Adrián Beltré made a stop on his way to the Hall of Fame induction in Cooperstown, returning to where he ended his illustrious career.
Beltré is currently involved with the MLB All-Star Game festivities in Texas, where he managed the American League team in the Futures Game on Saturday. The baseball draft is also happening there, and his son, nearing 18 years old, might get drafted in the later rounds.
“The past few weeks have been hectic,” Beltré said. “I’m trying to enjoy it all… The only part I’m not enjoying is thinking about the speech I have to give.”
That speech will be delivered next Sunday at his Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Beltré mentioned that the speech is ready and will be relatively brief.
“Once the speech is over… then I’ll realize where I am, who’s with me, what I’ve achieved, and the company I’ll join,” said Beltré, who will travel from Texas to New York after the All-Star Game.
Beltré had a remarkable career spanning 21 seasons, with the last eight played with the Texas Rangers, where he also made his only World Series appearance.
A four-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove winner, Beltré retired with impressive stats: 3,166 hits and 477 home runs. His 2,759 games played at third base are second only to Brooks Robinson. He even hit for the cycle three times, the last time at age 36.
His 3,000th hit came in a home game on July 30, 2017, shortly after Ivan Rodriguez finished his Hall of Fame induction speech in Cooperstown.
Pudge, also an All-Star ambassador this week, will welcome Beltré as they become the only Rangers players in the Hall of Fame alongside strikeout king Nolan Ryan.
