Who is the ‘GOAT’ in Texas Rangers franchise history?

When it comes to sports, we always talk about and debate the “GOAT”, or Greatest of All Time. We can probably all agree that Tom Brady is the GOAT of American football and Michael Jordan of the NBA (or agree to disagree!), but what about in Texas Rangers history?

There are multiple candidates for this distinction, but at the end of the day, all of these legendary Rangers are well-deserving of the recognition they’ve received in their careers and all merit inclusion on a list of potential GOATs.

So let’s try to answer the question: who is the GOAT in Texas Rangers franchise history? Here are our candidates.

Who is the GOAT in Texas Rangers franchise history?

Adrian Beltre

Don’t touch his head!

Arguably the greatest infielder in club history, Adrian Beltre is on a fast track to the Hall of Fame. With his 3,000+ hits and sterling defensive reputation, as well as being a great man, Beltre had an amazing big league career.

Beltre was brought to Texas in 2011 to help reinforce the winning culture established after a World Series appearance in 2010. And he delivered in every way.

Between 2011 and his retirement in 2018, Beltre won three Gold Gloves, amassed an .865 OPS and 1,277 of his 3,166 career hits, in addition to an AL Pennant in his first year in Arlington. Oh, and his son seems pretty good, too.

The Rangers probably wouldn’t have been what they were had had it not been for Beltre’s steadying presence and his consistency. He was the player that brought it all together for Texas, even though the team had been to a World Series without him in 2010. He was icing on the cake, and in a great way.

Beltre’s No. 29 is one of just six retired numbers by the Rangers, which further attests to his greatness, and he was also inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame in 2021.