Texas Forever: Adrián Beltré to Wear Rangers Cap on Hall of Fame Plaque
Any Texas Rangers fans concerned about the cap Adrián Beltré will wear in the National Baseball Hall of Fame can stand down.
...or stand up and cheer.
The Hall of Fame announced that Beltré will indeed don a Rangers cap for eternity in his Hall of Fame plaque in Cooperstown, N.Y.
“I am grateful for the time I spent with all of my teams during my career,” Beltré said in a release. “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."
Beltré, who was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot on Jan. 23, joins pitcher Nolan Ryan (class of 1999) and catcher Iván Rodríguez (class of 2017) to wear the Texas Rangers “T” on their Hall of Fame plaques.
Beltré received 95.1% of the possible votes and will be inducted on July 21, along with the Rockies' Todd Helton, the Twins' Joe Mauer, and manager Jim Leyland, who will not have a designated team cap in his plaque.
“The Rangers are honored that Adrián Beltré has selected the Texas 'T' for his Hall of Fame plaque,” Rangers’ managing partner and majority owner Ray Davis stated. “It was a privilege for our organization and our fans to watch Adrián in a Rangers uniform for the final eight seasons of his remarkable career. His passion and dedication were evident each and every day on the field, and his leadership in the clubhouse left an indelible mark on his teammates and coaches. We witnessed many of his incredible career accomplishments during that time, and we are proud Adrián is joining Nolan Ryan and Iván Rodríguez in representing this franchise in baseball’s most hallowed hall.”
Beltré is the seventh third baseman to be so honored on his first ballot, joining Brooks Robinson (1983), Mike Schmidt (1995), George Brett (1999), Paul Molitor (2004), Wade Boggs (2005), and Chipper Jones (2018).
The Hall of Fame Class of 2024 will be inducted during a ceremony which will air live on MLB Network at 12:30 p.m. July 21.
The Hall of Fame plaques will be revealed before each electee’s induction speech. The Hall of Fame plaque, which serves to reflect the totality of a career, details an individual’s accomplishments in the game in approximately 90 words, according to the Hall of Fame.
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