Center fielders Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame today. Since 1981, only two other center fielders had been elected: Ken Griffey Jr. and Kirby Puckett. Rightful due for one of the most vital positions and two incredible players.
Blue Jays: Andruw Jones and Carlos Beltrán elected to Hall of Fame, Edwin Encarnación drops off ballot
Photo credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 20, 2026, 19:00 ESTUpdated: Jan 20, 2026, 18:53 EST
There will be two other players joining former Toronto Blue Jay Jeff Kent in the 2026 Hall of Fame class.
On Tuesday evening, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America voted Andruw Jones and Carlos Beltrán to the Hall of Fame. Earlier this off-season, Kent was voted in by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee.
There were two former Blue Jays on the ballot, Edwin Encarnación and Mark Buehrle. Unfortunately, Encarnación is a one and done, as he received just six votes, well below the 5% of the votes needed to stay on the ballot. Buehrle received 20% of the votes in his sixth year on the ballot, meaning he’ll have a seventh season next winter.
This was Jones’ ninth year on the ballot, having received 66.2% of the 75% of the needed votes in 2025. Over his 17 year playing career, Jones played 12 with the Atlanta Braves, two with the New York Yankees to end his career, and a season with each of the Chicago White Sox, Texas Rangers, and Los Angeles Dodgers.
His best years came with the Braves, where he slashed .263/.342/.497 in 7,276 plate appearances. His best season was 2005, as he hit a league-leading 51 home runs with a career-best 134 wRC+ and 7.9 fWAR. The final season in Atlanta was the beginning of Jones’ decline, as he failed to register 400 plate appearances following his departure.
Four of the six seasons away from the Braves saw Jones post a wRC+ of 100 or lower, but had strong seasons in limited plate appearances in 2010 with the White Sox and 2011 with the Yankees. In the end, he slashed .254/.337/.486 with a 111 wRC+ and 67 fWAR and 62.7 bWAR.
The Curaçao native won 10 Gold Gloves in centre field and was a five-time All-Star. He won his only Silver Slugger award in 2005, finishing as a finalist for the National League’s MVP. In four other seasons, Jones received at least one MVP vote. Jones was also a four-time All-Star.
As for Beltrán, the centre fielder spent 20 seasons in the league. Seven seasons were spent with the Kansas City Royals to begin his career, followed by seven seasons with the New York Mets. After his Mets’ tenure ended before the 2011 trade deadline, Beltrán played for the San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Yankees, Rangers, and Houston Astros, winning the World Series in his final season.
Overall, Beltrán slashed .279/.350/.485 with 435 home runs in 11,031 plate appearances, finishing with a 118 wRC+ and accumulating 67.4 fWAR and 70 bWAR. Other than a World Series to end his career, Beltrán’s accolades include a Rookie of the Year award, three Gold Gloves, two Silver Sluggers, a Roberto Clemente Humanitarian Award, and nine All-Star Games.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
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