Adrian Beltre is Texas Rangers 2014 MVP

The time has come to reveal your Texas Rangers 2014 MVP. May I get a drumroll please…. And the award for Most Valuable Player goes to Adrian Beltre!!

I know, not all that big of a shocker, but keep in mind what Beltre accomplished this season.

Live Feed

SoDo Mojo

In a season where the bad far outweighed the good, Adrian Beltre continued to shine, while accomplishing a few career milestones.

Is there anything about Adrian Beltre I could tell you that you don’t already know? Probably not. But that won’t stop me from trying.

The 35-year old third baseman made the All-Star team for the 3rd time as a Texas Ranger. This happens to be one of the few times that fans got it right. Since the biggest complaint about fans voting for the All-Star is that it is more of a popularity contest rather than who deserves to go and represent their respective league. However, Adrian Beltre’s .967 Fld%, 25 double plays turned, and 206 assists is all the proof one needs to know the fans got this one right.

Beltre played in 148 games and had 614 plate appearances. In those plate appearances Adrian Beltre had 79 runs, 178 hits including 33 doubles, and one triple, 19 home runs, 77 RBI, and one stolen base. His final slash line is .324/.388/.492. His batting average ranks 4th in the American League, while his on-base percentage ranks 3rd.

Adrian Beltre Career Milestones Accomplished This Season in a Texas Rangers Uniform:

May 7: Beltre hit his 100th home run as a Texas Ranger, becoming only the 5th player in MLB History to reach that mark with three different teams.

June 24: Adrian Beltre hit a single off of Detroit Tigers’ Drew Smyly for his 2,500th career hit, becoming the 6th player since 1900 to reach the 2,500-hit mark while spending the majority of his career at third base.

September 18: When Adrian Beltre hit a single off of Oakland Athletics’ Sonny Gray for his 2,591st hit, he surpassed Vladimir Guerrero as the all-time hits leader for a Dominican Republic native.

The 2014 season marked the 14th season in which Adrian Beltre hit 15+ home runs, T3rd-most all-time among third basemen.

He also finished the season ranked 3rd all-time for games played at third base (2,341), behind Brooks Robinson (2,870), and Graig Nettles (2,412).

Adrian Beltre is easily the most beloved Texas Ranger by fans, but players and coaches love him, too. Even though the season was tough to endure, watching Beltre play with a smile on his face (practically everyday) made it a little easier for fans to watch. Beltre’s leadership qualities along with his passion and love for the game shine through with each game played.

Although Adrian Beltre does not take the game light-heartedly, he has fun playing. It is always fun to watch him and Elvis Andrus goad each other on the field. And of course, I can’t fail to mention the now famous “Let’s Rub Beltre’s Head” antics that has spilled from our own Texas Rangers players to other teams’ players wanting to get on the fun.

Beltre is signed with the Texas Rangers through the 2015 season with a $16MM vesting option for 2016. If Adrian Beltre fails to have either 1,200 plate appearances in 2014-2015 combined or 600 in 2015, the Texas Rangers can void the ‘16 season. I don’t foresee Beltre failing to hit the 600 mark next season since he had 614 this year.

I know Beltre is aging, but I’m hoping he can stay in the game for a few more years. I’d settle for him batting at DH for a while and then retiring as one of the all-time greatest players in Texas Rangers history.