Adrian Beltre, left, accepts his plaque from Hall of Fame President Josh Rawitch during the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Clark Sports Center on July 21, 2024 in Cooperstown, New York. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. – On Sunday afternoon, four baseball legends were inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.
Adrian Beltre became the fifth Dominican player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, alongside Joe Mauer, Todd Helton, and Jim Leyland. Beltre is the only international player to be inducted this year.
Thousands of fans and guests gathered at the Clark Sports Center to watch the induction of these legends on Sunday. The Ceremony started at 1:30 p.m., but fans gathered outside with lawn chairs as early as 8 a.m. to camp out and make sure they had a spot to watch the induction.
“It’s a really great moment just based on the fact that he was part of one of the most Rangers teams that has ever played in 2011,” said Texas Rangers fan Michael Maher, who came to see Beltre, one of the best players in Rangers history, get his plaque. “He’s obviously such a big part of their culture that he’s still involved with them and he’s such a good dude.”
Beltre, born April 7, 1979 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, was discovered by the Los Angeles Dodgers and signed with them at 15 years old in July 1994 as an international free agent. Beltre made his name with the Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox, and Texas Rangers in Major League Baseball over his 21-season career, but before reaching superstardom in America he was a star in the Dominican Winter Leagues.
Beltre played winter ball with the Azucareros del Este, the Águilas Cibaeñas, the Estrellas Orientales, and the Leones del Escogido of LIDOM, and it was in Santiago with the Aguilas that he enjoyed a terrific 1998-99 season, hitting .301 with 10 homers in 58 games the year after making his MLB debut with the Dodgers the summer prior. He won the Dominican League MVP, and joined the LIDOM champions, the Tigres del Licey, for the Caribbean Series that year. With Licey, he continued his great run, making the all-tournament team at only 19 years old while helping the Dominican Republic to win the 1999 Caribbean Series.
The day before his induction, Adrian Beltre was asked what some of the biggest takeaways he took from playing winter ball in the Dominican were and he said, “Winter ball is a fun time and for Dominican players, I think that’s the stint before you get to the big leagues so there it gets you ready. You face a 100 mile-per-hour pitcher, next inning you face a guy throwing 68. You know it’s just a craft, it’s a crafty league…I had a lot of fun playing in it but I think that playing Winter League, it helped me get ready for the big leagues.” Indeed, it did help Beltre improve, as the next season his OPS jumped up 132 points and he would enjoy a successful tenure with the Dodgers, leading the league in home runs with 48 in his last season there in 2004. In 2006, Beltre represented the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic, making the All-Tournament team.
He stayed in Seattle with the Mariners until signing a one-year deal in Boston in 2010, where he led the Major Leagues in doubles. Beltre signed with the Rangers the following offseason and stayed there for the rest of his career, making a World Series appearance in 2011 and finishing tied for the MLB lead in hits with 199 in 2013.
He finished his career with 3,166 hits, making him one of only 33 players ever to reach the 3,000 hit milestone, 477 home runs, a career .819 OPS and 116 OPS+, and 93.5 wins above replacement, good for 40th all time. He finished top 15 in MVP voting eight times, was a four time All-Star, won four Silver Slugger Awards and five Gold Gloves Awards. Beltre hung up the cleats after his eighth season in Texas with the Rangers and was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility on Jan. 23, 2024, becoming the fifth Dominican-born player to make it into the Hall of Fame.
Sunday’s ceremony began with an introduction of current Hall of Famers present, from Master of Ceremonies and MLB Network host Brian Kenny followed by an introduction by Chairwoman Jane Forbes Clark and rememberances of the Hall of Famers who had passed away over the past year. Beltre gave the second speech, following Todd Helton, and preceded a video about the “Souls of the Game” exhibit at the Hall of Fame.
As Beltre was called up to speak, fellow Dominican Hall of Famer and legendary prankster David Ortiz could not resist the opportunity to touch Adrian Beltre’s head, starting things off in a very jovial way. In his induction speech, Beltre thanked the Hall of Fame, voters, God, and his parents before he taking the crowd chronologically through his baseball journey.
He then retold the story of how he began playing the sport that would lead him to Cooperstown as a 13-year-old boy in the Dominican Republic, describing how a classmate one day asked Beltre if he wanted to join his weekend baseball team. Beltre was receptive to the idea, spending what he had left of his birthday money to join the team after talking with the coach. He quickly became the starter at second base, the position his father told him to play. One day, the third baseman on his team asked him if he wanted to switch positions. It was there Beltre started to play the position that would make him a Hall of Famer.
“I loved every challenge of playing third base,” Beltre said. “I was hooked.”
Beltre spoke about how he began to fall in love with baseball and how that resulted in him coming up with the Dodgers, and gave special acknowledgement to the late Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda for calling him up at 19 years old and taking a chance on him.
He talked about his time in Los Angeles, Seattle, and Boston as a professional, thanking many coaches, teammates, and fans from each stop. He gave the most shine talking about his time in Texas. Thanking many, Beltre concluded talking about his time in Texas by thanking the Rangers fans, saying, “You have embraced me since day one… Like they say, everything’s bigger in Texas and you guys showed me love. Love y’all.”
Then, he took some time to speak in Spanish to the many fans in attendance who came to see him play. After thanking the Latino fans and the four other Dominicans in the Hall of Fame, he spoke lovingly about his wife and kids. He said about his wife, “You are the real hall of famer. I love you.” He concluded his speech saying how much he loves the game of baseball and thanking the audience. He was met with a standing ovation and loud, passionate cheers in a moment that he will never forget.
Beltre’s was followed by those of Jim Leyland and then Joe Mauer. Mauer and Beltre had the largest groups of fans, with Helton and Leyland having plenty of active supporters as well.
The ceremony capped off a great weekend celebrating baseball, as Joe Castiglione, the recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award for contributions to baseball as a broadcaster, and the late Gerry Fraley, winner of the Baseball Writers Association of America Career Excellence Award, were honored yesterday.
During his long career, Beltre made headlines as both an excellent leader and joy to watch, giving fans laughs along the way with his classic one-knee swing, joking around with teammates like Felix Hernandez and Elvis Andrus, and of course, not wanting anyone to touch his head.
One of the greatest two-way players in the history of baseball, Beltre had his number, 29, retired by the Texas Rangers in 2019. Now, he goes into the Baseball Hall of Fame with a Rangers cap on his bronze plaque, forever immortalized in Cooperstown.
