The National Baseball Hall of Fame welcomed two new members as the Baseball Writers Association of America announced the latest ballot results.
Inducted this year are former star outfielders Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones. In his fourth year on the ballot, Beltran garnered 84.2% of the votes, while Jones, in his seventh, secured 78.4%, surpassing the required 75% threshold.
Beltran’s induction was expected despite his association with the Astros’ 2017 cheating scandal. As one of baseball’s all-time great switch-hitters, he concluded a 20-year career with a .279 average and 435 home runs. A nine-time All-Star, he also won three Gold Gloves in center field for the New York Mets.
Beltran spent some of his most notable years with the Mets, joining as a free agent on a seven-year contract after playing for Kansas City and Houston. Injuries plagued him later in his Mets tenure, leading to a trade to the Giants in 2011 for pitching prospect Zack Wheeler.
Surprisingly, after the trade, Beltran continued playing for six more seasons. He signed with the Cardinals, played for the Yankees and Rangers, and returned to the Astros before retiring at 40.
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Beltran was set to manage the Mets in 2020 but stepped down after the Astros scandal surfaced. Luis Rojas, now the Yankees’ third base coach, replaced him. Beltran returned to the Mets’ front office in 2023.
Jones was also a top center fielder of his era, earning ten Gold Gloves and hitting 434 home runs in 17 seasons. After 12 years with the Braves, his performance waned. He played a season with the Dodgers, then became a journeyman with short stints at the Rangers, White Sox, and Yankees.
Jones wasn’t finished after MLB. The Curaçao native played for the Netherlands in the 2013 World Baseball Classic and hit 50 homers over two seasons with Japan’s Rakuten Golden Eagles.
Beltran hasn’t announced which hat he’ll wear on his plaque, while Jones will undoubtedly be an Atlanta Brave. Debuting at 19 in 1996, Jones hit .400 with two homers in the World Series that year, though the Braves lost to the Yankees.
There were no close calls for induction this year, but potential 2027 inductees include Chase Utley with 59.1% of votes and Andy Pettitte with 48.5%. Next year’s ballot has no certain inductees, perhaps Buster Posey. Utley seems likely to be honored.
Currently, the spotlight is on Carlos Beltran and And
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