Two new greats will take their place alongside baseball’s immortals in Cooperstown this summer, and if this year’s vote was any indication, several others once thought to be long shots might have a realistic chance in the years to come.
Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones have each been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, the museum announced on Tuesday night. The two were the only candidates to receive the necessary 75% of the vote, and they will be inducted on July 26 alongside Jeff Kent, who was elected earlier this month by the Contemporary Era committee.
Longtime Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia earned 20.7% of the vote, a significant increase from the 11.9% he garnered in his first year of eligibility. Chase Utley (59.1%), Andy Pettitte (48.5%) and Felix Hernandez (46.1%) all saw their percentages jump by close to 20% as well, positioning them among the top candidates to earn induction next year.
Former Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez, who was twice suspended for performance-enhancing drug use late in his career, received only 38.8% of the vote in his 10th and final year of eligibility. Alex Rodriguez, who also would have been a slam dunk Hall of Famer if not for his association with PEDs, earned 40% of the vote.
Beltran led all candidates with 84.2% of the vote, earning induction on his fourth try after previously falling short in large part thanks to his association with the 2017 Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal. Before that Beltran was widely regarded as one of the greatest switch-hitters in MLB history, earning AL Rookie of the Year honors, nine All-Star nods, three Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers over a decorated 20-year career.
Beltran batted .279 with 435 home runs, 1,587 RBI, 312 stolen bases, an .837 OPS and 2,725 hits in his career, with his best years coming with the Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros and New York Mets. He was also a renowned postseason performer, batting .307 with 16 home runs and a 1.021 OPS in 65 playoff games. That included a historic 2004 playoff run in which he hit eight home runs in 12 games and led the Astros to within one game of the National League pennant.
Jones earned 78.4% in his ninth year on the ballot, completing a remarkable rise after initially earning just 7.3% of the vote on his first try back in 2018. Jones’ candidacy was hurt for years by his rapid decline after age 30, but in recent years voters placed a greater emphasis on his dominant peak, during which he won 10 straight Gold Gloves at center field while recording seven seasons with 30 or more home runs.
Jones finished his career a five-time All-Star with 434 home runs, 152 stolen bases and a .823 OPS.
2026 Hall of Fame voting results
Carlos Beltrán 358 (84.2%), Andruw Jones 333 (78.4), Chase Utley 251 (59.1), Andy Pettitte 206 (48.5), Félix Hernández 196 (46.1), Álex Rodríguez 170 (40.0), Manny Ramírez 165 (38.8), Bobby Abreu 131 (30.8), Jimmy Rollins 108 (25.4), Cole Hamels 101 (23.8), Dustin Pedroia 88 (20.7), Mark Buehrle 85 (20.0), Omar Vizquel 78 (18.4), David Wright 63 (14.8), Francisco Rodríguez 50 (11.8), Torii Hunter 37 (8.7), Ryan Braun 15 (3.5), Edwin Encarnación 6 (1.4), Shin-Soo Choo 3 (0.7), Matt Kemp 2 (0.5), Hunter Pence 2 (0.5), Rick Porcello 2 (0.5), Alex Gordon 1 (0.2), Nick Markakis 1 (0.2), Gio González 0, Howie Kendrick 0, Daniel Murphy 0.
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