Texas Rangers’ third baseman Adrian Beltre decided to put an end to his illustrious professional career which saw him playing 21 seasons in MLB. The 39-year-old announced his decision via a statement posted on the Rangers’ official website.
“After careful consideration and many sleepless nights, I have made the decision to retire from what I’ve been doing for my whole life, which is playing baseball, the game I love,” – said Beltre in the statement.
He also thanked his family, friends, fans and the teams he played with over the years.
#ThankYouAB pic.twitter.com/wZO9K18yVJ
— #ThankYouAB (@Rangers) November 20, 2018
Adrian Beltre broke into MLB at the age of 19, when he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1998. After seven years with the Dodgers, he went on to play with Seattle Mariners and Boston Red Sox before joining the Rangers in 2011.
During his time in the majors, Beltre had four All-Star appearances and had won five Gold Glove Awards alongside four Silver Slugger Awards. He was also an NL home run leader in 2004.
Adrian Beltre will go down as one of the best foreign hitters in MLB with his 3,166 career hits placing him on 16th spot on the all-time list. Beltre’s career stats also include .286 batting average with 477 home runs and 1,707 RBIs.
