Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones, center fielders who excelled at the plate and with their gloves, were elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame on Tuesday.
Beltrán, making his fourth appearance of the ballot, received 358 of 425 votes for 84.2% from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, 39 above the 319 needed for the 75% threshold.
Jones, in the ninth of 10 possible appearances, was picked on 333 ballots for 78.4%.
At a Glance
- Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame
- Beltrán received 84.2% of votes; Jones got 78.4%
- Both will be inducted on July 26 at Cooperstown, New York
- Why it matters: Two elite center fielders who dominated both offensively and defensively earn baseball’s highest honor
Vote Progression Shows Long Journeys
Beltrán moved up steadily from 46.5% in 2023 to 57.1% the following year and 70.3% in 2025, when he fell 19 votes short as Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner were elected.
Jones received just 7.3% in his first appearance in 2018 and didn’t get half the total until receiving 58.1% in 2023. He increased to 61.6% and 66.2%, falling 35 votes short last year.
They will be inducted at Cooperstown, New York, on July 26 along with second baseman Jeff Kent, voted in last month by the contemporary era committee.
Controversy Surrounded Beltrán’s Career
Beltrán was hired as the New York Mets’ manager on Nov. 1, 2019, then fired on Jan. 16 without having managed a game, three days after he was the only Astros player mentioned by name in a report by Major League Baseball regarding the team’s illicit use of electronics to steal signs during Houston’s run to the 2017 World Series championship.
Despite this setback, his on-field accomplishments earned him recognition from the voters.
Other Candidates’ Results
Chase Utley (59.1%) was the only other candidate to get at least half the vote, improving from 39.8% last year. He was followed by Andy Pettitte at 48.5%, an increase from 27.9% last year, and Félix Hernández at 46.1%, up from 20.6%.
Cole Hamels topped first-time candidates at 23.8%. The other first-time players were all under 5% and will be dropped from future votes.
David Wright increased to 14.8% from 8.1%. There were 11 blank ballots.
Steroids Era Players Continue to Struggle
Steroids-tainted players again were kept from the hall. Alex Rodriguez received 40% in his fifth appearance, up from 7.1%, and Manny Ramirez 38.8% in his 10th and final appearance.
BBWAA members with 10 or more consecutive years in the organization were eligible to vote.
Beltrán’s Impressive Career Numbers
A nine-time All-Star, the switch-hitting Beltrán batted .279 with 435 homers and 1,587 RBIs over 20 seasons with Kansas City (1999-2004), Houston (2004, ’17), the Mets (2005-11), San Francisco (2011), St. Louis (2012-13), the New York Yankees (2014-16) and Texas (2016). He had 311 homers hitting left-handed and 124 batting right-handed.
Beltrán was the 1999 AL Rookie of the Year and won three Gold Gloves, also hitting .307 in the postseason with 16 homers and 42 RBIs in 65 games.
Jones’ Defensive Excellence
Jones batted .254 with 434 homers, 1,289 RBIs and 152 stolen bases in 17 seasons with Atlanta (1996-2007), the Los Angeles Dodgers (2008), Texas (2009), the Chicago White Sox (2010) and the Yankees (2011-12). He finished his career with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of Japan’s Pacific League from 2013-14.
His batting average is the second-lowest for a position player voted to the Hall of Fame, just above the .253 of Ray Schalk, a superior defensive catcher, and just below the .256 of Harmon Killebrew, who hit 573 homers.
A five-time All-Star, Jones earned 10 Gold Gloves. He joins Braves teammates Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz and Chipper Jones in the hall along with manager Bobby Cox.
Historic World Series Moments
In the 1996 World Series opener at Yankee Stadium, Jones at 19 years, 5 months became the youngest player to homer in a Series game, beating Mickey Mantle’s old mark by 18 months. Going deep against Pettitte in the second inning and Brian Boehringer in the third of a 12-1 rout, Jones became the second player to homer in his first two Series at-bats after Gene Tenace in 1972.
Key Takeaways
- Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones overcame different challenges to reach the Hall of Fame
- Beltrán’s election came despite his involvement in the Astros sign-stealing scandal
- Jones had to wait nine years on the ballot before finally getting elected
- Both players excelled both offensively and defensively throughout their careers
- They will be formally inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on July 26 at Cooperstown
