It's official. Adrian Beltre will forever be immortalized in the National Baseball Hall of Fame museum as a Texas Ranger.
The Hall of Fame announced on Friday that Beltre's plaque will feature the third baseman wearing a Rangers hat. Beltre will join Nolan Ryan and Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez as the only players to go into the Hall of Fame as a Ranger.
The induction ceremony will take place in on July 21 in Cooperstown, N.Y.
Beltre, who spent eight years with the Rangers, retired following the 2018 season after a stellar 21-year career in MLB. At the time of his retirement, Beltre ranked among the all-time leaders in doubles (11th, 636), games (14th, 2933), total bases (14th, 5309), extra-base hits (14th, 1151), hits (16th, 3166), RBI (25th, 1707), and home runs (31st, 477) and had the second most career hits of any non-U.S. native in history behind Albert Pujols. Beltre has since been passed by Venezuelan-born Miguel Cabrera, who had 3,174 career hits when he called it a career after the 2023 season.
Besides Beltre, the only other players ever with at least 3,166 hits and 477 home runs are Hank Aaron, Pujols, Cabrera, Willie Mays, and Eddie Murray.
Beltre was a four-time All-Star, five-time Rawlings Gold Glove winner and a four-time Silver Slugger winner. He had a .286/.339/.480 career slash line and the third-highest WAR ever among third basemen.
“I am grateful for the time I spent with all of my teams during my career,” Beltre said in a statement released by the Hall of Fame. “Looking back, I played more years in Texas than anywhere else and I believe my time with the Rangers represents the peak of my career, individually and from a team standpoint. But I could not have made this journey to Cooperstown without the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox, and their fans, and I am proud that each of the teams I played with will be listed on my Hall of Fame plaque.”
The Dominican native was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as a 15-year-old in 1994. He spent seven seasons with the Dodgers' big-league club before departing for the Mariners in 2005. After spending five seasons in Seattle, Beltre played one season with the Boston Red Sox in 2010.
Looking for an upgrade at third base following their first World Series appearance in franchise history, the Rangers signed Beltre to a six-year, $96 million deal in 2011. And, boy, did they not regret it.
Beltre immediately became a key figure on the field and in the clubhouse, helping the club reach the World Series for the second consecutive season. His wide smile and fun-loving antics on the field made him a fan favorite.
In his time with the Rangers, Beltre hit .304 with 199 home runs and 699 RBI in 1098 games. During that span, he won three Gold Gloves, earned two Silver Sluggers, and was named to three All-Star teams.
The Rangers retired his No. 29 in 2019 and inducted him into the club's Hall of Fame in 2021.