Texas Rangers taking no time to retire Adrian Beltre’s number

The Texas Rangers will retire Adrian Beltre‘s #29 this June. The organization made the announcement yesterday evening.

Announced Friday evening, the Texas Rangers will retire Adrian Beltre’s #29 sometime in June. There’s obviously no debate as to whether he’s worthy, so why wait? Texas also wants make it happen before they transition to the new ballpark in 2020.

Beltre of course retired from baseball a few months ago. He played the final eight seasons of his 21-year career with the Rangers. He also played seven seasons with the Dodgers, five with the Mariners and one with the Red Sox. Though, the majority of his finest work came while wearing a Texas Rangers’ uniform.

#29’s Rangers’ career amassed to a .304 batting average, .357 OBP and .865 OPS. He also notched 1,277 hits, 199 home runs, 699 RBI and 239 doubles. You’d be far-fetched to find a statistic of Beltre’s that doesn’t rank in the top 10 in franchise history. The impact he made over just eight years is nothing short of remarkable.

He solidified his place in the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame, but he’s also solidified his place in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. The former is a cool accomplishment, but the latter is THE accomplishment.

His consistent dominance with the Rangers is what laid the red carpet for his eventual MLB Hall of Fame induction. He’s not eligible for five years; however, Beltre should make it on the first ballot when he becomes eligible.

That wasn’t a certainty even three seasons ago. He’s been on the Hall of Fame radar for quite some time, but it wasn’t until he recorded his 3,000th career hit that an induction seemed inevitable. We all know how much Hall of Fame voters like round numbers and exclusive clubs.

There are 32 members of the 3,000 hit club. Of the 32 members, 25 are already in the Hall. Beltre, Ichiro Suzuki, Albert Pujols and Derek Jeter will be inducted when they get the chance. Alex Rodriguez, Rafael Palmeiro and Pete Rose are the remaining three. Rodriguez’s bid will likely be ruined by steroids, Palmeiro’s has been ruined by steroids, and we’re all familiar with Rose’s story.

Adrian Beltre led a completely uncontroversial career. Couple that with incredible statistics across the board and we know what a no doubt Hall of Famer looks like.

Five years from now, we’ll be covering his induction into the MLB HOF. For now, however, let’s appreciate the soon-to-be fifth member of the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame. Come June, Beltre’s #29 will join #34 (Nolan Ryan), #26 (Johnny Oates), #7 (Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez), and #42 (Jackie Robinson) in the left field stands at Globe Life Park.