Beltré grateful for Sox, atop Hall class with Helton, Mauer
Adrián Beltré was an accomplished player when he joined the Red Sox on a one-year contract for the 2010 season. A future Hall of Famer? That didn’t seem likely.
The surehanded third baseman was a dangerous hitter who underachieved at the plate the previous five seasons with the Seattle Mariners. Beltré revitalized his career in Boston, making the All-Star team for the first time and entertaining Sox fans with his all-out style of play and playful demeanor.
A brilliant eight-year run with the Texas Rangers followed, and on Tuesday, Beltré rounded the bases to Cooperstown on the first ballot with 95.1 percent of the vote.
A career that included 3,166 hits, 477 home runs, and five Gold Gloves made him an easy choice. Beltré received 366 of the 385 votes cast by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
“This was something I never even dreamed of,” Beltré said.
Two cornerstone players for their respective franchises — Rockies first baseman Todd Helton and Twins catcher Joe Mauer — also were elected.
Helton, in his sixth year on the ballot, received 79.7 percent. Mauer was a first-ballot choice with 76.1 percent, finishing four votes above the 75 percent line needed for induction.
The three players will join with longtime manager Jim Leyland, elected by one of the Hall’s era committees in December, on July 21.
Billy Wagner came agonizingly close with 73.8 percent, five votes short of induction. In his final year on the ballot, Gary Sheffield landed 63.9 percent.
David Ortiz, Beltré’s former teammate and a fellow Hall of Famer, welcomed the news.
“That guy was the full package,” he said. “He’s like a brother to me. I’m more than happy.”
The Red Sox signed Beltré to a one-year, $9 million contract designed to give him the opportunity to rebuild his value after a poor 2009 season. It was dubbed a “pillow contract” by agent Scott Boras — a place for Beltré to rest his head for a year.
“I had a tough year the year before with injuries and didn’t play well,” Beltré said. “I had different offers, multiyear offers. I thought what I did the year before wasn’t me.
“Once I got the offer from Boston, I understood I had a clean chance to show, if I’m healthy, what I can do. Knowing Boston has a great fan base and is on the east coast and has such a history, it helped my career, too. I’m grateful for that opportunity. Boston was another team that put me on the map.”
It worked magnificently for both sides. Beltré hit .321 with a .919 OPS, 28 homers, 102 RBIs, and a league-leading 49 doubles. The Sox won 89 games, but missed the postseason.
Beyond the statistics, Beltré played with a crowd-pleasing flair. His big swing occasionally resulted in home runs hit off one knee, and he engaged in playful jousts with teammates Victor Martinez and Marco Scutaro if they dared pat him on the head. He also quickly gained the respect of manager Terry Francona by fighting any suggestion to take a day off.
Beltré was hoping to stay in Boston, but general manager Theo Epstein instead traded for Padres All-Star first baseman Adrián González and moved Kevin Youkilis across the diamond to third.
Beltré went on to stardom in Texas. González had a strong 2011 season, then was traded to the Dodgers late in the 2012 season. Youkilis had a similar fate, playing well in 2011 before being traded to the White Sox in June 2012.
Beltré is the 10th player elected to the Hall of Fame who spent one or part of one season with the Sox. That group includes Orlando Cepeda, Rickey Henderson, Juan Marichal, Tom Seaver, and John Smoltz.
The next one could be Wagner. The lefthanded reliever, who appeared in 17 games (including two in the postseason) for the Sox in 2009, continued to get closer to Cooperstown after debuting on the ballot with 10.5 percent of the votes in 2016.
Next year will be his final chance on the BBWAA ballot.
Mauer grew up in St. Paul, was taken by the Twins with the first pick of the 2001 draft, and went on to play 15 years in the majors. The catcher won three batting titles and was a six-time All-Star.
“It’s been a whirlwind of emotion,” Mauer said. “I was excited and anxious to get the results.”
Mauer joined Johnny Bench and Iván Rodriguez as the only catchers elected on the first ballot.
Helton, who had 72.2 percent last season, overcame the stigma that his impressive statistics were a product of hitter-friendly Coors Field.
“You don’t get to pick where you play,” said Helton, who was a firstround pick of the Rockies in 1995.
Four other former Sox players — González, Martinez, Bartolo Colón, and Brandon Phillips — all received fewer than two percent in what proved to be their only time on the ballot.
Manny Ramírez, who failed multiple tests for performance enhancing drugs, dropped from 33.2 percent to 32.5. He has two more chances, but seemingly little hope. The same is true for notorious drug cheat Alex Rodriguez, who received 34.8 percent.
Beltré and Mauer joined Ortiz (2022) and Derek Jeter (2020) as the most recent first-ballot choices. On deck: the sublime Ichiro Suzuki, who makes his ballot debut next year.