Beltre’s Bat Still Lightning Quick in Mid-30s

Amid a spate of injuries that have claimed the Texas Rangers’ top prospects, seemingly every starting pitcher, big-ticket trade acquisitions and free agent signees, Adrian Beltre remains a model of durability and excellence. That’s why GM Jon Daniels recently extended Beltre’s contract through the 2016 season, tearing up an incentives-base club option that was part of the third baseman’s original five-year deal with the team. Guaranteeing $18 million to a player in his mid-30s might seem like a gamble, but Beltre’s not your typical aging vet. At 36, he still possesses one of the quickest bats in the game.

When pitchers crank up the heat, most batters wilt. In 2014, hitters managed just a .238 average and a .343 slugging percentage versus pitches thrown at or above 95 MPH. You might think that Beltre has some trouble turning on gas now that he’s 17 years into his MLB career. The man debuted back when Tommy Lasorda was still in the dugout, after all. But he’s still got the same electric lumber that brought him to the majors as a teenager.

Beltre’s average vs. 95+ MPH pitches, 2014

Beltre batted .365 against 95+ MPH offerings, trailing only Adam Eaton (.378), Curtis Granderson (.377) and Matt Adams (.366) among qualified hitters. His slugging percentage checked in at .429. Perhaps most impressively, Beltre punched out just 10.1% of the time in two-strike counts against those high-velocity pitches — less than half of the big league average (22.1%).

Considering that Beltre hasn’t lost a step in the field either (he saved +9 runs compared to an average 3B, according to Baseball Info Solutions’ Defensive Runs Saved metric), you could make a strong case that he’s getting better with age. During his 20s, Beltre posted a 107 OPS+ and compiled 41 Wins Above Replacement. Since turning 30, Beltre has elevated his offensive game (132 OPS+) and could surpass his WAR total during his 20s with another stellar season (he has 36.6 WAR from age 30-35).

In fact, only five third basemen have ever been this productive past their twenties: Mike Schmidt (56.4 WAR in his 30s), Wade Boggs (47.8), Chipper Jones (46.6), Brooks Robinson (43.2) and Graig Nettles (39). That’s three Hall of Famers, another lock in Jones when he’s eligible in 2018, and Nettles, a world-class defender who had a compelling Cooperstown case but never received much attention. Before his post-twenties flourish, Beltre looked destined to join Nettles in the Hall of Very Good as a great defender whose raw offensive stats looked less impressive because he played in pitcher-friendly environments. Now that his hitting talents are on fully display, Beltre might have earned himself a plaque. But with bat speed like this, don’t expect him to retire any time soon.

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