ARLINGTON, Texas — Adrian Beltre, the former Texas Rangers third baseman who starred for nearly a decade in Arlington, was announced as a National Baseball Hall of Fame selection Tuesday evening.
Beltre was a near-unanimous selection on the ballots, garnering 95.1% of the votes cast. Just 19 of the 385 ballots submitted by voters this year did not include Beltre's name.
Beltre answered questions from the media on Wednesday ahead of his trip to Cooperstown, New York. Iván Rodríguez and former Texas Rangers players attended Beltre's press conference, as well.
You can watch the press conference here:
Beltre's infectious personality shined through, as he cracked jokes with the reporters time and time again. When asked why Texas was so good for him, he quickly responded "because you were here" with a smirk. Beltre was asked about which team he'll be enshrined under, to which he said "the Hall of Fame is supposed to announce that. You want me to tell you?"
"Yes," the reporter said.
"I can't," Beltre said to a round of laughter from the entire room.
Beltre said he was humbled and honored he would be mentioned in the same breath as baseball's greats like Rodríguez, Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr., Pedro Martinez and more.
"It still hasn't sank in. It blows my mind," Beltre said.
To close out his press conference, Beltre was asked about who he's heard from regarding his selection. Beltre said he's got 1,500 text messages and calls to still sift through. He said he's very appreciative of all the kind words and will take time after everything is done to respond to the people who have reached out to him.
Beltre also spoke with WFAA's Teresa Woodard after hearing the announcement:
"I appreciated the fact that the Rangers gave me a chance to come to their ballpark and the city and be part of the great team they already had," Beltre told WFAA. "The way the front office received me and my family, the way my teammates received me, it was just a great combination for both – I think it was a great spot and they found what they needed at the time. Once I got there, I just felt comfortable with the fan base, everything about Texas, about Dallas, it was just a click for me and I was out there having a good group of guys competing. It was easier for me to come out and perform and be happy doing what I did."
Beltre played 21 seasons for four different teams, including a stint with the Los Angeles Dodgers to start his career. But he locked up a Hall of Fame resume during his time in Texas, where he played for the Rangers from 2011 until his retirement after the 2018 season.
Beltre was the Rangers' best player in that stretch, batting an All-Star level and playing some of the best defense in baseball at third base.
"There’s no doubt the Rangers have a lot to do with my career, and I appreciate they trusted bring me to Arlington to be part of a championship team," Beltre said.
In eight seasons with Texas, he batted .305, hit 199 homers and drove in 699 runs. He also surpassed the career milestone of 3,000 hits in 2017.
Beltre ultimately finished his entire career with 3,166 hits, the 18th-most all-time. He is now the 13th person to play for or manage the Rangers to reach Cooperstown.
Beltre was also there to celebrate the World Series championship alongside other Rangers greats.
"It was such a nice moment seeing them win – I was grateful they invited me to come see the games and be part of it ... and I feel relieved because I felt like in 2011 we got so close," Beltre told WFAA.
"One of the reasons I went to Dallas is because I wanted to be a world champion … you know and I believe in that time, they gave me the best chance and we proved we had the best team till Game 6," Beltre added. "It didn’t happen, but at that time, I felt like myself and the group playing together in that year, felt like we disappointed a lot of people in Dallas, Texas. And I felt relieved once they won because now that monkey on our back is off, and they can actually call themselves champions. I feel really happy for them, and I’ve always been a fan of the Texas Rangers.
More Texas Rangers coverage: