Rangers manager Ron Washington smiled as he talked

It was an All-Star play in a meaningless spring training game. And it’s why the Texas Rangers acquired Beltre in the offseason, signing him to a five-year, $80 million contract and basically forcing their incumbent All-Star third baseman Michael Young into a designated hitter role. So are the Rangers hitters. When Beltre spent five years with the Mariners, Texas Rangers Jerseys and then last season with the Red Sox, Rangers hitters watched as he robbed hit after hit from them.“We joke with him all the time that we are glad he’s on our team now because we were tired of hitting balls at him,” Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton said. “He’s just really good at what he does.”Indeed, over the course of his career there has been little doubt about Beltre’s ability to play defense.After the game, Rangers manager Ron Washington smiled as he talked about the play. He’d seen Beltre make those head-shaking plays so many times before against him. At least now, Beltre was doing it for him.However, it was kind of forgotten how good of a hitter he can be.
Last year with the Red Sox, he put up great numbers, hitting .321 with 48 doubles, 29 homers, 102 RBI and an on-base plus slugging percentage of .919.But the situation in Texas had a level of discomfort when Beltre was signed.Young, who had been the starting third baseman for the past few seasons, wasn’t enamored with the idea of being relegated to a designated hitter. He asked to be traded before spring training but his contract and the Rangers high demands got in the way.And yet, in the clubhouse there seems no sense of rivalry or discontent. Both Beltre and Young are too professional, and the Rangers are too focused on getting the Rangers back to the World Series.It’s why Beltre spurned a better offer from the Oakland A’s – he wanted to go to a team with the best chance of getting to the postseason.“That’s what you want, you want to win,” Beltre said. “It’s what we all want.”The Rangers, with most of last year’s team returning, gave him that chance. During his five years, he hit a respectable 266 and averaged about 21 homers and 79 RBI per season. MLB Jerseys Good numbers to be certain, but not great.
The Rangers weren’t able to re-sign Cliff Lee in the offseason, leaving them without a true No. 1 starter.On paper, it seems like a staff good enough to help the Rangers repeat as American League West champs, but maybe not enough to go much further.Perhaps, they will make a trade midseason, maybe unloading Young for another frontline pitcher. One thing is for certain. Beltre is a Texas Ranger now. “It doesn’t matter who it is, we are going to welcome them in and make them feel like a part of a team,” Hamilton said. “A lot of us know what it’s like to be in a new situation. And the quicker you can relax, the easier it is to just go play.“We are glad Adrian is here. We are glad we have him on our side now.”Playing in cavernous Safeco Field and on a team that offered little,Cheap NBA Los Angeles Lakers Jerseys, if any, protection or RBI opportunities, Beltre never really put up eye-popping numbers with the Mariners.