Fret Not! Texas Rangers Cap Will Touch Adrian Beltre's Head At Hall of Fame
ARLINGTON — Adrián Beltré was asked which cap he'll wear in his National Baseball Hall of Fame plaque during a press conference at Globe Life Field on Wedneday.
Beltré responded to the question with a question of his own.
"I don't know. Do you know?" he said to laughter, including from more than a dozen of his former teammates gathered to celebrated his first-ballot election after a 21-year career, including the final eight with the Texas Rangers.
"Everybody wants to know. I want to know, too," he joked.
Of course, he knows, although the official cap designation comes from the Hall of Fame, it's a near certainty that Beltré will wear a Rangers cap for eternity when his plaque is unveiled during the July 21 induction ceremony.
"Adrian Beltre's No. 29 jersey was retired by the Texas Rangers in 2021. Although it hasn't been officially announced, he'll have a Rangers cap on his National Baseball Hall of Fame plaque.
"I can't say anything. The Hall of Fame is supposed to announce that," he said. "I think this is an important decision and the organization has been super great to me, so that's all I can say right now."
Beltré, 44, who toured the Hall of Fame Thursday morning, along with the other members of the 2024 class, including Joe Mauer and Todd Helton, and manager Jim Leyland, is still struggling to grasp the enormity of the honor. He toured the Hall of Fame and museum five years ago when his son A.J. played a baseball tournament in Cooperstown, N.Y. He saw the plaques and the legends inducted before him.
"Just go down the list ... the fact that my name is going to be called next to Willie Mays, Ken Griffey, Pudge Rodriguez. Pedro Martinez," he said. "It just blows my mind that I'm going to be on the podium soon next to those guys. There's nothing higher than that. I'm honored; I'm humble, because I don't see myself like those guys."
Beltré expressed a similar reaction to that of many previous electees upon hearing the news. It's hard for some to fathom they're joining their idols.
"Like, I don't really belong, you know, but I'm glad that people recognized what I did, and they thought that I was worthy of it, but it just still hasn’t sunk in," he said. "It just blows my mind."
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