Carlos Beltrán, Andruw Jones elected into Baseball Hall of Fame

The Mets could be getting a third cap in Cooperstown this summer, and their first in a decade with the selection of Carlos Beltrán to the Baseball Hall of Fame. The former center fielder was selected by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America in his fourth year on the ballot, the Hall of Fame committee announced Tuesday night.

Beltrán and Andruw Jones, the other member of the 2026 Hall of Fame class, also become the first center fielders to become enshrined in the HOF since 2016 when Ken Griffey Jr. became the 24th. It’s a position that requires a certain amount of talent, acumen and athleticism, which is why only Kirby Puckett (2001) and Ken Griffey Jr. (2016) have been inducted since 1981.

It speaks to the impact Beltrán made on the field over parts of 20 seasons with the Mets, Yankees, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals, Texas Rangers, San Francisco Giants and Houston Astros. A five-tool player with power from both sides of the plate and speed that made him a weapon on the basepaths and in the outfield, he helped five teams reach the postseason, including the Mets in 2006.

“Carlos was a player that could do it all on the baseball field and one of the game’s great minds,” Hall of Fame former Yankees captain Derek Jeter said in a statement. “He was an integral part of the success on every team he played for.”

Born in Manati, Puerto Rico, Beltrán, 48, became the sixth player from the island to receive baseball’s highest honor, following Roberto Clemente, Orlando Cepeda, Roberto Alomar, Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez, and Edgar Martinez.

“He paved the way for future generations of Puerto Rican baseball players and set them on a path to success,” Mets shortstop, and fellow Puerto Rican, Francisco Lindor said in a statement. For that, he truly deserves this moment.”

For his career, Beltran slashed .279/.350/.486 with 2,725 total hits hits, 565 doubles, 78 triples, 435 home runs, 1,587 RBI, 1,582 runs scored and 312 stolen bases, compiling 70.0 bWAR. His accolades included nine All-Star selections, three Glove Glove Awards, two Silver Slugger Awards and an AL Rookie of the Year Award in 1999.

In 65 postseason games, Beltrán hit .307 with a 1.021 OPS and 16 home runs. In his first-ever playoff run with the Houston Astros in 2004, Beltrán hit eight home runs, one in each of the first four games of the NLCS against the Cardinals and the game-winner Game 4. He also drove in 14 runs, scoring 21 himself in 12 games and swiping six bags.

Beltrán helped the Mets reach the 2006 NLCS, hitting safely in six of seven games, including the in the final five games of the series against St. Louis. He went 3-for-3 with two home runs, two RBI, two walks and a run scored in a crucial Game 4 win.

Known for his October greatness, his prolific playoff performances had teams lining up for him each time he became available at the trade deadline or as a free agent.

In 2012, he helped St. Louis reach the NLCS. The following year, the Cards reached the World Series. While they ultimately came up short against the Boston Red Sox, Beltrán finally won a ring with the Astros in 2017, his first World Series title.

Looking at the JAWS metric, a system created by Jay Jaffe to determine Hall-of-Fame worthiness, Beltrán’s numbers are comparable to others at the same position who have already been elected to Cooperstown. The average WAR of Hall of Fame center fielders is 71.7, while Beltrán’s is 70, his peak WAR was 44.4 (position average is 44.7), and his total JAWS is 57.2, only one point off the average of the enshrined center fielders (58.2).

A second-round draft pick by Kansas City in 1995, Beltrán debuted in the big leagues as a September call-up in 1998 having never even played in Triple-A, then won the job as the team’s starting center fielder the following year. He won the AL Rookie of the Year Award in 1999, and led the Royals in runs, RBI, triples and stolen bases from 2001 to 2003, hitting 24 or more home runs in each of those three seasons.

A current special assistant in the Mets front office, Beltrán played 839 games for the Amazin’s over seven seasons from 2005-2011, and spent parts of three seasons with the Yankees as well from 2014-2016. He signed a seven-year, $119-million contract with the Mets ahead of the 2005 season, the largest contract in franchise history at the time and the 10th in MLB history to surpass the $100 million threshold.

“I remember being a young player in Port St. Lucie in my first Spring Training and looking at [Beltrán] and trying to emulate [his] game as best as I could. When I think of five-tool players you’re of first faces that come to mind,” said former Mets captain David Wright. “To top it off with your work ethic, I was able to witness firsthand the dedication and willingness to improve even though you were at top of your game.”

Beltrán was eventually implicated in Houston’s 2017 sign-stealing scandal. A 2020 investigation by MLB named Beltrán specifically as one of the leaders of the system, and he lost his job as the manager of the Mets before ever managing a game. Voters are asked to vote with character in mind, which is one of the reasons why it took until the fourth try for Beltrán to be elected. Still, he easily surpassed the 75% threshold needed for entrance, with 84.2% of voters checking his name.

Beltrán and Jones, along with Jeff Kent, who was selected for entrance by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee July 26 in Cooperstown, N.Y. Jones spent the final two seasons of his career with the Yankees from 2011-2012, and Kent was part of the Mets from 1992-1996.