Trio of Rangers legends to serve as All-Star Ambassadors

We’re fast approaching the 94th Midsummer Classic, which takes place on July 16 at Globe Life Field in Arlington. But before the first pitch is thrown in the 2024 MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard, there will be several days of festivities leading up to the marquee event.

There will also be some familiar -- and legendary -- faces taking part in those festivities, including three All-Star Ambassadors announced by MLB and the Rangers on Thursday: Hall of Fame third baseman Adrian Beltré, Hall of Fame catcher Ivan “Pudge” Rodríguez and Rangers Hall of Fame infielder Michael Young.

"Seeing [my] old teammates will be great," Beltré said Thursday. "I've seen a bunch of them lately, but seeing them all together will be fun. Sharing the clubhouse with them, going back to stories of when we played together and just fooling around a little bit."

Fans will have multiple opportunities to meet these Texas baseball legends, each of whom has had his number retired by the club. As Beltré, Rodríguez and Young promote events taking place during All-Star Week from July 10-16, they will welcome visitors from around the world to North Texas for the first MLB All-Star Game there in 29 years.

Fans will have a chance to see the trio of Rangers greats at the Capital One All-Star Village and on All-Star Saturday.

"The fans have always been great," Beltré said. "It's fun to interact with the fans -- they've been such great fans for me and my family. … There's nothing bad that I can say about Rangers fans. They've always been good, supportive and I always enjoy being around them."

Beltré played for the Rangers from 2011-18, earning three All-Star selections, three Gold Glove Awards at third base and two Silver Slugger Awards over that span. Of his 477 career home runs, 199 came in a Texas uniform. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and will be inducted into Cooperstown on July 21, the week after the All-Star Game.

"It's going to be kind of crazy," Beltré said. "I am looking forward to going back to Dallas and to Texas and being part of this elite group of Rangers, to be part of this Futures Game and be part of the whole celebration of All-Star Weekend. And then right after that, we're flying to [Cooperstown]. It's going to be interesting, because it's a lot of things going on at the same time. But it's kind of helped me not think too much about what's coming up [with the Hall of Fame]."

It will be a whirlwind of a month -- from the All-Star Game in Texas to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

"I'm looking forward to it," Beltré said. "I know how loyal the Rangers fans have been, and I'm going to try to enjoy every moment of it."

Beltré has been working on his Hall of Fame induction speech -- the one thing that can make even one of the greatest third basemen of his generation nervous. After that, he can relax.

"I want to enjoy all this, the next couple of weeks coming up, and then I do want to sit down and understand what is going to happen on July 21," Beltré said. "The only thing holding me back is the speech. I'm not comfortable doing a public speech -- I'm not fully grasping the whole situation, how it's going be. Hopefully everything goes fine, and after that I'll be able to actually enjoy it, and sit down and listen to some of the other speeches. But it's a huge deal for me. It's a great accomplishment that I never expected to have."

Rodríguez entered the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2017. He was a 14-time All-Star, a 13-time Gold Glove Award winner behind the plate, a seven-time Silver Slugger Award winner and the 1999 AL MVP with the Rangers. He played for Texas from 1991-2002, and again in ’09.

Young was a seven-time All-Star while playing for the Rangers from 2000-12. He won the 2005 AL batting title by hitting .331. He led the Majors in hits twice, in ’05 and ’11. He helped the Rangers make back-to-back World Series appearances in 2010 and ’11.

On Saturday, July 13, Rodríguez and Young will open MLB’s marquee fan festival, All-Star Village, inside Choctaw Stadium (formerly the Ballpark in Arlington/Globe Life Park, where the Rangers played from 1994-2020). They’ll be joined by local youth ballplayers and dignitaries.

"A lot of kids go around the Village to see the different players, and when they get to interact with players like Pudge and Michael and the legends in Texas, I think they have a great time doing that and meeting those players, hopefully getting a picture or autograph," Beltré said.

"For me, when I see a kid asking for a picture or autograph or just meeting me, and I see their faces, that's something that you can't compare to anything else. Because I was a kid. I was a kid that met players, and I know how that felt. … I always want to be there for those fans, those kids that want to meet me, that want a picture, want an autograph."

Following the opening ceremony, which will take place in the Capital One Play Ball Park section of All-Star Village, youth players from the Miracle League will play a game in the ballpark in which the Rangers used to play. The Miracle League provides children and young adults the opportunity to play baseball regardless of their abilities. The organization removes barriers that keep children with mental and physical disabilities off the field and allows them to experience playing as part of a team.

Also on Saturday, Beltré and Young will serve as managers for the 2024 MLB All-Star Futures Game at Globe Life Field, with Beltré leading the American League team and Young leading the National League squad.

"I'm looking forward to managing for the first time and seeing how that goes," Beltré said. "But it's going to be a cool experience."

On Sunday, July 14, Rodríguez and Beltré will participate in an exclusive panel discussion with fellow retired Latino baseball star Benji Gil at All-Star Village.

From July 12-15, Rodríguez and Young will also make appearances on behalf of Capital One, the official bank of MLB, at cardholder events in All-Star Village and a local Capital One Café. Rodríguez is also scheduled to make appearances on behalf of Mastercard, the preferred payment partner of MLB, where he’ll engage with exclusive groups of Mastercard cardholders.

Fans will also be able to see Beltré, Rodríguez and Young at additional events throughout MLB All-Star Week in North Texas. For tickets, visit AllStarGame.com. Tickets for All-Star Saturday include access to all three events taking place at Globe Life Field -- the All-Star Futures Game, MLB Futures Skills Showcase and the All-Star Celebrity Softball Game.

Fans can also visit AllStarGame.com for tickets to the HBCU Swingman Classic presented by T-Mobile at Globe Life Field on July 12, and for Capital One All-Star Village at Choctaw Stadium from July 13-16.

Beltré said he thinks MLB has done a great job celebrating baseball through all the events of All-Star Week.

"I never looked at it that way, when I was playing -- there's so much stuff going on around the All-Star Game that most players don't really realize," Beltré said. "It's cool for the fans to be able to enjoy different parts of the weekend. Me, now that I'm retired, when I go to these events of the All-Star Week, I get to see all the stuff that's going on -- it's really cool."