Adrian Beltre

[chaddurbin]

easy hof'er...consistent hitting with elite defense. 3k hits will about seal it, altho he's a hof'er today if you watch any baseball at all. use stats to back up what you're observing. don't just run to b-r as a starting point for everything.

[clydepepper]

Beltre's ranking among third basemen is the key, I believe.

He has been an excellent defender at an important defensive position for years.

Was he, at any time, one of the top players?...no. Was he one of the very best third basemen during his time?...yes.

I still remember Hank Aaron saying that one Mike McQueen would someday be a great pitcher.

While that kind of analysis gives me great pause to take seriously any players' analysis of another player if I have not heard it from multiply sources, Cal Ripken, Jr. stated a few years ago that Beltre was the best defensive third baseman ever.

While I don't believe he is even the very best playing today, he has ranked with the elite at his position for the larger part of his career.

Whether or not he reaches 500 HRs won't keep him out, 3000 hits will get him in...but, he may be the next Biggio, meaning he may not get in on the first ballot.

A good player to compare him to would be Chipper Jones, who everyone seems to assume will be a first ballot inductee, though he reached neither 500 HRs nor 3000 hits.

Beltre leads in WAR 86.8 to 85.0 ; Chipper leads in Offensive WAR (which voters prefer to concentrate on) 87.4 to 63.9; Beltre is 13th ALL-TIME at any position in Defensive WAR with 27.1 while I cannot seem to locate Chipper's DWAR as it appears to be lower than the very long list of leaders on BBR.

[packs]

Am I the only one who doubts his stats are real? The guy hit 48 homers in a walk year in 2004 and hasn't come close since. Then he tanks in Seattle and has a monster year for Boston during another walk year where he hits 321, almost 50 points higher than his highest average during his Seattle contract.

The 2004 Dodgers featured known cheaters Shawn Green, Eric Gagne, and Paul Lo Duca.

[bn2cardz]

Originally Posted by clydepepper

Beltre's ranking among third basemen is the key, I believe.

He has been an excellent defender at an important defensive position for years.

Was he, at any time, one of the top players?...no. Was he one of the very best third basemen during his time?...yes.

I still remember Hank Aaron saying that one Mike McQueen would someday be a great pitcher.

While that kind of analysis gives me great pause to take seriously any players' analysis of another player if I have not heard it from multiply sources, Cal Ripken, Jr. stated a few years ago that Beltre was the best defensive third baseman ever.

While I don't believe he is even the very best playing today, he has ranked with the elite at his position for the larger part of his career.

Whether or not he reaches 500 HRs won't keep him out, 3000 hits will get him in...but, he may be the next Biggio, meaning he may not get in on the first ballot.

A good player to compare him to would be Chipper Jones, who everyone seems to assume will be a first ballot inductee, though he reached neither 500 HRs nor 3000 hits.

Beltre leads in WAR 86.8 to 85.0 ; Chipper leads in Offensive WAR (which voters prefer to concentrate on) 87.4 to 63.9; Beltre is 13th ALL-TIME at any position in Defensive WAR with 27.1 while I cannot seem to locate Chipper's DWAR as it appears to be lower than the very long list of leaders on BBR.

If you are looking at leader lists you will never find Chipper Jones' dWAR. It is a -1.6.

[Orioles1954]

Originally Posted by clydepepper

Beltre's ranking among third basemen is the key, I believe.

He has been an excellent defender at an important defensive position for years.

Was he, at any time, one of the top players?...no. Was he one of the very best third basemen during his time?...yes.

I still remember Hank Aaron saying that one Mike McQueen would someday be a great pitcher.

While that kind of analysis gives me great pause to take seriously any players' analysis of another player if I have not heard it from multiply sources, Cal Ripken, Jr. stated a few years ago that Beltre was the best defensive third baseman ever.

While I don't believe he is even the very best playing today, he has ranked with the elite at his position for the larger part of his career.

Whether or not he reaches 500 HRs won't keep him out, 3000 hits will get him in...but, he may be the next Biggio, meaning he may not get in on the first ballot.

A good player to compare him to would be Chipper Jones, who everyone seems to assume will be a first ballot inductee, though he reached neither 500 HRs nor 3000 hits.

Beltre leads in WAR 86.8 to 85.0 ; Chipper leads in Offensive WAR (which voters prefer to concentrate on) 87.4 to 63.9; Beltre is 13th ALL-TIME at any position in Defensive WAR with 27.1 while I cannot seem to locate Chipper's DWAR as it appears to be lower than the very long list of leaders on BBR.

Ripken also got killed in Baltimore for stating that....because it's just not true. Brooks Robinson far and away is the greatest defensive third baseman of all-time and is also much more beloved in Baltimore than Ripken will ever be.