Baseball Hall of Fame 2026 class brings in Beltran, Jones and Kent
Carlos Beltran, Andruw Jones and Jeff Kent are set for Cooperstown, with induction scheduled for July 26, 2026.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
The Baseball Hall of Fame 2026 class is headed to Cooperstown with three familiar names: Carlos Beltran, Andruw Jones and Jeff Kent, according to ESPN's David Schoenfield.
The Hall is scheduled to induct the trio on July 26, 2026, ESPN reported. The class gives center field a rare double dose, with Beltran and Jones joining a short post-1960 list of primary center fielders honored in Cooperstown.
Who is in the Baseball Hall of Fame 2026 class?
- Carlos Beltran, a nine-time All-Star center fielder with 435 home runs, more than 1,500 RBIs, more than 1,500 runs and at least 300 stolen bases.
- Andruw Jones, a 10-time Gold Glove center fielder who hit 434 home runs.
- Jeff Kent, elected by the Hall of Fame's contemporary baseball era committee last December, according to ESPN.
Beltran's case runs straight through October. ESPN pointed to his 2004 postseason with the Houston Astros, when he hit .435, slugged 1.022, homered eight times, stole six bases and scored 21 runs across 12 games.
Craig Biggio, Beltran's Astros teammate, described that run in 2014 as something he had never seen before, according to ESPN. The rest of Beltran's résumé had plenty of bulk too: three Gold Gloves, four seasons with at least 30 home runs, and a career stolen-base success rate of 86.4% among players with at least 200 attempts.
ESPN also noted Beltran's postseason line: .307/.412/.609 with 16 home runs and 42 RBIs in 65 games. Among players with at least 200 postseason plate appearances, Schoenfield wrote, Beltran is the only one with an OPS above 1.000.
Why was Carlos Beltran's Hall of Fame path delayed?
Beltran's Hall case was complicated by the 2017 Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal. ESPN reported that Beltran was a central figure in the scheme and helped develop the trash-can system used to relay stolen signs to hitters.
The fallout cost Beltran the New York Mets manager job after he had been hired in November 2019, ESPN reported. Schoenfield wrote that the scandal likely slowed his arrival in Cooperstown, saying Beltran might otherwise have been elected on his first ballot in 2023. ESPN's Hall of Fame preview did not include a new comment from Beltran.
Jones' Cooperstown case is built on power and glove work. ESPN reported that he became Atlanta's regular center fielder in 1998 and won 10 straight Gold Gloves from there through 2007.
He also made instant October noise as a 19-year-old, hitting two home runs in Game 1 of the 1996 World Series for the Braves. ESPN wrote that Jones is now part of a tiny group with at least 400 home runs and 10 Gold Gloves, alongside Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Schmidt.
Kent reaches the Hall through a different lane. ESPN reported that he owns the record for most home runs by a second baseman and won the National League MVP award in 2000.
Beltran and Jones become the fourth and fifth primary center fielders who began their careers after 1960 to reach the Hall, joining Andre Dawson, Kirby Puckett and Griffey, according to ESPN. For Cooperstown, that makes the 2026 class a compact one with plenty of punch up the middle.
This story draws on original reporting from ESPN.com.