Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame

The possibility of Cooperstown was, at points, doubtful for Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones.

The on-field numbers from an illustrious 20-season career were not going to be the matter keeping Beltran, the former Mets and Yankees outfielder, from the Hall of Fame. But his role as a player in the Astros’ 2017 sign-stealing scandal was a stain for some Baseball Writers’ Association of America voters since he debuted on the ballot in 2023.

Jones, a Yankees outfielder for the final two seasons of his 17-year career, barely hung on to his candidacy when he first appeared on the ballot in 2018, just clearing the 5% vote minimum with 7.3%. Support for Jones steadily grew over the years, but time was ticking leading into this, his ninth of 10 years of eligibility.

Despite any previous doubt, both men can call themselves Hall of Famers after Tuesday evening’s announcement. Beltran, in his fourth year on the ballot, received 84.2% of the needed 75% of the BBWAA vote. Jones, who spent his first 12 seasons with Atlanta, received 78.4%. A total of 425 ballots were cast, including 11 blank ballots.

Beltran was undecided on whether he will don the Mets hat on his Hall of Fame plaque but said that the franchise – for which he played seven years and currently is a special assistant to president of baseball operations David Stearns – is a “big part of my identity” and will have “a lot of weight” in the decision.

Beltran and Jones, who had the lowest debut percentage of an eventual inductee, will join Jeff Kent, who was elected by the Contemporary Era Committee in December, at the induction ceremony on July 26.

“[Beltran] always came to me and said, ‘Andruw, I admire you,’ ” Jones said. “But I admire him more because of how he went about his business and how he did what he did through his career.”
“I want to send my congratulations on being elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame class," Kent, Beltran's teammate with Houston in 2004, said. "I’m proud of you. I know your family is proud of you, and I can’t wait until you and I meet up again in Cooperstown where we’ll be inducted into the most prestigious class in all of sports – the Baseball Hall of Fame. Good luck my brother. I look forward to seeing you in July.”

Among the notable misses: Chase Utley (59.1%), Andy Pettitte (48.5%), Felix Hernandez (46.1%) and Alex Rodriguez (40%). Pettitte and Rodriguez have two and five remaining years of eligibility, respectively. David Wright received an uptick with 14.8% in his third year on the ballot. Manny Ramirez (38.8%), who like Rodriguez has been linked to steroids, fell off the ballot following his 10th appearance.

The switch-hitting Beltran had a .279/.350/.486 slash line with 2,725 hits, 435 homers and 1,587 RBIs in 2,586 games. He was a nine-time All-Star, five times with the Mets (2005-07, 2009 and 2011) and once with the Yankees (2016).

The Puerto Rico native won three Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers as a Met. He was a World Series champion in 2017 with the Astros, the AL Rookie of the Year in 1999 with the Royals and the recipient of the Roberto Clemente Award with the Cardinals in 2013.

Beltran’s best season in terms of WAR (8.2), OPS (.982) and home runs (41) was with the Mets in 2006. In 65 career postseason games, he batted .307/.412/.609 with 16 homers.

“What an amazing accomplishment and well deserved. I remember being a young player in Port St. Lucie in my first Spring Training and looking at you and trying to emulate your game as best as I could," Wright said of Beltran in a statement. "When I think of five-tool players you are one of first faces that come to mind. And to top it off with your work ethic. I was able to witness firsthand your dedication and willingness to improve even though you were at top of your game. Thank you for those lessons that stuck with me my entire career.”

Beltran’s Cooperstown case became murky following the Astros’ scandal. Beltran, whom the Mets hired as their manager in November 2019, was the only player named in MLB’s report that was published in January 2020. He was not disciplined, but resigned following the report.

He harped on the love he still receives from people in the game of baseball, but also recognized it is a story he must deal with.

“There's no doubt that the Astros situation has been a topic,” said Beltran, who received 46.5% of the vote in 2023, 57.1% in 2024 and 70.3% last year. “And also, there is no doubt that, based on the stories that sometimes people share or people talk about what happened with the Astros, I feel like a lot of times there are agendas that are not positive toward my way.”

Beltran was asked about another chance of being a manager. He said: “I would love to try it at some point, if God gave me that opportunity.”

Jones, the first Hall of Famer from Curacao, debuted at 19 in 1996 and finished his career with a .254/.337/.486 slash line, 1,933 hits, 434 homers and 1,289 RBIs in 2,196 games. He became the youngest player to homer in a World Series in 1996 and only the second player to homer in his first two World Series at-bats. He was a five-time All-Star and a 10-time Gold Glover as one of the all-time great defensive centerfielders. He was the NL MVP runner-up in 2005 after leading MLB with 51 homers and the NL with 128 RBIs.

In 171 games with the Yankees from 2011-12, Jones batted .220/.322/.447 with 27 homers and 67 RBIs.

By Ben Dickson

benjamin.dickson@newsday.com@bendickson__

Ben Dickson is Newsday Sports' general assignment reporter. He joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.