There aren't many bigger fan favorites in recent memory around DFW than Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre.
In case you're forgetting, he's awesome, he seems to always have fun playing the game and he plays through just about anything, always showing dedication to the team unlike guys who miss road trips because they drank too much Red Bull.
Turns out, he's also a pretty stellar human being away from the field and very generous with his money. That helped him become the first Rangers player to win the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award on Thursday. The award is presented by Phi Delta Theta, the fraternity in which Gehrig was a member at Columbia University.
The award was first given in 1955 and goes annually to the player that best exemplifies Gehrig's giving nature.
In case you're counting, Beltre has donated $500,000 to the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation since arriving in Texas prior to the 2011 season. He's also been a big supporter of the Texas Rangers RBI program in DFW, which supports youth baseball in the inner city.
He's also been a big supporter of his friends' and teammates' charities, including Michael Young's foundation that supports children with pediatric cancer, as well as Robinson Chirinos' foundation that assists in providing backpacks and school supplies to underprivileged kids in DFW.
Beltre will receive the award from the fraternity on Sept. 17 when the Rangers host the Houston Astros at Globe Life Park.
