We continue our ranking of the top 10 Texas Rangers with a look at one of the best players in the league at his position.
No. 2 Adrian Beltre
2014 stats: 148 games, 549 AB, 178 H, .324/.388/.492
2015 projected stats: 576 AB, .297/.354/.484, 5.3 WAR
AL West rank: Seattle’s Kyle Seager won a Gold Glove at the hot corner last season and based on that could be considered the best fielding third basemen in the division, maybe in the league. Beltre would have to be a close second. Matt Dominguez (Astros), David Freese (Angels) and Brett Lawrie (A's) round out the division. It will be interesting to see how Lawrie plays in his first season in Oakland. He didn't live up to expectations in Toronto and was derailed by injuries, but his arrow could be pointing back up.
Outlook: Beltre, who turns 36 in April, is an excellent fielder and hitter and might have hit for a better average last season if he didn’t try to take on the load by himself with Prince Fielder and Mitch Moreland out of the lineup for the majority of the season. The return of Fielder should take some pressure off Beltre, who will hit in the heart of the lineup. Elvis Andrus getting on base more often would help too. In the field, Beltre is fantastic. He didn’t win a Gold Glove, but it doesn't appear as if he's lost a step. His arm strength remained strong and his fielding range was still very good. An improved lineup should help Beltre have a much better season.
Projections from Steamer Projections, via Fan Graphs.
