COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. (AP) — Adrian Beltré, Joe Mauer and Todd Helton were pegged as athletic phenoms from a young age and all three lived up to expectations with their induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday.
The Los Angeles Dodgers were so sold on Beltré early on that they broke MLB rules to sign him before he turned 16.
Beltré reached the big leagues just after his 19th birthday and was quickly considered one of the best prospects in sports as a teenager.
In Beltré’s induction speech, he said he played for his first team at age 13 and was a second baseman because his dad told him that was the position he should play.