The Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies happen this weekend, and four new members will officially be welcomed to the legendary museum. Today, I honor Adrian Beltre with my top 5 favorite cards that are in my collection.
2010 Topps Update #US-145
It's slightly ironic that I don't own any cards of his when he was with the Dodgers or Mariners. I've stated this many times: The lone year that Beltre played for the Red Sox was the start of his Hall of Fame ascent. Even though he made his debut as a 19 year old with the Dodgers in 1998, Beltre's time in L.A. was good, but unremarkable. That is until his final season with them, when he came out of nowhere to lead the league with 48 home runs and finish 2nd in MVP voting. He is the poster boy for the "contract year" player, as he parlayed that amazing season into a 5-year deal with Seattle.
2011 Topps #302
Funny enough, he's also well known for another free agency term: "pillow contract". Like his time with the Dodgers, the Mariners got good, but not great, production from Beltre. An unfortunate injury in 2009 meant that Beltre walked into his 2nd contract year on the wrong side of 30 and without much interest. The Red Sox and Beltre took a shot on a one year contract, hoping that Beltre would stay healthy and show the baseball world that he was still a productive player. It worked out well for both sides, as Beltre made his first All-Star team and went on to post his best year since that MVP runner-up season.
2015 Topps #175
Unfortunately for Red Sox fans everywhere, the team let Adrian walk after the season, opting to trade for another Adrian (Gonzalez) and moving fan favorite Kevin Youkilis to third. Beltre landed in Texas, and for the next 8 seasons would hit and field at a Hall of Fame level.
2018 Topps #254
When all was said and done, Beltre would be named to 4 All-Star teams, win 4 Silver Slugger Awards, and 5 Gold Gloves (including 2 Platinum Gloves). He reached the 3,000 hit plateau, the 31st player in MLB history to do so, and the very first from the Dominican Republic. He is the only 3rd Baseman to have over 3,000 hits and 400 home runs.
2019 Stadium Club #275
Adrian Beltre is easily one of the best third baseman of all-time, and sailed into the Hall of Fame on his first year on the ballot, receiving 95.1% of the votes.
Welcome to the Hall, Adrian! I hope you don't mind people touching your plaque on the head!
I think 2004 with the Dodgers is the best season he ever had. One of the biggest annoyances as a Dodger fan is the team letting him go after that season, basically accepting team mediocrity for the next 3-4 years, what could have been! ... Also, he should have been an All-Star in 2002, 2003 and/or 2004. He shouldn't have had to wait until 2010.
ReplyDeleteThey should make his plaque capless so everyone can touch his head :P
ReplyDeleteThat 2011 Topps card of Beltre is awesome! Very cool photo.
ReplyDeleteI saw him play with the Mariners more than anywhere else. He was good, but sure didn't seem like a future HOFer at the time. Obviously his production would ramp up considerably in the years following.
ReplyDeleteOne of those HOFers who I didn't even consider was a HOFer til his career was winding down, then I was like, whoa, I gotta pay more attention to baseball.
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