Former Seattle Mariners Infielder Earns Nod into Hall of Fame
Update, 6:24 p.m. EST: Beltre received 95.1 percent of the vote, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
Former Seattle Mariners third baseman Adrian Beltre, who also starred for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers, has earned election into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. It was his first time on the ballot.
Beltre will enter the Hall alongside Todd Helton and Joe Mauer. Jim Leyland also earned election as a manager. They will be inducted in a ceremony in Cooperstown on July 21.
One of the most accomplished players of the 21st Century, Beltre spent 21 years in the big leagues with those four teams. He came up with the Dodgers, playing seven years in Los Angeles, then went to Seattle, where he played five more. He spent one year in Boston and then finished out with eight stellar years in Texas.
He had a very interesting career arc, doing most of his best work in the back half of his career. He won five Gold Glove Awards, but didn't win his first until the 10th year of his career and third with the Mariners. Though he did lead baseball in home runs with 2004 with 48, he didn't make his first All-Star Game until he was 31 with the Red Sox.
He popularized the "pillow contract," which saw him sign in Boston for one year to rebuild value before hitting the free agent market again. With Texas, he made three All-Star teams and won three more Gold Glove Awards.
All in all, Beltre was a .286 hitter with 477 career home runs. He drove in 1,707 runs. He also has 3,166 career hits, which is the most ever for a third baseman.
While he's mostly known for his work with the Rangers, he's still a fun part of Mariners history. He appeared at T-Mobile Park in 2023 to take part in the Felix Hernandez Mariners Hall of Fame induction and was well-known for his fun-loving rivalry with Hernandez as well.
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