When the Rangers take the field this afternoon against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Adrian Beltre will be right there with them, in a Rangers uniform, making his Texas debut.
He broke into the league with the Dodgers as a 19-year-old and now, as a 31-year-old, he'll make his debut with the Rangers after dealing with a calf strain that's been plaguing him all spring.
Beltre has had a history of injury problems in the past, but the calf strain isn't all too concerning.
Brought in to be a full-time third baseman/clean-up hitter, Beltre is being counted on heavily after the second-best season of his career last year in Boston when he hit .321 with 28 home runs and 102 RBIs, in a contract year.
His best season? Yeah ... that was also a contract year. In 2004, Beltre hit 48 bombs with 121 RBIs for the Dodgers before getting big money to go to Seattle, where he hung around the 80-RBI and 20-home run mark for four seasons before missing much of 2009 with an injury before heading off to Boston last year on a one-year deal.
Beltre will likely be working pretty lightly for the next few days, but it's important for him to get into a groove at the plate and most importantly, play injury free defense at third base, where he is a gold glove caliber guy when healthy.
For Beltre, his Rangers career starts today. The Rangers just hope it doesn't get put on hold yet again.
