Young Elvis Andrus, who arrived at the 2009 spring training with the Texas Rangers as the starting shortstop, has been immortalized in the team’s Hall of Fame.
Andrus, known for his joy and skill, was a fundamental part of the Rangers’ first two World Series appearances. In his induction on Saturday, he became the 27th member to be honored by the team.
“He definitely deserves it. He is one of the best players who have played for the Rangers,” said Adrián Beltré, who retired in 2018. “He did many things to improve our team when we played together.”
Adrián Beltré
Beltré was the one who helped Andrus put on the blue blazer, a symbol of the Rangers Hall of Fame members. Together, they revealed the commemorative plaque of the former shortstop.Andrus played 1,605 games as a shortstop for Texas for 12 seasons, the most games started at the same position in franchise history. He is the franchise leader in stolen bases (305) and ranks second in total games (1,652), at-bats (6,366), triples (48), and sacrifice hits (100). His 1,743 hits and 893 runs scored also place him in third place.
Texas participated in two consecutive World Series in 2010 and 2011. Andrus remained with the Rangers until being traded to Oakland at the beginning of spring training in 2021.
The pre-game ceremony on Saturday concluded with Andrus, 36, taking the shortstop position alongside his former teammates Mitch Moreland at first, Michael Young at second, and Beltré at third. They performed a throw around the infield, which served as the first pitch against Seattle. Andrus finished the act with a throw to Beltré that was a bit low.
“He said, ‘Man, even when you retire, you don’t throw to the chest,’” Andrus said with a big smile. “The whole idea of going through the box with my friends was very valuable.”
Beltré and Young are also members of the Rangers Hall of Fame, as is Ian Kinsler, the former second baseman and double play partner of Andrus, who was unable to attend the ceremony.
When Andrus debuted in 2009, the Rangers moved Young to third base, after he was the All-Star shortstop for the previous five seasons. Young remains the team’s historical leader in games played, at-bats, hits, and runs.
“He always gives a lot of credit to others. It shows the type of person he is, but he’s here because he did all the work. He did everything. He earned it,” Young said. “I could go on and on with the things he’s done to deserve this. But again, I think it’s worth mentioning because he often tries to deflect a lot of the credit.”
