Adrián Beltré
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| Image:AdrianBeltreCloseup.jpg |
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|---|---|
| Seattle Mariners — No. 29 | |
| Third base | Born: April 7 1979 |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Major League Baseball debut | |
| June 24, 1998 for the Los Angeles Dodgers | Selected MLB statistics (through 2007) |
| Batting Average | .271 |
| Home Runs | 217 |
| Runs Batted In | 785 |
| Teams | |
| |
Adrián Beltré Pérez (born April 7, 1979 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) is a Major League Baseball third baseman who plays for the Seattle Mariners. Previously, he played for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1998-2004). He bats and throws right-handed.
He was signed out of the Dominican Republic by the Dodgers in 1994. Adrian attended Liceo Maximo Gomez High School, where he developed into one of the school’s top players. In 1994, while working out at Campo Las Palmas, the Los Angeles Dodgers facility, he was spotted by scouts Ralph Avila and Pablo Peguero. Though only 15 and weighing just 130 pounds, he had a lightning-quick swing and electric throwing arm. On the insistence of Avila and Peguero, the Dodgers signed Adrian in July. He received a $23,000 bonus. When it was revealed that Beltre has signed his initial contract at the age of 15, commissioner Bud Selig suspended the Dodgers' scouting operations in the Dominican Republic for a year, due to the fact that signing a player at that age was prevented under MLB rules.[1]
Beltré debuted with the Dodgers in the 1998 season at age 19.
At third base, Beltré has a strong and secure arm, and has shown good ability at handling slow rollers.[citation needed]
Contents |
[edit] Major league career
[edit] 2004
Beltré enjoyed his best season in 2004, with career highs in batting average (.334), RBI (121), runs (104), hits (200), doubles (32), on base percentage (.388), slugging average (.629), OPS (1,017), total bases (376), and 48 home runs, which led the league. He won the Silver Slugger Award, and finished second in the National League MVP voting, just behind Barry Bonds.
[edit] 2005
Beltré was signed by the Mariners as a free agent before the 2005 season to a five-year, $64 million deal; however, he has not brought the offensive presence to the Mariners lineup they had expected. Regressing to his pre-2004 form, he batted just .255 with 19 home runs and 87 RBI. Manager Mike Hargrove did not give up hope in him, saying, "I think it's a season that, personally, he's disappointed in. I think it was a year that he will [improve on] the longer he's here and the longer he's in the American League."
[edit] 2006
2006 was, likewise, a disappointment for Beltré and led some to suspect that he had used steroids in his contract year of 2004, or at least had ramped up his production in order to be considered for a heftier contract.[2] Beltré, in an interview for the Seattle Times, denied his dropoff in 2006 to have anything to do with steroids.[3] After batting .167 through April 10, Ted Miller of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer suggested that Beltré may become one of the Mariners' greatest busts.[4] By June 5, 2006, Beltré's batting average was slowly improving, from .109 in April 16 to .236 at that time. After hitting his first home run in April, and his second later that month, Beltré improved his hitting, getting more hits in ballgames, most notably doubles. He also hit two home runs in the first five days of June, good signs for Beltré as well as the Mariners. Beltre homered twice on the last day of the 2006 season to end up with a batting average of .268, 25 home runs and 89 RBI.
On July 23, 2006 against the Boston Red Sox, Beltré hit a inside-the-park home run, the first one ever in Safeco Field history.
[edit] 2007
Starting in the 2007 season, whenever Beltré was at bat, he would appeal to the first base umpire on check swings. Usually only the pitcher, catcher or home plate umpire does this since it can be a strike.
Defense; Gold Glove. The 2007 season wasn't one of Beltré's better defensive years statistically.[1] In 2007, he tied with Brandon Inge for the AL lead in errors by a third baseman, with 18, but Beltré ranked second in the league in assists, total chances, and range factor. He also had the lowest fielding percentage of all third basemen in the league, .958.[2] Beltré was awarded the Gold Glove award.
[edit] Gallery
AdrianBeltreSwinging.jpg
Beltré swinging at a pitch |
AdrianBeltreThrowing.jpg
Beltré throwing |
Beltre1.JPG
Adrian Beltré at the plate. |
[edit] References
- ^ Dayn Perry, "Do Players Perform Better in Contract Years?", Baseball Between the Numbers: Why Everything You Know About the Game is Wrong, (New York, NY, Basic Books and Baseball Prospectus, 2005), p. 200-01.
- ^ Perry, p. 200.
- ^ Finnigan, Bob (2006-06-02). Beltre's power shortage prompts steroid suspicions. The Seattle Times. Retrieved on 2007-04-08.
- ^ Miller, Ted (2006-04-10). Beltre on brink of being a bust. SeattlePI.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-08.
[edit] See also
- Top 500 home run hitters of all time
- List of players from Dominican Republic in Major League Baseball
- List of Major League Baseball home run champions
- Los Angeles Dodgers all-time roster
[edit] External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
| Preceded by Andruw Jones | Youngest Player in the National League 1998 | Succeeded by Rick Ankiel |
| Preceded by Barry Bonds | National League Player of the Month September, 2004 | Succeeded by Derrek Lee |
| Preceded by Jim Thome | National League Home Run Champion 2004 | Succeeded by Andruw Jones |
Seattle Mariners current roster |
|---|
2 Kenji Johjima |
3 José Vidro |
4 José López |
5 Yuniesky Betancourt |
7 Jeremy Reed |
9 Jeff Clement |
10 Adam Jones |
12 Mike Morse |
15 Jamie Burke |
16 Willie Bloomquist |
18 Ryan Rowland-Smith |
20 J. J. Putz |
25 Charlton Jimerson |
26 Horacio Ramírez |
28 Raúl Ibáñez |
29 Adrián Beltré |
31 Ryan Feierabend |
32 Rob Johnson |
34 Félix Hernández |
35 Brandon Morrow |
43 Miguel Batista |
44 Richie Sexson |
46 Sean White |
50 Wladimir Balentien |
51 Ichiro Suzuki |
52 George Sherrill |
54 Sean Green |
56 Jarrod Washburn |
57 Mark Lowe |
58 Cha Seung Baek |
59 Eric O'Flaherty |
60 Jon Huber |
62 César Jiménez |
69 Bryan LaHair |
-- Yung Chi Chen |
-- R. A. Dickey |
-- Carlos Silva |
-- Joseph Woerman | Coaching Staff: Manager 8 John McLaren | Bench Coach -- Jim Riggleman | 1st Base Coach -- Eddie Rodriguez | 3rd Base Coach -- Sam Perlozzo | Hitting Coach 45 Jeff Pentland | Pitching Coach -- Mel Stottlemyre | Bullpen Coach -- Norm Charlton | |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Adrián Beltré |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Adrián Beltré Pérez |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Major League Baseball player. |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 7, 1979 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
ja:エイドリアン・ベルトレ
Categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since July 2007 | 1979 births | Dominican Republic baseball players | Living people | Los Angeles Dodgers players | Seattle Mariners players | Major league third basemen | Gold Glove Award winners | National League home run champions
