Hop in the time machine and head to July 31, 2007. The Texas Rangers had just acquired a 19 year-old shortstop, who was then Baseball America’s 65th overall prospect. Two World Series appearances, five playoff teams, four AL West division titles, and 30.5 bWAR later, one of the franchise’s cornerstones is gone. Elvis Andrus taught us how to love the game in new ways, breathing an invigorating flair into the Rangers’ greatest stretch of success.
For proof of Elvis’ contributions, we have to look no further than the gospel of our personal lord and savior, Adrián Beltré:
I like to have fun playing the game, but there were some times that I had a lot of stuff in my mind … ‘Why am I not doing what I’m supposed to do to help this ballclub?