Tuesday is the 20-year anniversary of the Seattle Mariners signing future Hall of Famer Adrian Beltre.
The M’s signed him to a five-year deal on this day in 2004, and he would spend the 2005-2009 seasons in the Pacific Northwest. Unfortunately, the Mariners never made the playoffs in his tenure, but Seattle became an important footnote in his eventual Hall of Fame career.
One of the most accomplished players of the 21st Century, Beltre spent 21 years in the big leagues with four teams. He came up with the Dodgers, playing seven years in Los Angeles, then went to Seattle, where he played those five. He spent one year in Boston and then finished out with eight stellar years in Texas.
He had a very interesting career arc, doing most of his best work in the back half of his career. He won five Gold Glove Awards, but didn’t win his first until the 10th year of his career and third with the Mariners. Though he did lead baseball in home runs in 2004 with 48, he didn’t make his first All-Star Game until he was 31 with the Red Sox.
All in all, Beltre was a .286 hitter with 477 career home runs. He drove in 1,707 runs and was a four-time All-Star. He also has 3,166 career hits, which is the most ever for a third baseman.
Beltre was a .266 hitter with Seattle. He hit 103 homers over those five seasons, hitting 25 or more in three of his five years.