Beltré picks Rangers cap for Hall of Fame plaque

Adrian Beltré will go into the Hall of Fame as a Ranger.

Beltré has chosen the Rangers for the cap on his Cooperstown plaque, the Hall of Fame revealed Friday. He'll be the third player to bear the Rangers "T" on his plaque in the Hall, along with fellow franchise icons Nolan Ryan and Ivan Rodriguez.

Beltré starred for four different teams in his 21 MLB seasons, the Dodgers, Mariners, Red Sox and Rangers, but the defining years of his career came in Texas.

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"I am grateful for the time I spent with all of my teams during my career," Beltré said in a statement. "Looking back, I played more years in Texas than anywhere else and I believe my time with the Rangers represents the peak of my career, individually and from a team standpoint. But I could not have made this journey to Cooperstown without the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox, and their fans, and I am proud that each of the teams I played with will be listed on my Hall of Fame plaque."

Beltré played his final eight seasons with the Rangers from 2011-18. He was a three-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glover and two-time Silver Slugger with Texas, and he led the team to four postseason appearances, including a World Series appearance in 2011.

The great third baseman batted .304 over those eight seasons and collected 1,277 hits, 199 home runs and 699 RBIs -- more than he had with any other team. Beltré recorded his milestone 3,000th hit and 400th home run as a Ranger.

Beltré is the seventh third baseman to be elected into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot, along with Chipper Jones, Wade Boggs, Paul Molitor, George Brett, Mike Schmidt and Brooks Robinson. He received 95.1% of the vote, the highest percentage among the members of the Class of 2024, which also included Todd Helton and Joe Mauer.

Beltré's induction ceremony will be on Sunday, July 21 in Cooperstown.