When the Texas Rangers signed Adrian Beltre to a six-year, $96 million deal in 2011, some fans and media members scoffed at the signing, saying that Beltre was a contract-year player.
And to Beltre's credit, he admits it was a fair assessment, because up to that point in his career, his best two seasons had come during contract years - in 2004 with the Dodgers when he hit .334 with 48 home runs and 121 RBI, and in 2010 with the Red Sox when he hit .321 with 28 home runs and 102 RBI.
When Beltre signed with Texas a few months before turning 32, it was safe to say that his career numbers didn't make him worthy of the Hall of Fame. But after wrapping up his eighth and final season with the Rangers in 2018, a period that included his 3,000th career hit, three Gold Gloves, two Silver Sluggers, and three All-Star appearances, there was no doubt that he was a shoo-in to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, which became a reality on Tuesday when he was voted into Cooperstown in his first year on the ballot.
So, what helped take his game to another level in the middle of his prime? Beltre says he started having fun.
"I think everything started when I was in Seattle. I was struggling a lot. I was not having fun. I wasn't enjoying the game. I did not enjoy being on the field because I felt like I was not doing good, the team wasn't doing good, so I felt like it was all my fault. And it probably was," Beltre said Wednesday on the K&C Masterpiece on 105.3 The Fan. "After that, I went through a stretch of not being happy about what I was doing. And it took a long talk with my wife and my family, and they tried to make me wake up and realize it was just a game. You [still have your family], and you'll be fine. After that, I just said, 'screw it, I'm just going to be myself, play the game, play hard, and enjoy what I do.' And that was the main key why I started having more success because I went to having fun [instead of worrying about a contract]."
Beltre's fun-loving personality started to show during his lone season with the Red Sox, when his teammates, mostly catcher Victor Martinez, would get under his skin by attempting to touch his head in the dugout after the third baseman hit a home run. And thanks to former Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus, the games continued when he got to Texas. While with the Rangers, Beltre's joyful persona blossomed, endearing himself to the fans along the way.
There were some memorable moments in his time with Texas. From Andrus also trying to touch his head to getting tossed from a game for moving an on-deck circle, it was never a dull moment when Beltre took the field. And that's what Rangers fans will remember the most about No. 29.