The following was written by MLB.com reporter Bill Ladson:
It was Spring Training in 2004.
Adrián Beltré, then the Dodgers’ starting third baseman, was slated to become a free agent after the season. At that time, he was not the Hall of Famer the baseball world would come to know.
Entering ’04, Beltré had a .262 career batting average and a .748 OPS. But his career trajectory skyrocketed under Tim Wallach, who was in his first year as the team’s hitting coach. Wallach was already aware who Beltré was. They first met in 1996 when both were Minor League teammates with Class A San Bernardino, a Dodgers affiliate. Wallach, then a 17-year veteran in the big leagues, was doing a rehab assignment while Beltré was a 17-year-old prospect.
“I was playing third base, and he was a DH. I think they intentionally walked him to get to me,” Wallach remembered. “You could tell he was a good player early on. He had all the skills. He was already a good player, but he was still trying to figure it out.”
Under Wallach, Beltré figured it out in the batter’s box. Beltré ended up having the best season of his career, leading the Dodgers in wins above replacement (9.6), hits (200), home runs (48), RBIs (121) and batting average (.334). Beltré finished second behind Barry Bonds in the National League MVP voting that year.
Beltré didn’t change anything with his swing. Wallach had him change his mental approach and use the entire field. In fact, Beltré was 51-for-126 (.405) whenever he hit a ball to right field. Before ’04, Beltré was a pull hitter. In 2003, for example, he was 19-for-81 (.235) when he went the other way.
“He was young, but he was still trying to figure it out,” Wallach said. “It was more a mental approach. He already had a good swing. … One of the best things I ever heard as a player was from [former Major Leaguer]
Hal McRae. … He told me, ‘With a runner in scoring position and two strikes on the hitter, don’t let [the pitcher] beat you with a fastball away.’ It helped me, for one, and that’s what I tried to pass on to Adrián. He had big hits every other night. It was incredible. It’s the best year I’ve ever seen -- playing or coaching -- by any individual.”