‘Rangers baseball won’t be the same.’ Fans celebrate, mourn Adrian Beltre’s retirement
Adrian Beltre has called it a career.
The Texas Rangers third baseman announced his retirement on Tuesday. You can read his remarks here.
Beltre won five Gold Gloves at his primary position and is the all-time leader in hits by a third baseman with 3,166.
The native of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic is virtually a lock to be be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.
In his 21-year career, he spent his first seven seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, his next five seasons with the Seattle Mariners, one season with the Boston Red Sox and his final eight seasons with the Rangers.
Beltre was also almost universally respected by members of the media. Teammates and coaches, both past and present, also praised him as a player and a person.
Despite the fact that he did not spend his entire career as a member of the Rangers, Beltre will be remembered alongside franchise icons such as pitcher Nolan Ryan, catcher Ivan Rodriguez and outfielder Juan Gonzalez.
But it’s the fans, especially in Texas, that expressed a tremendous appreciation for Beltre on social media.