Mariners Legends Will Be in Attendance to See Adrian Beltre Go into Hall of Fame
When former Seattle Mariners third baseman Adrian Beltre gets inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame this weekend in Cooperstown, he'll have a pair of Mariners' Hall of Famers in attendance as well.
According to a press release from the Hall of Fame, both Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez will be in attendance at the induction ceremony. They are part of a group of 55 living Hall of Famers that will be there. Former Mariners star Randy Johnson will not be in attendance.
Though not confirmed, it's highly likely that M's team Hall of Fame member Felix Hernandez will be in attendance as well. He and Beltre are very close, with Beltre having attended Hernandez's Mariners HOF induction in 2023.
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 five more. 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 played with the Mariners from 2005-2009, meaning he never played with Martinez, who retired after the 2004 season. He did play one season with Griffey Jr., who returned back to the Mariners for the 2010 and a portion of the 2011 season.
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.
In addition to Beltre, Joe Mauer, Todd Helton and Jim Leyland are going into the Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony is Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ET.
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