Decision time is coming fast for who may join Jeff Kent as members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s Class of 2026, and Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones are among the strongest contenders.
To the 27 former players named on the 2026 Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) ballot, the two most important dates on this year’s calendar are Jan. 20 and July 26. Live from Cooperstown, N.Y., later this month, on the MLB Network, Josh Rawitch will announce which, if any, additional new members will become part of the Class of 2026.
As president of the Baseball Hall of Fame, Rawitch welcomes all newcomers. Jack O’Connell, BBWAA secretary-treasurer, has the pleasant job of informing those candidates who received 75 percent of the votes—from the 394 voters who have covered baseball for 10 consecutive seasons or more—that they will be joining the game’s most exclusive club. Thereafter, work will begin in Cooperstown for the summer’s Induction Weekend.
So far, Kent is the lone member of the Class of 2026. Last month, in receiving votes from the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee (14 of 16 thumbs-up), which considers players who are no longer eligible for the BBWAA ballot, Kent was the only candidate, at 87.5 percent, to reach or surpass the threshold. In Kent’s final year of eligibility (2023) on the BBWAA ballot, he topped out at 46.5 percent.
Kent’s election is a reminder that no matter how confident a player may be of his career performance indicating election, until Rawitch takes to the podium in the Hall of Fame’s plaque gallery at announcement time, it’s a guessing game for all.
Last year’s vote saw Beltran come close to getting a call from O’Connell. Beltran accumulated 277 votes, for a 70.3 percent score. The 2026 ballot is the former American League Rookie of the Year’s (1999) fourth year of eligibility. In 2023, he received 46.5 percent of the vote, and in 2024 Beltran earned 57.1 percent of support from the BBWAA voting membership.
Having played all outfield positions, Beltran is predominantly remembered for his time as a center fielder. Breaking into the big leagues with the Kansas City Royals in 1998, Beltran’s 2,725 hits, 435 home runs, 1,587 RBIs, and .279 average earned over the next 19 MLB seasons is a resume few who have played the game have equaled or exceeded. For those who may question the sub-.300 batting average, Beltran shares the same .279 as Hall of Famer Andre Dawson and beats fellow Hall of Famer Gary Carter’s .262 career average.
For Jones, the 2026 ballot is the ninth he has appeared on since retiring after the 2012 season playing for the New Yankees. If not elected to the Hall of Fame this year, Jones would be eligible in 2027. After his 10th year on the BBWAA ballot, Jones would need to be elected by the Contemporary Committee, the route Kent traveled to Cooperstown. Starting his career in 1996 at age 19, and playing 17 MLB seasons, he is best remembered for his 12 years wearing an Atlanta Braves uniform. Jones is regarded as among the very best center fielders of his time. During a 10-year period (1998–2007), Jones won Rawlings Gold Gloves consecutively.
Jones has since had his No. 25 retired by the Braves and was inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame in 2015. Slugging 434 home runs (one less than Beltran), finishing up with a .254 batting average, and just shy of registering 2,000 hits, Jones’s exceptional defense could be what catapults him to the 75-percent finish line with voters. Jones has seen his support jump from 58.1 percent in 2023 to 66.2 percent last year.
Of the 27 names on this year’s BBWAA ballot that voting members needed to return to the Hall of Fame by Dec. 31, 15 are holdovers from 2025, and 12 are new candidates.
Between Bobby Abreu and David Wright, in alphabetical order, interesting cases could be built for several that have a better-than-average opportunity to have a plaque made for them in the Upstate New York village. Among those with little opportunity to gain the 5 percent of the vote that would keep them on the following year’s ballot, however, are Gio Gonzalez, Ryan Braun, Rick Porcello, and Alex Gordon.
Of the 15 returning names on the BBWAA ballot, Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, Jimmy Rollins, and Dustin Pedroia, marquee draws in their careers, will need to enter 25 Main Street in Cooperstown through the Contemporary Committee if they are to have any chance of becoming Hall of Famers.
With less competition on this year’s BBWAA ballot, as compared to 2025 when Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, and Billy Wagner were generating the majority of attention by voters (all were elected to the Hall of Fame), 2026 should be Beltran’s year. The increase for Jones by voters can be interrupted as encouraging. And, again, with less competition in securing votes, Jones just may squeak in at 75 percent.
The 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Induction Weekend is scheduled for July 24–27. Ceremonies take place on the Clark Sports Center grounds, one mile southeast of the Village of Cooperstown.
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