Andruw Jones, Carlos Beltrán selected to Hall of Fame

Field Level Media

For Georgians of a certain baseball age, the news felt inevitable the moment it finally arrived.

Andruw Jones — the wide-eyed 19-year-old who once announced himself to the baseball world by homering in each of his first two World Series at-bats — was elected Tuesday to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, cementing his place among the greatest center fielders the game has ever known.

Jones, the longtime Atlanta Braves star and defensive cornerstone of a generation, was elected alongside fellow five-tool outfielder Carlos Beltrán. The two will be inducted July 26 in Cooperstown, N.Y., joining second baseman Jeff Kent, who was elected last month by the Contemporary Baseball Era committee.

Jones received 333 votes, 78.4 percent of the total, comfortably clearing the 75 percent threshold required for induction.

For Braves fans, Jones’ Hall of Fame case has always felt both obvious and unique. From the moment he arrived in Atlanta in 1996, he was different — a rare blend of power, speed and otherworldly defense in center field. By 21, he had already won his first Gold Glove and hit 30 home runs. It was only the beginning.

From 1998 through 2007, Jones won 10 consecutive Gold Gloves, one of the most dominant defensive runs in baseball history. During that decade, he hit 345 home runs and drove in 1,034 runs, while turning Turner Field’s outfield into his personal territory.

His peak came in 2005, when he led the National League with 51 home runs and 128 RBIs and finished second in the MVP voting.

Over a 17-year career, Jones hit 434 home runs and stole 152 bases. He spent 1996–2007 with the Braves before playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees. A native of Curaçao, Jones reached the postseason 10 straight years with Atlanta and hit .273/.363/.433 in his playoff career.

Beltrán, who received 358 votes (84.2 percent), also enters Cooperstown as one of the great all-around players of his era.

The former Kansas City Royals standout and 1999 American League Rookie of the Year finished his 20-year career with 435 home runs, 312 stolen bases and nine All-Star selections. He won a World Series with the Houston Astros in 2017 and was one of the most dangerous postseason hitters of his generation, producing a .307/.412/.609 slash line in October.

Beltrán’s career included stops with the Royals, Astros, Mets, Giants, Cardinals, Yankees, Rangers and Astros again. His best-known years came in New York, where he posted a .280/.369/.500 line with 149 homers and 100 steals.

“Growing up in Puerto Rico, Carlos was an important role model to so many of us,” Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor said. “He paved the way for future generations of Puerto Rican baseball players.”

Jones and Beltrán will be joined in Cooperstown by Jeff Kent, the former second baseman who was elected by the Era committee.

In the rest of the voting, former Phillies second baseman Chase Utley finished third with 59.1 percent. Andy Pettitte (48.5 percent), Félix Hernández (46.1 percent) and Alex Rodriguez (40 percent) rounded out the top five.

Hernández, the former Mariners ace and 2010 Cy Young winner, made the biggest jump, rising from 20.6 percent last year to 46.1 percent. Manny Ramirez finished sixth with 38.8 percent but fell short of what he needed to remain on the ballot.