Sounds fun!
- Was Adrian Beltre ever the best player in baseball, or a serious candidate for it?
No. This is a question few HOFers ever get a yes on - I mean, there aren’t 25 players in history you can firmly say yes to this question. It applies to Willie Mays, Ruth, Cobb, Schmidt, Bonds, DiMaggio, Wagner, Trout, a few others. Probably Oscar Charleston, and maybe Josh Gibson. It’s awfully useful because if the answer is yes, you’re 90% done.
- Was he the best player on his team?
At times. He was probably the best player the Rangers had for awhile, and for a few shining seasons he was the best player the Dodgers or Red Sox had.
- Was he the best player at his position?
In the early 2010s he was. His main competition in the AL was Evan Longoria and the NL had no one standout. He was better than Longoria, but in fairness Longoria was much better on “Desperate Housewives.”
- Did he have an impact on pennant races?
The 2004 Dodgers absolutely do not win the division or make the playoffs without Beltre. He also helped the Rangers win some division titles. I give him a yes.
- Was he good enough to play past his prime?
Yes, obviously. Hew was still a good ballplayer at age 39.
- Are most players with comparable stats in the Hall?
Yes. Of the ten most comparable players to Beltre, eight are in the Hall; only Rafael Palmiero and Carlos Beltran are not.
As with Rolen, honestly the comparables aren’t very comparable. The only one of the ten who played third base was George Brett, and their similarity score is 785, which honestly is not very similar; they had different skill sets. The most similar is Dave Winfield at 866, and Winfield was an outfielder.
- Is this player the best player ever who’s eligible for the Hall of Fame but not in? Best at his position?
Obviously he’s not Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens. This is an unfair question when they are out; if you discount them then maybe. He is certainly the best third baseman, until A-Rod is eligible.
- How did this player do in the postseason?
Beltre played okay in the postseason. No real credit here, no real debit.
- Is there some reason to think this player is better or worse than the statistics would suggest?
Beltre was one of the best defensive third baseman who ever lived. I mean, he was just a marvel to watch; he did EVERYTHING well. He could make errors (which most third basemen do) but he was quick to both sides, charged bunts and dribblers like no one’s business, covered miles of foul territory, and always had his head in the game. He was just sensational. I never saw Brooks Robinson and I’ll concede the metrics that say he was greater, but man, Beltre was something.
10 How did this player do in MVP voting?
Beltre was the runner-up to Barry Bonds in 2004, and I am serious when I say that despite Bonds’s .609 OBP, I would have voted for Beltre. He had five other top ten finishes. Generally pretty good.
- All Star games?
Beltre only made four All Star teams. It’s actually kind of weird. He did NOT make the All Star team in 2004, when he batted .334 with 48 home runs and was an amazing defensive infielder.
- If Adrian Beltre were the best player on his team could that team win a pennant?
It happened, so yes.
- Did Beltre uphold standards of sportsmanship? Did he have some special impact on baseball history, good or bad?
Like Rolen, he seemed like a good guy but has no special impact.
