By launching the 400th home run of his impressive career Friday, Adrian Beltre furthered, if not solidified, his understated but already strong Hall of Fame credentials.
The Texas Rangers lost 8-3 to the Cleveland Indians, but their third baseman became just the 52nd player ever to reach the 400-home run mark, putting him in some pretty impressive company. Next on the list? Hall of Famer Duke Snider with 407.
Beltre, a 36-year-old veteran of 18 big league seasons, is getting up there in age and has been around a long time, but he often has been overlooked as one of the best players of his generation—and one who has put together a resume worthy of Cooperstown.
For his career, Beltre is a .284/.336/.478 hitter. That might not seem especially Hall-worthy at first glance, but consider that it’s good for an OPS+ of 115, meaning he has been 15 percent better than league average on offense, once adjusted for era and ballparks.
Beltre also has 2,641 base hits, putting him just 359 shy of 3,000, a number he should reach before the end of the 2017 season, provided he remains healthy and active. With five more, he will tie Jimmie Foxx for 75th in history.
Of those knocks, 535 have been doubles, putting him one ahead of none other than Lou Gehrig for 37th-most all-time.
As for RBI? Beltre has 1,397 of those to date, tying him with Miguel Cabrera for 76th overall.
So just in terms of certain aspects of offense, Beltre occupies the same space as Snider, Foxx, Gehrig and Cabrera—three inner-circle Hall of Famers and one who will be five years after retirement. With a little more context, it’s clear Beltre has indeed put himself among some impressive company with his bat.
Just for fun, here’s another Hall of Fame name-dropping tidbit from Cody Stavenhagen of MLB.com:
Beltre … is also one of the greatest power-hitting third basemen in the history of baseball. Beltre is now one of only four players to spend at least 75 percent of his career at the hot corner and hit 400 homers.
The others?
Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt (548), Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews (512) and soon-to-be Hall of Famer Chipper Jones (468).
All of the above is remarkable, and yet none of it factors in arguably Beltre’s forte—his defense at the hot corner.
A superb glove man known for his athleticism, range, quick actions and elite arm, Beltre ranks 22nd in history in defensive wins above replacement (WAR), according to Baseball-Reference.com.
The same site puts Beltre at 78.6 career WAR, an all-encompassing metric that measures every aspect of baseball from offense to defense to baserunning. Beltre’s total ranks No. 40 among position players—ever.
FanGraphs has Beltre worth 71.0 career WAR, which puts him 47th all-time for position players.
On top of all that, Beltre has played in four All-Star Games, won as many Gold Gloves and finished in the top 10 in MVP voting—you guessed it—four times.
That said, Beltre did endure his share of struggles, many of which oddly came in the middle of his career.
Following his monstrous walk year in 2004—he established career highs with a .334 average, 48 homers and 121 RBI—with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the organization that signed him as a 16-year-old out of the Dominican Republic, Beltre landed a five-year, $64 million deal with the Seattle Mariners.
From there, what should have been his prime was swallowed by Safeco Field for five years. While he wasn’t at all bad with the Mariners, his career totals would be that much better right now if not for spending a handful of seasons in that pitcher’s paradise.
That was part of why Beltre, heading into his age-31 campaign in 2010 had to settle for a pillow contract with the Boston Red Sox for $10 million over just one season. A big bounce-back season put him back on the market a year later, which is how he signed his six-year, $96 million pact with the Rangers.
Speaking of the Rangers, manager Jeff Banister had this to say of Beltre, per Stavenhagen, after No. 400 was in the books Friday: “I believe he’s a Hall of Famer, no matter what the argument is on the other side.”
If you’re one of those on the other side who still has some doubts over Beltre’s Cooperstown credentials, know that the Rangers already picked up his club option for 2016 during spring training this past February. That gives him a season and three-quarters—at least—to rack up some more statistics.
And bolster his case for the Hall of Fame even further.
Statistics are accurate as of Friday, May 15, and courtesy of MLB.com,Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.
To talk baseball or fantasy baseball, check in with me on Twitter:@JayCat11.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com