Adrián Beltré facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Adrián Beltré
Beltré with the Texas Rangers in 2017
Third baseman
Born: (1979-04-07) April 7, 1979 (age 46) Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Batted: Right Threw: Right
debut
June 24, 1998, for the Los Angeles Dodgers
Last appearance
September 30, 2018, for the Texas Rangers
MLB statistics
Batting average	.286
Hits	3,166
Home runs	477
Runs batted in	1,707
Teams
Los Angeles Dodgers (1998–2004) Seattle Mariners (2005–2009) Boston Red Sox (2010) Texas Rangers (2011–2018)
Career highlights and awards
4× All-Star (2010–2012, 2014) 5× Gold Glove Award (2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2016) 4× Silver Slugger Award (2004, 2010, 2011, 2014) NL home run leader (2004) Texas Rangers No. 29 retired Texas Rangers Hall of Fame
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction	2024
Vote	95.1% (first ballot)

Adrián Beltré Pérez (born April 7, 1979) is a former professional baseball player from the Dominican Republic. He was a third baseman for 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Beltré played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox, and Texas Rangers. Many people consider him one of the best third basemen ever.

Beltré started his MLB career with the Dodgers in 1998 when he was 19. In 2004, he hit 48 home runs, leading all of MLB. He was the most valuable player for the Red Sox in 2010. In 2011, he played in the 2011 World Series with the Rangers. He also tied for the most hits in MLB in 2013.

On July 30, 2017, Beltré became the 31st player in MLB history to get 3,000 hits. He was the first player from the Dominican Republic to reach this amazing goal. Beltré retired after the 2018 season. He finished with 3,166 career hits, 477 home runs, and 1,707 runs batted in. He also hit for the cycle three times in his career. This means he hit a single, double, triple, and home run all in the same game. Only six players in MLB history have done this.

Beltré played for a long time and was great at defense. He won the Rawlings Gold Glove Award five times for being the best defensive third baseman. He also played in four MLB All-Star Games. He won the Silver Slugger Award four times for his excellent hitting. When he retired, Beltré was the only third baseman with both 3,000 hits and 400 home runs. In 2024, Beltré was chosen for the Baseball Hall of Fame. He was picked in his very first year of being eligible.

Early Life and Baseball Start

Adrián Beltré was born on April 7, 1979, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He went to Liceo Máximo Gómez High School.

In 1994, when Beltré was 15, scouts from the Los Angeles Dodgers saw him play. Even though he was young and weighed only 130 pounds, he had a fast swing and a strong throwing arm. The Dodgers signed him in July 1994, giving him a $23,000 bonus.

Professional Baseball Career

Los Angeles Dodgers (1998–2004)

Beltré was a very promising young player when he started his MLB career. He made his first big league game on June 24, 1998. He played third base for the Dodgers against the Anaheim Angels. He was the youngest player in the National League at that time. In his first time at bat, Beltré hit a double that brought in a run. He hit his first home run six days later.

In 2004, Beltré had an amazing season. He hit 48 home runs, which was the most in MLB that year. He also had a great batting average of .334, with 200 hits and 121 runs batted in. He finished second in the voting for the National League's Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award. He also won his first Silver Slugger Award for his hitting.

Seattle Mariners (2005–2009)

Beltré at bat while playing for the Seattle Mariners

Before the 2005 season, the Seattle Mariners signed Beltré to a five-year contract. In 2006, he hit .276 with 26 home runs and 99 runs batted in. He also won a Fielding Bible Award for being the best defensive third baseman in MLB that year.

In 2007, Beltré won his first Rawlings Gold Glove Award. This award goes to the best defensive players. He was the first Mariners third baseman to win it. He also won his second Fielding Bible Award.

On September 1, 2008, Beltré hit for the cycle. This means he got a single, double, triple, and home run in the same game. He was the fourth Mariners player to do this. Beltré became a free agent on November 5, 2009.

Beltré batting for the Boston Red Sox in 2010.

Boston Red Sox (2010)

On January 7, 2010, Beltré signed a one-year deal with the Boston Red Sox. He had a fantastic season, hitting .321 with 28 home runs and 49 doubles. He led the Red Sox in batting average and tied for the team lead in RBIs. He also led all of MLB with 49 doubles. He finished ninth in the voting for the American League MVP award.

Texas Rangers (2011–2018)

On January 5, 2011, Beltré signed a five-year contract with the Texas Rangers. He played with the Rangers for eight years until he retired in 2018. Beltré's hitting got even better when he was in his thirties.

2011 Season Highlights

Adrián Beltré with the Texas Rangers in 2011

Beltré was chosen for the 2011 American League All-Star team. On September 4, he got his 2,000th career hit. On September 11, he hit two home runs, including the 300th of his career. He was named the AL Player of the Month for September.

In 2011, Beltré batted .296 with 32 home runs and 105 RBIs. On October 4, in a playoff game, Beltré became the sixth player ever to hit three home runs in a single playoff game.

Beltré played in the 2011 World Series with the Rangers. He hit another home run in Game 5 of the World Series. The St. Louis Cardinals won the series against the Rangers. After the season, Beltré won his third Gold Glove Award and his third Fielding Bible Award. He also won the Silver Slugger Award.

2012 Season Highlights

Beltré was voted to start in the All-Star Game again. This was his third All-Star Game in a row.

On August 22, Beltré hit three home runs in his first three times at bat. Two days later, he hit for the cycle for the second time in his career. Both of his cycles happened at the Rangers' home stadium. He was the first player in MLB history to hit for the cycle more than once at the same stadium.

After the season, Beltré won more awards for his defense. He won his second straight Fielding Bible Award and his fourth overall. He also won a Gold Glove Award and his second Platinum Glove Award.

2013 Season Highlights

The Rangers team named Beltré their team captain in 2013.

Beltré was named the AL Player of the Week for July 1–7. He batted .478 with four home runs and five RBIs in six games. He continued his strong hitting and was named the AL Player of the Month for July. He batted .369 with nine home runs and 19 RBIs.

For the whole season, Beltré played in 161 games. He had a .315 batting average, 30 home runs, and 92 RBIs. He led the American League with 199 hits.

2014 Season Highlights

Beltré in August 2014

On May 7, Beltré hit his 100th home run as a Ranger. This made him the fifth player in MLB history to hit 100 home runs with three different teams. On June 24, he got his 2,500th career hit. On September 18, Beltré got his 2,591st hit, passing Vladimir Guerrero as the all-time hit leader among players born in the Dominican Republic.

Beltré finished the 2014 season with a .324 batting average, his highest since 2004. He also had 19 home runs and 77 RBIs.

2015 Season Highlights

Beltré during spring training in 2015

On May 15, Beltré hit his 400th career home run. He became the 52nd player in MLB history to reach this milestone.

On August 3, Beltré hit for the cycle for the third time in his career. This was his second cycle as a Ranger and his third at the Rangers' home park. This made him the only player ever to hit three cycles in one stadium. He tied the MLB record for total career cycles.

Beltré finished the season with 18 home runs, 83 RBIs, and a .287 batting average. He helped the Rangers win their division title.

2016 Season Highlights

On April 15, Beltré and the Rangers agreed to a two-year contract extension. On May 29, Beltré hit a home run that gave him 1,501 career RBIs. This made him the 54th player to reach this goal. On July 2, Beltré reached 10,000 career times at bat.

On August 24, Beltré got his 2,900th career hit. This made him the 39th player in MLB history to reach this milestone. On September 13, he hit his 30th home run of the season. This was the fifth time in his career he reached 30 home runs. Ten days later, his home run helped the Rangers win their division for the second year in a row. He also reached 100 RBIs for the fifth time in his career. He won the Gold Glove at third base, his fifth overall.

2017 Season Highlights

Beltré fielding with the Rangers in 2017

Beltré started the 2017 season on the disabled list because of a leg injury.

On July 4, Beltré hit his 600th career double. He became the 17th player in history to reach this milestone. On July 30, Beltré got his 3,000th hit with a double. He was the 31st player to reach this milestone and the first player from the Dominican Republic to do it.

Beltré played in only 94 games in 2017 because of more leg problems.

2018 Season Highlights and Retirement

Before the 2018 season, the Rangers signed Bartolo Colón. This meant they had the only two active players who had played for at least 20 seasons in MLB. On April 5, Beltré got a double that made him the all-time Latin American hits leader, passing Rod Carew. On June 13, Beltré hit a double that gave him 3,090 career hits. This made him the all-time leader in hits for a player not born in the United States, passing Ichiro Suzuki.

On November 20, 2018, Adrián Beltré announced he was retiring from baseball.

Career Statistics

Adrián Beltré's number 29 was retired by the Texas Rangers in 2019.

In 2,933 games over 21 seasons, Beltré had a .286 batting average. He finished with 3,166 hits, 477 home runs, and 1,707 RBIs. In 28 playoff games, he hit .261 with five home runs and 11 RBIs.

Playing Style and Personality

Beltré is known as one of the greatest third basemen ever. He played for 21 seasons and won five Gold Gloves. He was famous for playing for a long time, his great defense, and hitting for power.

One of Beltré's unique moves was dropping to one knee when he hit a home run, especially on a curveball.

Beltré's defensive style was also a bit unusual. He had a very strong arm, which helped him make amazing plays. His manager, Ron Washington, said Beltré did things his own way, but he was still incredible.

Beltré was also known for being playful and joyful on the field. He often joked with his teammates, especially with Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus. They had a funny routine where they both pretended to catch pop flies. Beltré also disliked it when anyone touched the top of his head. Before his 3,000th hit game, he let his teammates touch his head, but it turned into a big joke with them doing it repeatedly.

Awards and Accomplishments

Awards

• All-World Baseball Classic Team (2006)
• 4× Fielding Bible Award at third base (2006, 2008, 2011, 2012)
• Lou Gehrig Memorial Award (2014)
• 4× MLB All-Star (2010–2012, 2014)
• 4× MLB Player of the Month (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 at third base (2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2016)
• 4× Silver Slugger Award at third base (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 for the Texas Rangers (2012)

Selected MLB Accomplishments

• First player from the Dominican Republic to reach 3,000 hits.
• Played 2,933 major league games, which was the 14th most in MLB history when he retired.
• The only third baseman in history with both 3,000 career hits and 400 home runs.
• Retired as the all-time leader among third basemen in hits and RBIs.
• One of five players to hit 100 home runs with three different teams.
• Hit a record three cycles in the same stadium, Globe Life Park in Arlington.
• Tied the MLB record as the fourth player to hit for the cycle three times.
• One of only six players with a three-home-run game in both the playoffs and the regular season.
• One of only two players with both a three-home-run game and a cycle in the same week.
• His number 29 was retired by the Texas Rangers in 2019, meaning no other Ranger will wear that number.

International Career

Beltré played for the Dominican Republic in the 2006 World Baseball Classic (WBC). He was named to the All-WBC team after hitting 4 home runs in six games. He also played in the 2017 WBC.

After Playing Baseball

On June 5, 2023, Beltré was named an honorary general manager for the Karachi Monarchs baseball team.

Beltré was the manager for the American League team in the 2024 All-Star Futures Game.

Helping Others

Beltré has helped with many good causes in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex area. These include the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation and programs that help kids play baseball in the Dominican Republic. He has also given money to other foundations.

In 2021, Beltré helped pay to rebuild a baseball stadium in the Dominican Republic where he used to play as a child.

Personal Life

Beltré is married and has three children.

See also

In Spanish: Adrián Beltré para niños