75-654: Adam Thomas Kennedy (born January 10, 1976) is an American former professional baseball second baseman . He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals , Oakland Athletics , Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim , Washington Nationals , Seattle Mariners , and Los Angeles Dodgers . Kennedy was born in Riverside, California . He attended John W. North High School in Riverside, playing baseball and basketball. He
150-614: A Major League Baseball (MLB) team in the Dominican Republic — Beltré was spotted by scouts Ralph Avila and Pablo Peguero. Though only 15 years old and weighing 130 lb (59 kg), Beltré featured a quick swing and live throwing arm. On the insistence of Avila and Peguero, the Dodgers signed him in July 1994 with a $ 23,000 signing bonus . Beltré was a highly touted prospect when he began his major league career. After being called up to
225-505: A wild card berth, their first playoff appearance in 16 years. In Game 5 of the 2002 American League Championship Series against the Minnesota Twins, Kennedy hit three home runs , joining only nine other players who hit three homers in a postseason game: Babe Ruth , Bob Robertson , Reggie Jackson , George Brett , Adrián Beltré , Albert Pujols , Pablo Sandoval , Jose Altuve , and Enrique Hernández . Kennedy's performance helped
300-568: A Ranger third baseman since Buddy Bell 's six-year run from 1979 to 1984. He also won his third Fielding Bible Award. On November 2, 2011, he was awarded the Silver Slugger Award . Once again voted to the All-Star Game on July 1, 2012 , Beltré was named a starter. He joined teammates Josh Hamilton and Mike Napoli on the All-Star team. It was Beltré's third All-Star Game and third in
375-517: A black player's head. Now, however, baseball is fully integrated, and there is little to no racial tension between teammates. Between 1943 and 1954, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League fielded teams in several Midwestern towns. Adri%C3%A1n Beltr%C3%A9 Adrián Beltré Pérez (born April 7, 1979) is a Dominican former professional baseball third baseman . During his career, Beltré played for
450-666: A five-year (2011–15), $ 80 million contract with the Texas Rangers . He played with the Rangers for eight years until his retirement from baseball in 2018. Beltré's statistics improved when he was in his thirties. While he had previously played in ballparks in Los Angeles and Seattle that are known for being unfavorable to hitters, the Rangers' ballpark was known as a hitter-friendly environment. The Wall Street Journal described Beltré's Rangers tenure as "nothing short of brilliant". Beltré
525-461: A free agent and with Kendrick set to take over the starting spot at second base, Kennedy was informed by general manager Bill Stoneman that he would not be retained. In seven seasons with the Angels, Kennedy hit .280 in 992 games, with 51 home runs and 353 RBI. On November 28, 2006, he signed a 3-year, $ 10 million contract with his former team, the St. Louis Cardinals . On August 11, 2007, Kennedy
600-606: A hard ground ball to the groin . Although he stayed in for the remainder of the 14-inning victory, he was put on the DL after suffering bleeding in one of his testicles . In his first game after returning from the DL, teammate Ken Griffey Jr. conspired with those responsible for the Safeco Field public address system to have Beltré's at-bat intro music be the opening march from The Nutcracker Suite . Beltré declared free agency on November 5, 2009. On January 7, 2010, Beltré signed
675-459: A number of major league players. During the last week of the season, and the Rangers' run towards the AL West championship, Beltré batted .448 with two home runs and 13 RBI. He also went 2-4 with a home in the final game of the season to help the Rangers advance to their sixth AL West title. He finished the season with 18 home runs, 83 RBI, 163 hits, and .287 average. On April 15, 2016 , Beltré and
750-510: A one-year, $ 9 million deal with the Boston Red Sox . The contract had a $ 5 million player option for 2011 with a $ 1 million buyout. While Beltré's career before coming to the Red Sox had been regarded as somewhat disappointing, he hit .321 with 28 homers and 49 doubles in 2010, benefiting from the hitter-friendly Fenway Park . Beltré led the Red Sox in batting average and tied David Ortiz for
825-505: A overall subpar series, where he hit just .235 over the 5 games, Kennedy came up clutch in the decisive Game 5, hitting a triple off of future Hall of Famer Mike Mussina in the second inning, driving in two runs to give the Angels a 3–2 lead that they would never relinquish. In 2005 ALCS , Kennedy hit .286 for the series, but had just 4 hits and 1 RBI, as the Angels lost to the Chicago White Sox in 5 games. Kennedy's 2006 campaign
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#1732852695666900-573: A row dating back to 2010 with the Boston Red Sox. In the August 22, 2012, game against the Baltimore Orioles , Beltré hit three home runs in his first three at-bats, including two in the same inning. He joined Pablo Sandoval, Albert Pujols, George Brett, Reggie Jackson and Babe Ruth as the only players to hit a three-homer game in both the regular season and the postseason. On August 24, he hit for
975-590: A starter was not being fulfilled as the Cardinals acquired Felipe López to play second base down the stretch. On February 9, 2009, 6 months after his trade request, Kennedy was released by the team with a year remaining on his contract. On February 17, 2009, Kennedy signed a minor league deal with the Tampa Bay Rays . The Rays assigned him to the AAA Durham Bulls , his first minor league action since 2005. With
1050-515: A torn ligament in his left thumb over the last three months of the season, Beltré had surgery to repair it immediately after the season ended. On August 3, 2015, Beltré hit for the cycle with hits in each of the first, second, third, and fifth innings against the Houston Astros at Globe Life Park in Arlington in a 12–9 win. It was his third career cycle, second as a Ranger, and third at Globe Life,
1125-419: A two-run home run off Juan Nicasio to give him 1,501 career RBI, making him the 54th player to reach the milestone, and the fourth third baseman. On July 2, 2016, Beltré became the 28th player all time to amass 10,000 career at-bats. On July 23, 2016, he became the 36th player all time to record 11,000 career plate appearances. Two days later, he hit the walk-off home run , the ninth of his career, against
1200-516: Is the son of Tom Kennedy, who teaches Health at North High School. He attended Cal State Northridge , where he played shortstop for the Matador baseball squad. He set school records in career hits , RBI and batting average and was a three-time All-American . He led the nation in hits as a sophomore and junior. In 1996, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Falmouth Commodores of
1275-487: The Boston Red Sox , Beltré hit an inside-the-park home run , the first one ever in Safeco Field history. Though it was not a great season for Beltré, it was statistically his best as a Mariner. He hit .276 and had 26 home runs, 99 RBI, and 41 doubles. He also was honored with a Fielding Bible Award for being the top MLB defensive third baseman during the year. The 2007 season was not one of Beltré's better defensive years statistically. He tied with Brandon Inge for
1350-526: The Cape Cod Baseball League . Kennedy was drafted in the first round (20th overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1997 MLB draft . In 1999 with the Memphis Redbirds he hit .327 with 10 home runs and 63 RBI. He was selected as a Pacific Coast League All-Star, and a Baseball America first-team Minor League All-Star. He made his MLB debut on August 21, 1999, for the Cardinals against
1425-721: The Commissioner of Baseball . Operating outside the Minor League Baseball organization are many independent minor leagues such as the Atlantic League , American Association , Frontier League , and the feeder league to these the Empire Professional Baseball League . Japan has had professional baseball since the 1930s. Nippon Professional Baseball consists of two leagues, the Central League and
1500-481: The Detroit Tigers for his 2,500th career hit, and the first hit of a 4-for-4 game. On September 18, Beltré singled off Sonny Gray in the first inning for his 2,591st hit, surpassing Vladimir Guerrero as the all-time hit leader among Dominican-born players. Beltré finished the 2014 season batting .324 – his highest average since 2004 – with 19 home runs and 77 RBI in 148 games. In February 2015 ,
1575-527: The Los Angeles Dodgers , Seattle Mariners , Boston Red Sox , and Texas Rangers in Major League Baseball (MLB). He is regarded as one of the greatest third basemen of all time. Originally signed as an amateur free agent , Beltré made his MLB debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1998 at age 19. He batted and threw right-handed. Beltré hit a major league-leading 48 home runs while playing for
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#17328526956661650-754: The New York Mets at second base . He was hitless in four at-bats in that game. His first MLB hit was a three RBI double to left field on August 22 off of Orel Hershiser of the Mets. His first MLB home run came on August 31 against Brian Meadows of the Florida Marlins . He appeared in 33 games for the Cardinals in 1999 hitting .255 with 1 home run and 16 RBIs . In the 2000 offseason, the Cardinals signed former All-Star Fernando Viña to start at second base , making Kennedy, who hadn't separated himself from his infield counterparts, expendable. On March 23, 2000, Kennedy
1725-701: The Pacific League , each with six teams. South Korea has had professional baseball since 1982. There are 10 teams in KBO League . Taiwan has had professional baseball since the 1990s. The Chinese Professional Baseball League absorbed Taiwan Major League in 2003. There are currently 6 teams in the CPBL. Other Asian leagues include three now defunct leagues, the China National Baseball League , Israel Baseball League , and Baseball Philippines . During
1800-400: The Silver Slugger Award four times. Upon his retirement, Beltré was the only third baseman in history with both 3,000 career hits and 400 home runs. According to Baseball Reference, Beltré is also the third baseman with the third-highest WAR all time. He retired as the all-time leader amongst third basemen in career hits and RBIs, and ranked third in home runs amongst third basemen. He is also
1875-624: The United States and Canada consists of the National League (founded in 1876) and the American League (founded in 1901). Historically, teams in one league never played teams in the other until the World Series , in which the champions of the two leagues played against each other. This changed in 1997 with the advent of interleague play . The Philadelphia Phillies , founded in 1883, are
1950-403: The 2001 season, Kennedy hit .270/.318/.372 with 6 home runs and 40 RBIs. Kennedy was the team's starting second baseman, but showed only marginal improvement following a strong rookie campaign. The 2002 season was Kennedy's breakthrough year, as it established him as a fixture in the Angels infield. During the regular season, he hit .312/.345/.449 with 7 home runs and 52 RBIs, as the Angels earned
2025-496: The 2006 season. Kennedy's 2004 campaign was eerily similar to his 2003 one, he hit .278 with 10 home runs and 48 RBIs. Despite his inconsistent play, the Angels were in contention for a playoff spot down the stretch. On September 20, during a game against the Seattle Mariners , Kennedy suffered a torn ACL & MCL in his right knee while attempting to field a single up the middle from Ichiro Suzuki , which caused him to miss
2100-449: The 2011 World Series with the Rangers. He added a fourth playoff home run in Game 5 of the 2011 World Series when he went down to one knee chasing an outside curve ball from Chris Carpenter . The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Rangers in seven games. More recognition was bestowed on Beltré for his defense. On November 1, 2011, he was honored with his third Gold Glove Award and first by
2175-596: The 2013 season, Beltré played in 161 games and totaled a .315 average, 30 homers, 92 RBI and .509 SLG. He led the American League with 199 hits and was fourth in batting average and fifth in total bases (321). He also made the top-10 in games played, slugging percentage and home runs. In the AL MVP voting, he was tied for seventh place. The Dallas–Fort Worth chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America named Beltré
2250-539: The 2014 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award on September 17, 2015, making him the first Rangers player to win the award. He had contributed significantly to humanitarian acts in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex such as Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation, Texas Rangers RBI program, the I Love Baseball program, which operates in the Dominican Republic, the Baseball Tomorrow Fund, as well as the foundations established by
2325-509: The 21st player to amass 5,000 career total bases . On July 26, Beltré was ejected by umpire Gerry Davis ; in a game against the Miami Marlins , Davis asked Beltré, who was the next scheduled batter, to move closer to the on-deck circle. Beltré responded by picking up the edge of the logo that marked the on-deck circle and moving it closer to where he had been standing, which prompted Davis to eject him. Beltré collected his 3,000th hit with
Adam Kennedy - Misplaced Pages Continue
2400-482: The AL lead in errors by a third baseman, with 18, but ranked second in the league in assists , total chances, and range factor . He was charged with the lowest fielding percentage of all third basemen in the league at .958. In spite of leading third basemen in errors, Beltré was selected for his first Rawlings Gold Glove Award , becoming the first Mariners third baseman to win the award. On September 1, 2008, Beltré hit for
2475-559: The AL. He was third in the American League in slugging percentage (.561), sixth in RBIs (105), and ninth in OPS (.892). The Fielding Bible staff estimated that he saved 17 runs on defense in 2011. On October 4, 2011, in Game 4 of the ALDS against the Tampa Bay Rays , Beltré became the sixth player—the first in a Division Series —to hit three home runs in a Major League playoff game . Beltré played in
2550-493: The American League in home runs, slugging (1.087), OPS (1.607), total bases (25), and extra-base hits (six) while producing the fourth-highest batting average. Beltré hit safely in all six games with two or more hits four times. He had the 24th multi-homer game of his career with a pair of home runs on July 4 against Seattle . Maintaining his strong hitting throughout July, Beltré was named the American League Player of
2625-505: The Angels clinch the American League pennant, and Kennedy was named the series' Most Valuable Player . For the series, Kennedy hit .357 with 3 home runs and 5 RBIs. The Angels went on to beat the San Francisco Giants in seven games in the World Series , earning Kennedy a World Series ring . In the 2002 entire postseason, Kennedy hit .340 with 4 home runs, after only hitting 7 home runs in 143 regular season games. The 2003 season
2700-528: The Angels. Tensions between the two division rivals were already high, as two Rangers starting pitchers — Adam Eaton and Vicente Padilla — had been ejected in previous games that month for throwing at Angels batters. Also, two Angels hurlers ( Kevin Gregg and Brendan Donnelly ) had already been thrown out of the game for hitting batters, and manager Mike Scioscia and bench coach Ron Roenicke had been ejected as well. Rangers pitcher Scott Feldman hit Kennedy in
2775-576: The Athletics in the bottom of the ninth inning for a 7−6 win. On August 24, 2016, Beltré, in a game against the Cincinnati Reds , hit a go-ahead two-out double for his 2,900th career hit and led the Rangers to a 6–5 win. With this hit, Beltré became the 39th player in Major League history to reach the milestone. Beltré would once again show his signature home run knee drop after hitting a solo shot in
2850-609: The Bulls, he hit .280 in 23 games. On May 8, 2009, he was traded to the Oakland Athletics for Joe Dillon and was assigned to Triple-A Sacramento. His contract was purchased the next day. He appeared in 129 games for the Athletics, mostly at third base and second base, batting .289 with 11 home runs. On February 12, 2010, Kennedy signed with the Washington Nationals on 1-year, $ 1.75 million contract. He played in 135 games for
2925-475: The Dodgers in 2004, was the team MVP of the Red Sox in 2010, played in the 2011 World Series as a member of the Rangers, and tied for the major league lead in hits in 2013. On September 19, 2014, Beltré surpassed Vladimir Guerrero as the all-time MLB leader for hits by a Dominican player, a record since broken by Albert Pujols in 2019. On July 30, 2017, he became the 31st player in MLB history to reach 3,000 hits and
3000-509: The Month, his fourth career monthly award. He batted .369 with four doubles, nine homers, 19 RBI and 13 runs scored over 26 games. He tied for the major league lead with both Alfonso Soriano , in home runs, and Torii Hunter , in total bases (69). Beltré also finished among the AL leaders in slugging percentage (second, .670), hits (tied for second, 38), extra-base hits (tied for fourth, 13), RBI (tied for fifth) and batting average (sixth). He capped off
3075-467: The Nationals, hitting .249. He mostly played second base, but also appeared in 51 games at first base, the first time he had seen any regular time at that position in his career. On January 10, 2011, he signed a minor-league deal with the Seattle Mariners . Kennedy, however, made the team out of spring training, and served as a utility infielder, seeing action at first base, second base and third base during
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3150-474: The Rangers agreed to a two-year, $ 36 million contract extension that would cover the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Valued at $ 18 million each for both seasons, the extension prevented Beltré from becoming a free agent at the end of the season. Displaying a drop to one knee, Beltré hit a home run on a curve ball from Jesse Hahn of Oakland on May 17. In a May 29 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates , Beltré hit
3225-474: The Rangers picked up Beltré's option, which would have become guaranteed if he had reached 586 plate appearances in the 2015 season. While playing the Cleveland Indians on May 15, 2015, Beltré hit his 400th home run on a sinker from Bruce Chen . He became the 52nd player in MLB history to reach that plateau, and the fourth to do so while playing at least 75 percent of his games at third base. Enduring
3300-424: The Rangers' home park, making him the only player ever to hit three cycles in one stadium. He became the first Rangers player to hit for multiple cycles. The first player in 82 years to hit for a third cycle, he became the fourth player to do so and tied the major league record for total career cycles, joining Long John Reilly , Bob Meusel and Babe Herman . The Phi Delta Theta fraternity presented Beltré with
3375-573: The Texas Rangers Player of the Year. On May 7, 2014 , while facing Jorge de la Rosa of the Colorado Rockies , Beltré hit his 100th home run as a member of the Rangers, becoming only the fifth player in Major League history to hit 100 home runs with three teams. He joined Darrell Evans , Reggie Jackson , Alex Rodriguez , and Jim Thome . On June 24, 2014, Beltré singled off Drew Smyly of
3450-462: The United States and Canada. The minor leagues are divided into classes AAA, AA, High-A, A, and Rookie. These minor-league divisions are affiliated with major league teams, and serve to develop young players and rehabilitate injured major-leaguers. "Affiliated baseball" (archaically, " organized baseball ") is often applied as an umbrella term for all leagues — major and minor — under the authority of
3525-399: The buttocks with a fastball with only one out remaining in the game, and his team up 9–3. Kennedy charged the mound, triggering a fight. As Kennedy charged him, Feldman stood on the mound and threw down his glove, and when Kennedy reached him, Feldman then hit Kennedy in the armpit with a punch. Kennedy was suspended for four games for his actions. At the end of the 2006 season, Kennedy became
3600-506: The cycle , at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, becoming the fourth Mariner to do so. Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Stephen Drew hit for the cycle that day as well, the first time two players had done so since 1920. He won his second Fielding Bible Award for his defense that year. Beltré's decision not to wear a cup despite playing third base has been well-documented. This came back to hurt him on August 12, 2009, when he took
3675-453: The cycle for the second time in his career. Both of his cycles came at Rangers Ballpark . With his first coming as a member of the Mariners, it was the first time in MLB history that a player had hit for the cycle more than once at the same stadium. He joined Joe DiMaggio as the only two players in big league history to have a three-homer game and a cycle in the same week. For his efforts, Beltré
3750-423: The disabled list and ended his season early, on September 11. After his playing career ended, Kennedy opened a baseball academy. Professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Major League Baseball in
3825-534: The fifth major-leaguer to have hit at least 100 home runs for three different teams. In 2024 , Beltré was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Beltré was born on April 7, 1979, in Santo Domingo , Dominican Republic . He attended Liceo Máximo Gómez High School. While working out at Campo Las Palmas in 1994, a Los Angeles Dodgers facility — one of the first of its kind for
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#17328526956663900-588: The first Dominican player to achieve that milestone. Beltré retired following the 2018 season with 3,166 career hits, 477 home runs , and 1,707 runs batted in. He hit for the cycle three times in his career (2008, 2012, 2015), making him one of six players to do so in MLB history. Having played 21 major league seasons and won the Rawlings Gold Glove Award five times, Beltré is notable for his defensive prowess and career longevity as well as his power hitting. He played in four MLB All-Star Games and won
3975-487: The first time since 2012, and the fifth time in his career. He was selected as the American League Gold Glove winner at third base, the fifth of his career. Beltré began the 2017 season on the 10-day disabled list; he had injured his right leg near the end of spring training. On July 4, Beltré hit his 600th career double, becoming the 17th player all-time to reach that milestone . On July 7, Beltré became
4050-413: The game. Beltré hit his first home run six days later against Texas Rangers starter Rick Helling . At the end of the 1998 season, Beltré finished with 13 errors at third base while batting .215 with seven home runs. At one point in the spring training prior to the start of the 1999 season , Beltré's agent, Scott Boras , commented to him that "he couldn't believe" his relatively rapid ascent to
4125-458: The issue. Team personnel at Las Palmas denied Boras' assertion. As a result, Boras and Beltré went public. Boras convinced Commissioner of Baseball Bud Selig to investigate the Dodgers, and Major League Baseball suspended their scouting operations in the Dominican Republic for one year, as well as Avila and Peguero. Dodgers general manager Fred Claire , whom MLB did not contact during their investigation, publicly expressed surprise and that he
4200-590: The late 19th and early 20th centuries, players of black African descent were barred from playing the major leagues , though several did manage to play by claiming to be Cubans or Native Americans . As a result, a number of parallel Negro leagues were formed. However, after Jackie Robinson began playing with the major-league Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, the Negro leagues gradually faded. The process of integration did not go entirely smoothly; there were some ugly incidents, including pitchers who would try to throw directly at
4275-402: The majors and handling of "such a difficult position like third base" at age 20. Beltré replied that he was 19 years old, not 20. Boras then realized that Beltré's date of birth in the Dodgers' records was incorrect and indicated the same to the team, but, that if they were to correct the mistake by compensating Beltré for signing him at younger than MLB's allowable age, they would no longer pursue
4350-538: The majors from the then-Dodgers' double-A affiliate San Antonio Missions , Beltré made his major league debut on June 24, 1998 , starting at third base in the first game of an interleague series against the Anaheim Angels . At the time, he was the youngest player in the National League (NL). During his first at-bat , Beltré hit a two-out run batted in (RBI) double off Angels starter Chuck Finley into left field to score Paul Konerko from second base to tie
4425-475: The month with a walk-off home run to lead the Rangers past the Angels on July 31, the seventh walk-off home run of his career, and first with Texas. It was his third monthly award with Texas, making him one of seven players to win multiple times with the Rangers, including Josh Hamilton (four), Rafael Palmeiro , Alex Rodriguez (both with three), Iván Rodríguez , Juan González and Rubén Sierra (two each). For
4500-462: The oldest continuous same-name, same-city franchise in both Major League Baseball and all of American professional sports. In addition to the major leagues, many North American cities and towns feature minor league teams. An organization officially styled Minor League Baseball , formerly the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, oversees nearly all minor league baseball in
4575-528: The remainder of the season, including the Angels final playoff push and eventual playoff run. The 2005 season was somewhat of a resurgence for Kennedy, as he hit exactly .300, but only hit 2 home runs and had just 37 RBIs, both of which were career-lows since he became an everyday player. The Angels once again won the AL West to qualify for the postseason, were they faced the New York Yankees in ALDS . Despite
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#17328526956664650-492: The second inning in a game against the Houston Astros on September 13, 2016. His 30th of the season, it was the first time he reached the mark since 2013 and fifth in his career. Ten days later, his two-run home run in the eighth inning against the Athletics aided the Rangers in clinching the American League West division crown for the second year in a row and the seventh in franchise history. He also reached 100 RBI for
4725-513: The team lead in RBIs (102). He finished the year with 189 hits in 589 at-bats and 84 runs scored. Beltré led the Majors in doubles with 49 (also a career-high). He also finished fourth in the AL in batting average, and was fifth in the AL in total bases (326) and slugging percentage (.553). He also had two stolen bases on the year, and finished ninth in the MVP voting. On January 5, 2011, Beltré signed
4800-421: The trade deadline, most notably for Shea Hillenbrand . While the rumors never came to fruition, Kennedy was forced to share the starting second base position, playing in a platoon with the rookie Kendrick for the remainder of the season. The national spotlight shone briefly on Kennedy on August 16, 2006, when he took part in a bench-clearing brawl in the ninth inning of a game between the Texas Rangers and
4875-431: The year while hitting .234 in 114 games. Midway through the season, he replaced former Angels teammate Chone Figgins as the starting third baseman. He elected free agency on October 30. On December 1, 2011, Kennedy signed a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers . In 86 games with the Dodgers, mostly as a pinch hitter (with occasional starts at second and third), Kennedy hit .262. A strained right groin put him on
4950-478: Was a season of ups and downs for Kennedy, he hit a career-high 13 home runs, and his walk rate increased over 5% (3.7% in 2002 to 8.8% in 2003), but his average dropped to .269 and he struggled to repeat his 2002 success as the Angels failed to make the postseason and defend their World Series title. Despite this, on December 19, 2003, Kennedy agreed to a 3-year, $ 8.85 million contract that would keep him in Anaheim through
5025-631: Was a year that he will improve on the longer he's here and the longer he's in the American League ." After Beltré had batted .167 through April 10, Ted Miller of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer wrote that he might become one of the Mariners' greatest busts. By June 5, 2006, Beltré's batting average was slowly improving, from .109 on April 16 to .236 at that time. After he had hit his first home run in April and his second later that month, Beltré's hitting began to improve. On July 23, 2006, against
5100-487: Was also honored with the Gold Glove Award for the season on October 30, and second Platinum Glove Award. Wilson Sporting Goods honored him as one of their Defensive Players of the Year ; in that year the award was established. The Rangers organization named Beltré the team captain in 2013. On July 8, 2013 , Beltré was named the American League Player of the Week for July 1–7. He batted .478 (11-for-23) with four home runs, two doubles and five RBI in six games. He led
5175-431: Was honored with his first career Silver Slugger Award and the Babe Ruth Home Run Award . The Seattle Mariners signed Beltré as a free agent before the 2005 season to a five-year, $ 64 million deal. Regressing to his pre-2004 form, he batted just .255 with 19 home runs and 87 RBI. Manager Mike Hargrove did not give up hope on Beltré, saying, "I think it's a season that, personally, he's disappointed in. I think it
5250-479: Was named the AL Player of the Week for August 20–26. During the seven games he hit .433 (13-for-30) with three doubles, one triple, five home runs, nine RBI and seven runs scored. He had the highest slugging percentage (1.100) in the majors, the most total bases (33), was tied for first in hits and home runs, and tied for second in RBI. After the season, more defensive accolades followed Beltré. He won his second consecutive Fielding Bible Award and fourth overall. He
5325-445: Was on the 2011 American League All-Star team . On July 22, Beltré strained his hamstring and was also placed on the DL. On September 4, he hit a line single to right against the Red Sox for his 2,000th career hit. On September 11, Beltré hit two home runs, including the 300th of his career, against the Oakland Athletics . He was named the AL Player of the Month for September. In 2011, Beltré batted .296 with 32 home runs, fifth in
5400-439: Was one filled with many question marks, as statistically he was closer to his numbers in his 2003 & 2004 seasons than his peaks in 2002 & 2005, as he hit .273 with 4 home runs and 55 RBIs. With his offensive performance declining, and being an impending free agent at the conclusion of the season, as well as top prospect Howie Kendrick rising through the minors, it was rumoured that the Angels would look to trade Kennedy at
5475-418: Was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a torn medial meniscus in his right knee, an injury that would sideline him for the remainder of the season. He appeared in 87 games prior to the injury, and hit only .219, the lowest average of his career. In 2008, he played in 115 games and hit .280 with just 2 home runs and 36 RBIs. Following the season, Kennedy requested a trade, stating that his desired role as
5550-554: Was traded to the Anaheim Angels along with All-Star pitcher Kent Bottenfield for outfielder Jim Edmonds . Kennedy matched a team record with eight RBI in 16–10 win over the Blue Jays on April 18, 2000. Kennedy would finish his rookie season, batting .266/.300/.403 with 9 home runs and 72 RBIs. He received a single vote in AL Rookie of the Year voting, tying him for sixth place with Steve Cox , Mark Redman and Barry Zito . In
5625-497: Was unaware of the incident. Selig awarded Beltré $ 48,500 in damages. In 2004 , Beltré had a breakout season in which he established a number of career highs, including leading MLB with 48 home runs. Other career highs included batting .334, 200 hits, 121 RBI, 104 runs scored, .629 slugging percentage , and a then-career high 32 doubles. He finished second in voting for the NL Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) and
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