Knowing when to retire is one of the hardest things a professional athlete must do. Many are told by their bodies or talent when to retire. Some have a choice.
One player that had such a choice was Texas Rangers legend Adrin Beltr , who retired after the 2018 season after 21 seasons in the game. The Dominican Republic native had done just about everything that a player could do in the game outside of two things - win a World Series ring and hit 500 home runs.
That 2019 Rangers team did not contend for a title. But Beltr had a path to chase that other benchmark. During an appearance on Foul Territory, he revealed that the Rangers offered him a one-year deal to be a designated hitter, a deal that would have allowed him to chase 500 home runs.
So, why didn't he take it?
Beltr didn't take the Rangers up on the offer for several reasons, all of which are certainly valid. But he was asked if chasing that number - he had 477 career home runs - was important to him.
"It was not important for me," Beltre said. "I was not chasing that. I was not chasing numbers. I could easily have played another year because they offered me a year to be the DH. I just thought that it was time. It was time. My body was kind of getting injured more often, my kids were kind of growing too fast and I just wanted to come home already. I thought 21 seasons was enough."
Beltr is already part of an exclusive club. He is one of 33 players with 3,000 or more career hits. His 3,166 career hits is No. 18 on the all-time list. For perspective, the active player with the most hits is Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman , who is No. 88 all time with 2,587 hits entering Wednesday's action.
Had Beltr sought one more season, he would have needed 23 home runs to reach 500 for his career. That would have put him in an even more exclusive club. Only seven players finished their career with at least 500 home runs and at least 3,000 hits, including Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Eddie Murray, Rafael Palmeiro, Alex Rodriguez , Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera .
Ultimately, Beltr opted for retirement. He told Foul Territory that his teammates were not happy about it.
"I knew that I could have played one more year and focused on hitting 20 [home runs] or whatever I needed," he said. "I could have done it and a lot of my teammates got mad at me because they wanted me to chase that. But I didn't play for numbers. I didn't care about it. I just felt like it was time for me to come home and I was at peace with that."
Beltr was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2024 as a Texas Rangers player. With the Rangers he was a .304 hitter with 199 home runs and 699 RBI. He made three All-Star Game appearances, won three Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers. He also finished in the Top 15 of American League MVP voting in each of his first six years with the Rangers.
His number is retired and he is a member of the Rangers Hall of Fame.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/rangers/onsi as Rangers Legend Says He Was Offered Contract to Chase Home Run Milestone .
