ADRIAN BELTRE SPEECH
Commissioner John “Stray” Corrado’s Introduction Speech for Adrian Beltre:
Born April 7, 1979, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Played 21 seasons (1999-2019)
1999 Severn Express; 2000-02 Kentucky Headhunters; 2003-04 Toledo Wildcats; 2004 Fire Lake Dragons; 2005 Roseville Thorns; 2005-09 Tijuana Bottle Rockets; 2010 Jacksonville Fliers; 2011-19 Tempe Tempers; Sacramento Capitals
Career Stats: 10,201 AB, 2623 Games, .267 Avg., .320 OBP, .457 SLG, .777 OPS, 2720 Hits, 1380 Runs, 430 HR, 1617 RBI, 598 Doubles, 4660 TB, 785 BB, 1686 K, 91 SB, .969 Fielding %, 4416 Assists, 1586 PO, 312 DP
One thing you can say about Adrian Beltre: His teams win! In a 21-year career, he went to the postseason 13 times! And his teams won five World Series (2002 Kentucky, 2013-15, and 2017 Tempe). Beltre was a big contributor to all that winning. He had nine home runs and 33 RBI in the postseason.
Another thing you can say about him is “Don’t hit it to Adrian Beltre!” He won the Gold Glove Award five times (2009, 2012-13, 2015, 2017). He had quick reflexes and a rifle for a throwing arm, which made him one of the premier defensive players at the hot corner. I don’t know if we’ve ever had a better defensive Hall of Fame class than we have this year.
Beltre wielded a feared and thunderous bat in the middle of many a potent lineup. While he didn’t show up on too many seasonal leader lists (although he led the league in doubles in 2011 with 52), a look at the career leader board shows off the damage he could do. He is second in career Games (2623), third in At-bats (10,201) and Doubles (598), fourth in Total Bases (4660) and RBI (1617), sixth in Hits (2720), 11th in HR (430), and 12th in Runs (1380). He was a four-time All-Star, earning the starting nod twice.
Adrian Beltre was a beast in the middle of the lineup, and a rally-killer on defense, but mostly he was a winning ballplayer. Just don’t touch his head! It gives me great pleasure to introduce the newest inductee to the MWBL Hall of Fame, Adrian Beltre!
Adrian Beltre Speech:
*Commissioner Stray Corrado feigns to gesture toward Beltre’s head*
*Beltre smiles & wags a finger at the Commissioner as he steps to the podium*
Thank you, Mr. Commissioner, for that kind introduction. Thank you also to the people who have come to help me, and all of us, celebrate this special day. It is especially gratifying to be sharing this day with my fellow inductees, CC Sabathia, Felix Hernandez, Ichiro, Carlos Beltran, and Bill Schindel. Congratulations to you all!
Thank you to all my friends and family, who have helped me attain this honor, and have been with me on my journey. My parents, and especially my beautiful wife Sandra, and my daughters. They have given me strength and the will to excel.
It has been an honor and a thrill just to put on the uniform every day and get to go out and perform with and against the best, this league has to offer. It has been a challenge, and it hasn’t always been easy. But hard work and the support of my teammates have always seen me through. I’d like to thank my teammates, and opponents for always pushing me to be my best, and for supporting me. I hope I have also been a good teammate, as I’ve always tried to help those coming up, especially if they could help us win!
Winning has always been the main goal. Any individual accomplishments have always been in the service of that. I am proud that I played on 13 teams that made the playoffs, but I’m most proud of the fact that I have five World Series rings. That’s what everyone plays for. I must take a minute to acknowledge Tempers owner Chris Douglass, who put together those four title-winning Tempe teams. When you win one young, like I did in 2002 with Kentucky, you think that’s just the way of things. But even though it took a while to get back, everyone was special.
I took a lot of pride in all facets of my game because they are all important for winning. I guess I was known for my defense, and that makes me feel good because that is a part of the game that takes a lot of hard work. It isn’t always fun, but it pays off if you dedicate yourself to it.
I hope that my career has served as an inspiration for people to follow their goals and work toward them. Thank you all again for this honor!