his number 29 retired by the Texas Rangers in 2019.
]
International Career
Beltré played for the Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...
in the 2006 World Baseball Classic
The 2006 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was the inaugural tournament between national baseball teams that included players from Major League Baseball. It was held from March 3 to 20 in stadiums in or around Tokyo, Japan, and the American cities o ...
(WBC). He was named to the All-WBC team after hitting 4 home runs in six games. He also played in the 2017 WBC, batting 1-for-15 in four games. In 2017, he was dealing with leg injuries that caused him to miss the beginning of the MLB season.
Beltré was one of several Dominican Hall of Famers assisting general manager Nelson Cruz
Nelson Ramón Cruz Martínez (born July 1, 1980), nicknamed "Boomstick", is a Dominican-American former professional baseball designated hitter and right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Ranger ...
ahead of the 2026 WBC.
Post-playing career
On June 5, 2023, Beltré was named the honorary general manager for the Karachi Monarchs of the Baseball United league for their inaugural season.
Beltré served as the manager for the American League team in the 2024 All-Star Futures Game
The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National League- ...
.
Charitable and humanitarian work
Beltré has contributed to humanitarian activities in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex
The Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, officially designated Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, is the most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Texas and the Southern United States, ...
such as the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation, Texas Rangers RBI program, the I Love Baseball program, which operates in the Dominican Republic, and the Baseball Tomorrow Fund. He has donated to Dave Valle's Esperanza International as well as foundations established by other major-league players, including Robinson Chirinos, Eddie Guardado, Joakim Soria, and Michael Young.[
In 2021, Beltré helped pay to reconstruct a baseball stadium in the Dominican Republic where he grew up playing.]
Personal life
Beltré and his wife Sandra have three children.
See also
* List of Boston Red Sox award winners
This is a list of award winners and single-season leaderboards for the Boston Red Sox professional baseball team.
Abbreviations
* p: pitcher
* rp: relief pitcher
* sp: starting pitcher
* c: catcher
* 1b: first baseman
* 2b: second ...
* List of Major League Baseball annual doubles leaders
* List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit so far that the batter is able to circle all the bases ending at home plate, scoring himself plus any runners already on base, with no errors by the defensive team on the play. An automat ...
* List of Major League Baseball career assists leaders
* List of Major League Baseball career games played leaders
* List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders
Listed are all Major League Baseball players who have reached the 2,000 hit (baseball), hit milestone during their career in MLB. Pete Rose holds the Major League record for most career hits, with 4,256. Rose and Ty Cobb, second most, are the only ...
* List of Major League Baseball career doubles leaders
In baseball, a double is a hit in which the batter advances to second base in one play, without the benefit of a fielding error, advancing to second on a throw to another base, or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice. A batter may ...
* List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders
This is a list of the 300 Major League Baseball players who have hit the most career home runs in regular season play (i.e., excluding playoffs or exhibition games).
In the sport of baseball, a home run is a hit in which the batter scores by ci ...
*
* List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders
This is a list of Major League Baseball players who have compiled 1,000 runs batted in (RBIs). RBIs are usually accumulated when a batter in baseball enables a runner on base (including himself, in the case of a home run) to score as a result of m ...
* List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders
Listed are all Major League Baseball (MLB) players with 1,000 or more career runs scored. Players in boldface are active as of the 2025 Major League Baseball season.
Key
List
*Stats updated as of June 16, 2025.
Through June 16, 2025, th ...
* List of Major League Baseball career singles leaders
* List of Major League Baseball home run records
This is a list of some of the records relating to home runs hit in baseball games played in the Major Leagues. Some Major League records are sufficiently notable to have their own page, for example the single-season home run record, the progres ...
* List of Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic
* List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle
In baseball, completing hitting for the cycle, the cycle is the accomplishment of hit (baseball), hitting a single (baseball), single, a double (baseball), double, a triple (baseball), triple, and a home run in the same game. In terms of freque ...
* Los Angeles Dodgers award winners and league leaders
* Texas Rangers award winners and league leaders
References
Further reading
*
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beltre, Adrian
1979 births
Living people
American League All-Stars
Boston Red Sox players
Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States
Gold Glove Award winners
Las Vegas 51s players
Los Angeles Dodgers players
Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic
21st-century Dominican Republic sportsmen
Major League Baseball players with retired numbers
Major League Baseball third basemen
National League home run champions
Round Rock Express players
San Antonio Missions players
San Bernardino Stampede players
Savannah Sand Gnats players
Seattle Mariners players
Silver Slugger Award winners
Baseball players from Santo Domingo
Texas Rangers players
Vero Beach Dodgers players
World Baseball Classic players of the Dominican Republic
2006 World Baseball Classic players
2017 World Baseball Classic players