Adrian Beltre received a hero’s welcome from the Texas Rangers after his Hall of Fame induction. And a surprise, too.
The third baseman was honored at Globe Life Field on Saturday before a game against the Minnesota Twins, wearing his Cooperstown plaque and a cowboy hat. The event had the usual trappings of a ceremony for a player whose number had already been retired in 2019, but then Rangers broadcaster Chuck Morgan said something the player clearly wasn’t expecting.
“In 2025, National Baseball Hall of Famer Adrian Beltre will be honored with a bronze statue outside Globe Life Field,” Morgan said.
Beltre will become the third player to have a statue at four-year-old Globe Life Field, joining Nolan Ryan and Ivan Rodriguez, the only other players to enter the Hall of Fame wearing a Rangers cap.
It’s been a busy month for Hall of Famer, who told the Associated Press that your next destination will be your home:
“This weekend was the last thing on my agenda,” Beltre said. “After that, it’s coming home and being a dad and a husband again, and trying to figure out when we can find some time for a little vacation. Because I need to just lay on the beach for a little bit.”
Beltre, 45, played just eight of his 21 MLB seasons with the Rangers, but it was in Texas that he became a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He began his Rangers career with six consecutive seasons receiving MVP votes, as well as three All-Star nominations, four Gold Gloves and two Silver Slugger Awards.
Beltré retired with the legacy of being one of the best defensive third basemen of all time, with a bat that kept him in the middle of the at-bats for two decades. Aside from his talent, he was also a beloved player both in the locker room and in the stands.