Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones have been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, with results announced Tuesday night on MLB Network. Beltrán was selected in his fourth year on the ballot, while Jones earned entry in his ninth.
Both will be inducted alongside Contemporary Baseball Era Committee honoree Jeff Kent at a ceremony scheduled for July 26 in Cooperstown, New York. Candidates needed at least 75% support from BBWAA voters; Beltrán received 84.2%, and Jones secured 78.4%. Notably, Jones had received only 7.3% support when first eligible in 2018.
“There’s no doubt that today my life has really changed,” said Beltrán, who becomes the sixth native of Puerto Rico to join the Hall of Fame. “Just to be named to the Hall of Fame, what this means to me, to Puerto Rico, to our family, to our projects in Puerto Rico promoting baseball, the Carlos Beltrán Baseball Academy. … Today I can say I’m a Hall of Famer. I’m excited about that.”
Jones commented on his achievement: “You don’t play this game to be a Hall of Famer. You play to help your team win a championship. And when you go out there and be consistent and put up numbers and then your name starts popping up [as a candidate], it’s a big honor for me, and it’s a big honor for my family.”
Chase Utley made notable progress among other candidates by reaching 59.1% support in his third year on the ballot—a gain from last year—while Andy Pettitte (48.5%) and Félix Hernández (46.1%) also saw increases in their vote totals.
Manny Ramirez received 38.8% support on his final ballot appearance; Cole Hamels was the only first-time candidate who met the threshold required to remain eligible next year.
In total, there were 425 ballots cast with players needing at least 319 votes for election.
Beltrán’s election followed an upward trend over recent years despite being connected with the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal during his last playing season in 2017.
“I tried not to overthink about that process,” said Beltrán regarding tracking votes during balloting seasons with his wife Jessica closely monitoring each result.
Over two decades as an outfielder for several teams—including Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, St Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees and Texas Rangers—Beltrán achieved nine All-Star selections along with three Gold Gloves and two Silver Slugger awards.
He is one of five major league players with at least 500 doubles (565), 400 home runs (435) and 300 stolen bases (312). His postseason record includes eight home runs during the 2004 playoffs—a mark tied at that time—and he shares unique statistical achievements with Derek Jeter regarding playoff performance.
“There’s no doubt that the Astros situation has been a topic,” Beltrán acknowledged about public discussion around his candidacy post-scandal.
Andruw Jones becomes Curaçao’s first inductee into baseball’s Hall of Fame after winning ten Gold Glove awards as an outfielder—third-most behind Roberto Clemente and Willie Mays—and hitting more than 400 home runs across stints with five teams including Atlanta Braves.
“Honestly, I idolized Ken Griffey Jr… But it’s hard to compare yourself to these guys… I wanted to go out there and be the best at my position and help my team win,” Jones said reflecting on influences throughout his career.
Despite having one of lowest batting averages (.254) among outfielders now enshrined in Cooperstown, Jones’ peak years included significant defensive value according to advanced metrics such as defensive WAR from Baseball Reference.
With this induction class added alongside previous Braves teammates Chipper Jones, Fred McGriff, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux and John Smoltz—as well as manager Bobby Cox—the legacy of those Atlanta rosters continues within Hall history.
The Philadelphia Phillies are part of Major League Baseball’s National League division since their origins dating back into the nineteenth century according to their official website. The club operates from Philadelphia hosting games at its modern stadium while offering fan experiences like events or merchandise sales; they have won multiple league titles over their history.
