Beltré a humble HOFer, but teammates 'all knew he was gonna be there'

ARLINGTON -- In the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s Baseball Hall of Fame announcement, Adrián Beltré’s wife and son were diligently watching the votes tracker.

Beltré admits he doesn’t like to be the center of attention. So despite it becoming more and more inevitable that he would receive a call from Cooperstown, it was the last thing on his mind until absolutely necessary.

“The votes showed that I had a pretty good chance,” Beltré said of waiting for the call. “It was easier for me to go and enjoy it and have family around because they told me it was looking good. But I just wanted to get it over with. I think that the waiting was a little uncomfortable for me. I'm glad and lucky and honored that I got that call yesterday, but it was a long day. It hasn't sunk in yet.”

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Beltré was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America vote in his first year on the ballot. His name appeared on 95.1% of the ballots, the 19th most in the history of the Hall.

But Beltré is still stunned his name will be in Cooperstown alongside guys like Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr., Iván Rodríguez and Pedro Martinez, to name a few.

“I'm honored and I'm humbled, because I don't see myself like those guys,” Beltré said. “I don't really belong, but I'm glad that people recognize what I did, and they thought that I was worthy of it. Still just thinking it just blows my mind.”

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No one but Beltré is shocked at the development, though.

A contingent of former teammates joined Beltré at Globe Life Field on Wednesday afternoon to celebrate his election into the Hall of Fame, all of them more than happy to sing his praises.

“I appreciate the fact that he was being really humble when he's talking to you guys because it gives us a chance to brag on him a little bit,” Michael Young said with a laugh.

“I played with him for eight years, so I knew back then that he was gonna be a Hall of Famer,” Elvis Andrus added. “I think he's being too humble right now. We all knew that he was gonna be there.”

Mike Adams, Robinson Chirinos, Shin-Soo Choo, Craig Gentry, Cole Hamels, Derek Holland, Ian Kinsler, David Murphy, Darren Oliver, Tanner Scheppers and Shawn Tolleson all joined Young and Andrus in the Globe Life Field media room, mingling and sharing stories of Beltré’s best years with the Rangers.

Young said it was during their first year together in 2011 that he truly realized that Beltré would be a Hall of Famer. They played against each other for years when Beltré was with the Mariners, but seeing his work day in and day out just proved to Young that the ceiling was high on both sides of the ball.

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Beltré insists this never crossed his mind.

“I never thought about this happening,” Beltré said. “I started playing the game because I love the game. I came through the Minor Leagues and then to the big leagues, I never saw myself as a Hall of Famer. I wanted to be good at the game and to enjoy what I did. I want to be respected. I want to be the best I could be, but I never thought about the Hall of Fame. That was not me. That's why I say I'm blown away. It will definitely sink in and I’ll enjoy it, because this is cool.”

Beltré’s statistics speak for themselves: 3,166 hits, 477 home runs, five Gold Gloves. But the joy and passion with which he played the game stand out most among all the accolades.

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It’s easy to have fun when you’re winning, Beltré said. And the entire Rangers team in the 2010s was doing just that. Beltré had an infectious energy on the field and in the clubhouse, from shenanigans with Andrus in the middle of pitching changes or pop-ups, to a friendly rivalry with Seattle ace Félix Hernández.

Andrus emphasized that Beltré is an even better person than he is a player. It showed on the field every day.

“I just love the game,” Beltré said. “I love baseball. And that's what I wanted when I was a little kid. I lost a little bit of that along the way, thinking that this is a business. I went through hard times and [in] Seattle [I] had some tough times that I didn't enjoy the game.

“When I got here, it was easier to do that with great guys, great teammates. I just started enjoying myself. I've always wanted to enjoy myself and not disrespect anybody. I hope I did it okay, but I was just … trying to be myself.”