Adrian Beltre starts the 2017 season – the 20th of his career – pursuing of the 58 hits he needs to reach the select club of players that have 3,000 hits in the majors.
The Dominican third baseman can become the 31st player in history to reach that number, which undoubtedly helps make a stronger for acceptance into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
But for now, Beltre doesn’t care about records or numbers, he only cares about wining and reaching the postseason.
“The first thing is to qualify for the playoffs and then win the World Series,” said Beltre. “The press is the one asking about personal achievements. I do not want to distract the team with those things.”
This coming season is the first of the new two-yearcontract that he signed with the Rangers.
Beltre is the undisputed leader of the Rangers and one of their best player. Beltre will turn 38 on April 7, he’s coming off another great season in which he batted .300, with 32 homers, 104 RBIs and a .521 slugging percentage. He also won his fifth Gold Glove forhis outstanding defensive play.
He knows that the end of his career is near, and returning to a World Series is what motivates him most. The only time he reached the Fall Classic was in 2011, his first season with Texas. Back then, the Rangers won their second American League pennant in a row, but the Rangers also lost in the World Series for a second straight year, this time against the Saint Louis Cardinals in seven games.
Since then, the seasons have been marked by bitter endings. In 2016, for example, they led the American with 95 victories, but for the second consecutive campaign they succumbed to the Toronto Blue Jays in the championship series.
“If we win the World Series, maybe, I won’t come back,” Beltre said hinting at retirement. “That is the goal I want to achieve and what motivates me when I wake up every morning.”
