Five-tool center fielders Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones learned Tuesday that they have been elected as the newest members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Beltran, a nine-time All-Star, piled up 435 home runs and 312 stolen bases during a 20-year career, culminated by winning the 2017 World Series with the Houston Astros. He received 358 votes out of 425 ballots cast (84.2%), surpassing the 75% threshold needed for enshrinement.
Jones, who hit home runs in his first two World Series at-bats at the tender age of 19, produced 434 homers and 152 steals over a 17-year career that featured 10 consecutive Gold Glove awards. Jones collected 333 votes (78.4%).
Beltran and Jones will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 26 in Cooperstown, N.Y. They will be joined by second baseman Jeff Kent, who earned his place last month via the Contemporary Baseball Era committee.
Beltran, 48, began his career with the Kansas City Royals and earned the American League’s 1999 Rookie of the Year award. During his seventh season with the Royals, the switch-hitter was traded to the Houston Astros in June 2004 and capped one of his best seasons: 38 homers, 42 steals, 121 runs and 104 RBIs while helping the Astros reach the NLCS.
He then signed a free-agent contract with the New York Mets and spent more than six years there before being traded to the San Francisco Giants at the 2011 trade deadline for Zack Wheeler. Beltran earned five All-Star appearances, three Gold Gloves, and two Silver Sluggers during his time with the Mets, which included a .280/.369/500 slash line with 149 home runs and 100 stolen bases.
“Growing up in Puerto Rico, Carlos was an important role model to so many of us,” said Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor. “After getting to know him personally, I saw firsthand what an exceptional father, leader and role model he truly is. He paved the way for future generations of Puerto Rican baseball players and set them on a path to success. For that, he truly deserves this moment.”
Beltran also played for the Giants (2011), St. Louis Cardinals (2012-13), New York Yankees (2014-16), Texas Rangers (2016) and Astros (2017). He reached the postseason seven times and amassed a .307/.412/.609 slash line over 256 plate appearances.
While Beltran’s superstar status was cemented once he reached New York’s spotlight, Jones was a comet from the moment he debuted with the Atlanta Braves. He earned his first Gold Glove and posted his first 30-homer season in 1998 when he was 21.
That started a 10-year run during which Jones won the Gold Glove every season while smacking 345 homers and driving in 1,034 runs. He hit his peak in 2005 when he led the National League with 51 homers and 128 RBIs and finished second in the Most Valuable Player vote.
After spending 1996-2007 with the Braves, the Curacao native played for the Los Angeles Dodgers (2008), Rangers (2009), Chicago White Sox (2010) and Yankees (2011-12). He reached the postseason 10 consecutive years with the Braves and produced a .273/.363/433 slash line with 10 home runs in 238 career playoff at-bats.
Former Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Chase Utley finished third in the balloting with 59.1% of the vote. Yankees left-hander Andy Pettitte (48.5%), Seattle Mariners right-hander Felix Hernandez (46.1%) and Alex Rodriguez (40%) rounded out the top five.
Hernandez, in his second year on the ballot, achieved the largest year-over-year percentage increase since Luis Aparicio in 1983. The 2010 Cy Young Award winner and six-time All-Star received only 20.6% of the vote last year.
Manny Ramirez finished sixth with 38.8% of the vote in his 10th year, but he needed a higher percentage to stay on the ballot.
–Field Level Media
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