Father’s Day in July this year, as Adrian Beltré Jr. plays at Fenway Park in front of Hall of Fame dad

AJ Beltré doesn’t remember much from his father’s lone season in Boston.

He was only 4 years old in 2010 when Hall of Fame third baseman Adrian Beltré had an All-Star year with the Red Sox. AJ remembers taking batting practice at Fenway and being around manager Terry Francona, but not much else.

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Luckily for Adrian Beltré Jr., he got a chance to create another Fenway Park memory when he recently participated in the Cape Cod Baseball League’s Fenway Day scouting showcase.

“Definitely a blessing to be back here and share a field that my dad used to play on,” said Beltré Jr., who’s playing for the Orleans Firebirds this summer after his sophomore season at the University of San Diego. “It’s definitely a cool experience.”

But what’s even better? He did so with his father in attendance.

Positioned a few rows behind home plate, Beltré and his family watched AJ swing the bat and participate in various combine-style drills.

“He’s watched a lot of my baseball games since he’s retired, but seeing me playing a big league field is definitely different,” said Beltré Jr.

AJ is an infielder and pitcher for San Diego. He missed most of last season with an injury, but had been named to the West Coast Conference’s all-freshman team in 2025 after hitting .258 with 28 RBIs and four home runs.

Last summer, he played in the Northwoods League, a high-level wooden-bat baseball league in the Great Lakes region.

The Fenway outing marked the first time Adrian Beltré watched his son on the field in a major league park.

“It’s really cool,” said Beltré. “Obviously his dream is that he wants to be a ballplayer. He’s pursuing that dream, and now he’s going through the steps to get him there.”

Beltré was there every step of the way, and put a ball in his son’s hand early, but he wanted him to be his “own person.” Beltré Jr. could play just about any sport, excluding football, but was drawn to baseball.

“Since he was little, he just liked it,” said Beltré. “He chose baseball, and so far he’s put in a ton of effort into it. And it’s kind of cool that he’s in the same sport I was decent at.”

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Beltré still records his son’s at-bats and is there when AJ calls for feedback. But otherwise, it’s up to his son to make the adjustments.

“He never wanted to force baseball on me or tell me how to do things,” said Beltré Jr. “It was always me going to him, and me molding who I am as a baseball player. So first and foremost, he let me get my own identity in the game.”

Sure, there’s a ton Beltre Jr. could learn from having a member of the 3,000-hit club in the house, but such space allowed AJ to grow into his own person and player.

In fact, outside of his throwing mechanics, Beltre said he doesn’t see many similarities between his game and that of his son. He sees AJ as more of a contact hitter, with more discipline as well.

“He has potential to get more power into his swing, [which] comes with time,” said Beltré. “But I think he has the potential to do whatever he wants to do.”

What did seem to rub off on Beltré Jr. is his father’s characteristics.

“He’s just a funny guy to be around. Just a good dude, high energy, just makes it enjoyable to be at the ballpark every day,” said Orleans teammate Rowan Kelly.

Beltré Jr. may have yet to fall onto his knees while hitting a homer or move the on-deck circle, but he almost hit an umpire on a bat flip during the college season. There’s plenty of room for him to fill his father’s shoes in the fun category.

AJ still has another year before draft eligibility. He not only wanted to get better upon arrival on the Cape, he wants to leave having cherished what others have called the “best summer” of their lives.

“Rather than pressure, I see it more as a blessing of having those eyes on you, and not trying to get outside of myself, just playing my game,” said Beltré Jr. “I can’t wait to keep going.”

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