Adrian Beltre Retires
After a brilliant career that spanned parts of 21 seasons, Adrian Beltre announced today that he is retiring from baseball. Via a Rangers press release, Beltre has issued the following statement:
After careful consideration and many sleepless nights, I have made the decision to retire from what I’ve been doing my whole life, which is playing baseball, the game I love.
I have thought about it a lot and although I appreciate all the opportunities and everything that baseball has given me, it’s time to call it a career. I have enjoyed the privilege of playing professional baseball since I was 15 years old. I have been blessed to have played 21 seasons at the highest level in Major League Baseball.
I want to thank God, my amazing wife Sandra for your unwavering and unconditional love, support and understanding throughout my entire baseball career, my three awesome children, Cassie, A.J and Camila for being the best baseball kids, my parents, and my entire family for all your love and support.
I also want to thank my agents, Scott Boras, Mike Fiore and the entire Boras Corp. for always believing in my talent. A huge THANK YOU goes to the numerous teammates, managers, coaches, and staff members from the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox and especially the Texas Rangers. These past eight seasons playing in a Rangers’ uniform have been the best of my career and were made possible thanks to Rangers’ owners Ray Davis, Bob Simpson, and Neil Leibman, General Manager Jon Daniels, Nolan Ryan, and the late Don Welke.
I also owe a huge part of my success in Texas to the amazing Rangers’ fans. You guys are the best!
I also have to acknowledge and thank Tommy Lasorda for believing in this young kid from the Dominican Republic when others thought I was too young to be called up to the Big Leagues.
To all my fans in the Dominican Republic, the United States and Latin America, my sincerest THANK YOU for your continuous support throughout my career. While I will forever cherish the memories from my time playing the greatest game on earth, I am excited to become a fulltime husband and father, and I am ready to take on the next chapter of my life.
It’s been one hell of a ride!
Muchas gracias,
Adrian Beltre
The march to Cooperstown now begins in earnest for Beltre, one of the greatest third basemen to ever play the game. Signed by the Dodgers out of Santo Domingo in 1994, Beltre debuted in the Majors as a 19-year-old just four years later and never looked back. While his first season didn’t yield quality results, Beltre improved greatly in his age-20 campaign and cemented himself as a star in the years to follow. Beltre ultimately accrued more than 20 years of Major League service time, spending at least five years with each of the Dodgers, Mariners and Rangers (in addition to one year with the Red Sox in 2010).
Already a highly regarded player in the first half of his career, Beltre is the rare player who actually improved with his age. While most players begin to fade in their early to mid-30s, Beltre seemingly won a staredown with Father Time. Incredibly, he’d never made an All-Star team prior to his 31st birthday, but he was named to four Midsummer Classic rosters over the final nine seasons of his career. After hitting a combined .270/.325/.453 with superlative defense from 1998-2009, Beltre exploded to hit .307/.358/.514 from 2010-18. Along that remarkable 21-year journey, his glovework scarcely deteriorated, making him one of the best all-around players in the game for the better part of two decades.
Beltre will retire as a career .286/.339/.480 hitter, with 477 home runs, 636 doubles, 38 triples and 121 stolen bases on his resume. He totaled 3166 hits as a Major Leaguer, scored 1524 runs and knocked in another 1707 runs. In addition to his four All-Star nods — which, in retrospect, was far too few — Beltre won four Silver Sluggers, five Gold Gloves and a pair of Platinum Gloves. Even that considerable amount of hardware feels light — particularly on the Gold Glove front, as Beltre is the runaway all-time leader in Defensive Runs Saved at any position since the stat was introduced in 2003. No one is even close to Beltre’s towering mark of 222, with Andrelton Simmons‘ 184 DRS currently sitting in a distant second place.
Beltre earned $219MM in one of the greatest careers we baseball fans will ever have the privilege to witness. Fangraphs tallies his career at 84 wins above replacement, while Baseball-Reference pegs him at a whopping 95.7 WAR. As surefire a Hall of Famer as one can find, Beltre will take his place among the game’s elite in five years once he’s eligible for the Hall of Fame ballot.
Rangers Could Trade Mike Minor
- Even though the Rangers’ rotation is perilously thin, the rebuilding club would likely trade its top starter, left-hander Mike Minor, for the right offer, Rosenthal suggests. Minor’s drawing interest on the heels of his first season in Texas, which signed him to a three-year, $28MM guarantee last December. When he joined the Rangers, Minor was coming off an excellent season as a full-time reliever for the Royals, but he returned to a starting role in 2018 and posted a 4.18 ERA/4.43 FIP with 7.57 K/9 and 2.18 BB/9 over 157 innings (28 starts). Minor has an affordable $19MM left on his contract, though his 10-team no-trade clause could block some prospective suitors from acquiring him.
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Coaching Notes: Rangers, Twins, Rockies, Jays, Phillies
Many teams are putting the finishing touches on their coaching staffs, though there are still some openings. Here are the latest moves:
- The Rangers announced that they have hired Julio Rangel as their new pitching coach. He’ll come over from the Giants organization, where he had served as the minor-league pitching coordinator. The 43-year-old Rangel also spent 11 years in the Indians system but has never previously worked at the MLB level as a player or coach.
- Rounding out their staff under new skipper Rocco Baldelli, the Twins announced the additions of third-base coach Tony Diaz and first-base coach Tommy Watkins. The 31-year-old Diaz comes over from the Rockies, while Watkins is moving up from a minor-league managerial role in the Minnesota system. Yesterday, the club finalized deals with its coaches dedicated to pitching.
- Also departing the Rockies will be hitting coach Duane Espy, the club announced. It’s not clear what the team’s plans are in this area. For the time being, at least, assistant hitting coach Jeff Salazar is evidently remaining in his role.
- The Blue Jays will hire Guillermo Martinez to become their new hitting coach, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports. Martinez is just 34 years of age, but obviously made quite an impression in his first year as minor-league hitting coordinator in Toronto. He played professionally but never reached the majors. Previously, Martinez coached in the minors with the Jays and Cubs.
- To complete their staff, the Phillies announced, they’ll install Dave Lundquist as assistant pitching coach. He was most recently the organization’s Triple-A pitching coach, so this was a natural profession. The former big leaguer has worked his way up the chain in the Philadelphia organization since landing there in 2008.
Rangers Announce Five Members Of Coaching Staff
The Rangers announced five members of their 2019 coaching staff Wednesday, including the hiring of Dodgers assistant hitting coach Luis Ortiz as their new hitting coach. In addition, Texas announced that bench coach Don Wakamatsu and third base coach Tony Beasley are returning to the staff in those roles next season. Bullpen coach Hector Ortiz will move to the role of first base coach, while 2018 first base coach Steve Buechele has been named a special assistant in the baseball operations department. Jayce Tingler, meanwhile, will return for a second stint with the coaching staff as the player development field coordinator.
Luis Ortiz, 48, served on the Dodgers’ coaching staff under newly hired manager Chris Woodward this past season. The new role with the Rangers represents a homecoming of sorts. While he’s not a native of Texas — Ortiz was born in the Dominican Republic — he began his coaching career in the Rangers system and spent the 2008-12 seasons as a hitting instructor/coordinator for the organization. Since that time, he’s been a field coordinator and hitting coordinator with the Padres and spent another two seasons as an assistant field coordinator in the Indians organization.
Tingler previously served as an outfield/baserunning coach in 2015-16 before spending the 2017-18 seasons as an assistant GM in the front office. He was a popular managerial candidate this offseason and connected to multiple vacancies, though he clearly remained with the Rangers organization. He has eight years of minor league managerial experience under his belt — all in the Rangers system.
The remaining decisions for the Rangers all center on the pitching side of the equation. With Hector Ortiz moving to first base coach, they’ll need to add a new bullpen coach. Texas also formally announced what was reported earlier this week by MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan — that pitching coach Doug Brocail will not have his contract renewed. Beyond that, the Rangers also announced that assistant pitching coach Dan Warthen will not be asked back for the 2019 season, either. Those decisions “will be announced in the near future,” per tonight’s release.
Rangers Part Ways With Pitching Coach Doug Brocail
The Rangers have decided not to bring back pitching coach Doug Brocail, per TR Sullivan of MLB.com (via Twitter). The Texas organization has been evaluating its staff to serve with new manager Chris Woodward.
Brocail had been in his post for three seasons. The long-time MLB hurler took over for Mike Maddux after the 2015 campaign. Before that, he had worked in the Astros organization as a pitching coach at the MLB level and on the farm.
Rangers Seeking Primary Catcher
- The Rangers elected to decline catcher Robinson Chirinos‘ option for 2019 because of both the salary they’d have owed him ($4.5MM) and his defensive woes, according to Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telegram. Chirinos was one of the majors’ worst defensive catchers in 2018, but it was still a surprise that Texas let him become a free agent. After all, the 34-year-old did offer solid offensive production for the fifth straight season, hitting .222/.338/.419 (103 wRC+) with 18 home runs in 426 plate appearances, and exercising his option hardly would’ve broken the bank. Further, the Rangers don’t seem to have a full-time replacement on hand, as they’re not of the belief either Jose Trevino or Isiah Kiner-Falefa is ready for No. 1 duties, per Wilson. Texas is in the market for a primary backstop as a result, and though there are several established veterans on the open market, Wilson suggests Chirinos’ successor could arrive via trade.
AL West Notes: Correa, A’s, Beltre
Astros shortstop Carlos Correa announced today at a team benefit that he underwent surgery to repair a deviated septum last Monday. The nasal affliction, said the 24-year-old, was inhibiting his ability to breathe normally, especially when running the bases. Arguably the centerpiece of the team’s 2017 championship run, the former #1 overall pick slumped to a career-worst .239/.323/.405 games last season. He especially struggled in the season’s second half, posting a putrid 45 wRC+ and 24% hard contact rate over 133 PA following a return from the DL after a bout of lower back soreness. During multiple gatherings with the reporters on a crusty Minute Maid Park surface, the former Rookie of the Year made no effort to draw a nexus between the respiratory issues and his poor performance, but did note that he doesn’t expect to have surgery to address the lower-back ailment, with the Houston Chronicle’s Brian T. Smith tweeting that the shortstop is “doing well” right now.
In other news from around the division . . .
- On the heels of a wildly successful 2018 season, the A’s have announced changes to the team’s player development program, reports The Athletic’s Melissa Lockard. The club, apparently, is piggybacking on recent trends in the rookie-level Arizona League, where select teams – namely, the Padres, Indians, Cubs, and Giants – have added a second ‘affiliate’ to compete in the league. In this case, it seems the move is an effort to acclimate newly-signed international players to the American way of life (and professional baseball in the country) at a far more rapid rate than in the past. Eddie Menchaca, who managed the lone AZL affiliate for the club last year, will reprise his role as manager for one of the teams, in addition to fulfilling his newly-appointed duties as Latin American player development supervisor. The club’s farm, responsible in no small part for the team’s periodic, oft-unforeseen success over the last two decades, is ranked middle-of-the-pack in Baseball America’s latest update.
- Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News cites a source “close” to Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre in declaring that a decision on the 39-year-old’s future could come “within a week or so.” Beltre, of course, is deeply contemplating retirement, with a recent report by FanCred’s Jon Heyman noting that “the belief” is that the 21-year-veteran is leaning in that direction. If he is to return, Beltre seems to have given conflicting directives in the way of his future, with Grant noting that the Ranger dignitary “would like” to return to Texas but is most interested in playing for a contending team, of which category the 2019 Rangers are decidedly unlikely to fall into. The article, which details possible positional alignments for the 2019 club, in addition to revelatory quotes from GM Jon Daniels, is well worth a full read for Ranger fans of all sorts.
Hamels Trade Prompts Rangers' Reassessment Of Analytics Department
- Cole Hamels‘ success after being acquired by the Cubs has helped push the Rangers to re-evaluate their analytical practices, writes Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. General manager Jon Daniels acknowledged that he talked to Hamels himself about the post-trade improvements and explained to Wilson that the organization will make some additions to get back up to speed in terms of data utilization. “There’s probably five or eight clubs that are ahead of the rest of the industry in certain areas,” said Daniels. “We’ve been in that group before, and we are in certain areas, but on the R&D side we’re not. That’s an area we’re going to look to improve.” As Wilson points out, it’s perhaps no surprise that the Rangers’ two biggest hires of the offseason — manager Chris Woodward and assistant general manager Shiraz Rehman — came from industry leaders in that regard. Woodward was the Dodgers’ third base coach, while Rehman was plucked from the Cubs’ front office.
Rangers Agree To Minor League Deal With Jett Bandy
The Rangers have agreed to a minor league pact with catcher Jett Bandy, reports Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News. He’ll add a bit of catching depth to the Texas system after the Rangers’ surprising decision to move on from catcher Robinson Chirinos.
Bandy, 28, has spent the past two seasons in the Brewers organization after Milwaukee acquired him in the trade that sent Martin Maldonado to the Angels. Bandy, a former 31st-round pick, was with the Halos for the entirety of his career prior to that swap.
Bandy showed some decent pop in his limited big league time with the Angels, swatting nine homers and nine doubles through his first 233 big league plate appearances in 2015-16. That came on the heels of a solid .291/.347/.466 showing through 344 Triple-A appearances in 2015 (albeit in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League), so it’s understandable how the Brewers would’ve been optimistic that he could hit enough to hold down a roster spot. That, however, simply didn’t happen with the Brewers. Bandy’s two seasons in Milwaukee were disappointing, as he struggled to a .202/.282/.326 batting line through 259 trips to the plate.
To his credit, Bandy has thrown out 31 of 98 runners who’ve attempted to steal on him in the Majors (32 percent), though Baseball Prospectus also gave him slightly below-average marks in terms of pitch blocking and framing during his time with the Brewers.
With Chirinos no longer in the fold, the Rangers are severely lacking in catching options, so it’s natural to see them add some depth. Jose Trevino, who has all of eight MLB plate appearances and hit .234/.284/.332 with Double-A Frisco last season, sits atop the catching depth chart alongside Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who spent more time as an infielder than a catcher in the bigs last season. Texas will likely add further catching depth throughout the winter.
Don Wakamatsu Will Return In 2019
- Don Wakamatsu, who spent the 2018 season as the Rangers‘ bench coach before assuming the role of interim manager late in the season, will return to the organization in 2019, tweets T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. Wakamatsu interviewed for the managerial opening that eventually went to Dodgers third base coach Chris Woodward, but he’ll return to the 2019 staff despite being passed over for the job in the end.