Elvis Andrus grew into a star for Texas Rangers with help from his friends

Andrus retired Friday as a member of the Rangers and made sure Michael Young and Ron Washington were there for his announcement.

ARLINGTON — Elvis Andrus, it was said Friday afternoon, had the instincts and feel for the game as a Texas Rangers rookie that others much older than he was didn’t have.

Now 36 and officially retired after a 15-year career, Andrus showed he still has that feel.

It wasn’t a coincidence that he chose to retire with former Rangers manager Ron Washington in town. He was with Andrus for his first day as a major-league player, and Andrus wanted him there for his last.

The same goes for Michael Young, who is retired now and can come and go as he pleases. He was moved from shortstop to third base for Andrus to come to the majors in 2009, then helped show the rookie the ropes.

But the player-manager relationship seemed to be the focal point of a 30-minute news conference at Globe Life Field.

“I often answer the question of how I was able to play in the big leagues at such a young age and perform so freely and relax in the World Series,” Andrus said. “And my only answer always being, Ron Washington. You were that person that I knew that no matter how I felt or how I was playing, you always had my back.”

Washington, now managing the Angels, didn’t treat Andrus with kiddie gloves. There was one game in 2009 at Baltimore, where Andrus made a sloppy throw to first base early in the game and was removed by Washington between innings.

Washington shared the story of the first time he met Andrus and was hitting him grounders. After fielding several of them, the teenager gave the baseball-lifer the motion to cut the session off, and it went as well as you might expect.

“He gave me one of these,” Washington said, moving his hand across his neck. “I told him, ‘As long as you’re living, don’t you ever do that to me again. Get back out there, and I’ll let you know.’

“He went back out there, I hit him one more ground ball and did one of these.”

Washington immediately heaped praise on Andrus for all he could do on the field, much of it due to his advanced instincts. He was Washington’s kind of player through and through, making plays defensively, handling the bat and running wild on the bases.

Andrus was a great teammate who learned accountability quickly. He showed that after Game 5 of the 2015 American League Division Series in which he committed multiple critical blunders in the seventh inning, allowing the Blue Jays to rally and eliminate the Rangers.

But he was at his locker afterward to answer every question asked of him.

Washington and Young were no longer with the organization in 2015, but their influence on Andrus shined through. The biggest thing they taught him was work ethic and how to respect the game.

Washington did it through his words. Young did it by example.

“Talent can get you to the big leagues, but your work ethic will keep you there for a long time,” Andrus said. “I learned that at such a young age, and I think that was the biggest key for me being able to play as many years I was able to play in the big leagues and have a lot of success.”

Andrus’ numbers speak to that success. He finished his career with 2,091 hits, the first 1,743 with the Rangers, over 15 big-league seasons that also included stops with the A’s and the White Sox.

His 305 steals over 12 seasons with the Rangers are the franchise record.

Andrus was the 2009 Rangers Rookie of the Year, the 2017 Rangers Player of the Year, a two-time All-Star and a member of the first two World Series teams in club history.

More than that, though, he’s known for the joy with which he played the game, even when he was putting down a bunt to move a runner over, and the energy he brought to the field every day. He prided himself on doing what the game asked of him.

“No everybody’s going to hit 40 homers every year, and not everybody’s going to hit 200 hits every year,” Andrus said. “But whatever my job is, let me be the best, and then I will just do what Wash wanted from me and for the team that I played for. I really worked hard to be the best at what the manager and the team needed from me.”

Washington said that whatever Andrus chooses to do in retirement, be it coaching or being a dad, he will make a difference because of the man he became throughout his career. For now, Andrus is planning to coach his three kids in various sports and do dropoffs and pickups from school.

His next step in baseball might be getting inducted into the Rangers Hall of Fame, where he will join his former teammates, Young, Ian Kinsler, Josh Hamilton and, of course, Adrian Beltre.

Andrus said he knows how lucky he was and how lucky he still is.

“I’m very young, fortunate and blessed to retire at 36 years old, having my life in front of me right now,” he said. “I really have no plans to try to fast-forward. I’m really going day by day, growing spiritually, having fun, getting to see my children grow.”

Jeff Wilson, jwilson@alldlls.com