Adrián Beltré

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Adrián Beltré

Seattle Mariners — No. 29
Third base
Born: April 7, 1979 (1979-04-07) (age 29) Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
Major League Baseball debut
June 24, 1998 for the Los Angeles Dodgers
Selected MLB statistics (through May 4, 2008)
Batting Average	.272
Home Runs	223
Runs Batted In	798
Teams
Los Angeles Dodgers (1998-2004) Seattle Mariners (2005-present)

Adrián Beltré Pérez (born April 7, 1979 in Santo Domingo, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) is a Major League Baseball third baseman who plays for the Seattle Mariners. Previously, he played for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1998-2004). He bats and throws right-handed.

He was signed out of the Dominican Republic by the black sox in 1994. Adrian attended Liceo Maximo Gomez High School, where he developed into one of the school’s top players. In 1994, while working out at Campo Las Palmas, the Los Angeles Dodgers facility, he was spotted by scouts Ralph Avila and Pablo Peguero. Though only 15 and weighing just 130 pounds, he had a lightning-quick swing and electric throwing arm. On the insistence of Avila and Peguero, the Dodgers signed Adrian in July. He received a $23,000 bonus. When it was revealed that Beltre has signed his initial contract at the age of 15, commissioner Bud Selig suspended the Dodgers' scouting operations in the Dominican Republic for a year, due to the fact that signing a player at that age was prevented under MLB rules.^[1]

Beltré debuted with the Dodgers in the 1998 season at age 19.

In his effort to maintain his Gold Glove title, Beltré forgoes personal safety including the use of a protective cup.^[2]

[edit] Major league career

[edit] 1998

After being called up to the majors from the Dodgers Double-A affiliate San Antonio Missions, Beltré made his major league debut on June 21th, starting at third base in the first game of an interleague series against the Anaheim Angels. During his first at-bat, Beltré smashed a two-out RBI double off Angels starter Chuck Finley into left field to score Paul Konerko from second base to tie the game. He would hit his first home run six days later against Texas Rangers starter Rick Helling. At the end of the 1998 season, Beltré would finish with 13 errors at third base while batting .215 with seven home runs.

[edit] 1999-2003

The Dodgers saw Beltré develop into a consistent and durable young star during his time with the team, as he hit .265 while hitting 18 homers a year (on average). From 1999 through 2003, Beltré also started 710 games at third base (out of 810 games played) averaging a .948 fielding percentage.

[edit] 2004

Beltré enjoyed his best season in 2004, with career highs in batting average (.334), RBI (121), runs (104), hits (200), doubles (32), on base percentage (.388), slugging average (.629), OPS (1,017), total bases (376), and 48 home runs, which led the league. He won the Silver Slugger Award, and finished second in the National League MVP voting, just behind Barry Bonds.

[edit] 2005

Beltré was signed by the Mariners as a free agent before the 2005 season to a five-year, $64 million deal; however, he has not brought the offensive presence to the Mariners lineup they had expected. Regressing to his pre-2004 form, he batted just .255 with 19 home runs and 87 RBI. Manager Mike Hargrove did not give up hope in him, saying, "I think it's a season that, personally, he's disappointed in. I think it was a year that he will [improve on] the longer he's here and the longer he's in the American League."

[edit] 2006

2006 was, likewise, a disappointment for Beltré and led some to suspect that he had used steroids in his contract year of 2004, or at least had ramped up his production in order to be considered for a heftier contract.^[3] Beltré, in an interview for the Seattle Times, denied his dropoff in 2006 to have anything to do with steroids.^[4] After batting .167 through April 10, Ted Miller of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer suggested that Beltré may become one of the Mariners' greatest busts.^[5] By June 5, 2006, Beltré's batting average was slowly improving, from .109 in April 16 to .236 at that time. After hitting his first home run in April, and his second later that month, Beltré improved his hitting, getting more hits in ballgames, most notably doubles. He also hit two home runs in the first five days of June, good signs for Beltré as well as the Mariners. Beltre homered twice on the last day of the 2006 season to end up with a batting average of .268, 25 home runs and 89 RBI.

On July 23, 2006 against the Boston Red Sox, Beltré hit a inside-the-park home run, the first one ever in Safeco Field history.

[edit] 2007

Starting in the 2007 season, whenever Beltré was at bat, he would appeal to the first base umpire on check swings. Usually only the pitcher, catcher or home plate umpire does this since it can be a strike.

Defense; Gold Glove. The 2007 season wasn't one of Beltré's better defensive years statistically.[1] In 2007, he tied with Brandon Inge for the AL lead in errors by a third baseman, with 18, but Beltré ranked second in the league in assists, total chances, and range factor. He also had the lowest fielding percentage of all third basemen in the league, .958.[2] Beltré was awarded the Gold Glove award.

[edit] Gallery

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Beltré swinging at a pitch

Beltré throwing

Adrian Beltré at the plate.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Adrian Beltre

• Top 500 home run hitters of all time
• List of players from Dominican Republic in Major League Baseball
• List of Major League Baseball home run champions

[edit] External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube