Recalling Newly Selected Hall Of Famer Adrián Beltré’s Lone Red Sox Season

Adrián Beltré made a pit stop with the Boston Red Sox in 2010 on his way to a Hall of Fame career.

It was the shortest stint Beltré, who was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday along with Todd Helton and Joe Mauer, had with any team he played for during his 21 Major League Baseball seasons. He spent seven seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, five with the Seattle Mariners and finished his career playing eight seasons for the Texas Rangers.

He’ll go into Cooperstown remembered more for what he did elsewhere, but his lone season with the Red Sox still was mighty impactful.

Boston served as the place for Beltré’s career resurgence. After dazzling the baseball world with his powerful bat during his time with the Dodgers, including hitting an eye-popping 48 home runs in 2004, Beltré’s offensive production dipped with the Mariners.

He hit just eight homers — the lowest total of his career outside of his 19-year-old rookie season — with 44 RBIs while batting .265 during his final season with the Mariners. The main issue that year was injuries slowing down the powerful right-handed hitter. He played in just 111 games in 2009, one of the lowest marks in his career.

Beltré entered free agency that offseason already having spent 12 seasons in MLB and on the wrong side of 30. Couple that with the injuries he had with the Mariners and teams were wary of giving him a big contract.

The Red Sox ended up benefitting, signing Beltré to a one-year, $9 million contract that ended up being a win-win deal for both sides.

Beltré returned to form in a big way with Boston. He batted a blistering .321 with 28 home runs and 102 RBIs. He also led the league with a career-high 49 doubles and added terrific defense at the hot corner to be named an All-Star for the first time in his career.

“I had a tough year the year before with injuries and didn’t play well,” Beltré told reporters following the Hall of Fame announcement, per The Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham. “I had different offers, multi-year 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.”

Beltré wasn’t a big personality, but won over fans in Boston with his workman-like effort and hard-hitting approach. Clobbering baseballs over the Green Monster became routine and dropping down to a knee on a swing that sent a ball over the wall became what Beltré was known for during his time with the Red Sox.

Beltré’s run with the Red Sox ended after the 2010 season with the franchise trading for Adrian Gonzalez in a blockbuster move that winter and opting to move Kevin Youkilis to third base.

But Beltré’s one season with the Red Sox proved he had more than enough left in the tank and he used it to sign a six-year, $96 million deal with the Rangers.

He finished his career as one of the more decorated hitters of his era, collecting 3,166 hits and belting 477 home runs while also delivering valuable defense, which was represented by Beltré winning five Gold Gloves.

Beltré’s time with the Red Sox will be a footnote in his Hall of Fame bio. But without it, he might not be making the trip to Cooperstown.