The inaugural class for the National Baseball Hall of Fame came way back in 1936 and featured the likes of Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and others. That means the 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame Class is the 90th anniversary of that historic moment, and that class will get its day on Sunday. That’s when the newest Hall of Famers will officially be enshrined in Cooperstown, New York, earning busts alongside Ruth and Cobb.
This year’s class is three deep with Carlos Beltran, Andruw Jones, and Jeff Kent. All three began their MLB careers in the 1990s, so most fans are very familiar with them.
But here we’ll delve into why exactly they are worthy of joining the most exclusive club in baseball.
Carlos Beltran, OF, 1998–2017
One of the premier power-speed combinations for two decades, Beltran played for seven teams, including seven years with both the Kansas City Royals and New York Mets.
He appeared on 84.2 percent of ballots to get inducted in his fourth year of eligibility, and Beltran will become the third player to have a Mets logo on his Hall of Fame plaque.
He is one of just eight players in the history of the sport to log at least 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases, while being one of five with at least 400 homers among that group. While the longballs will draw much of the attention, Beltran’s efficiency on the basepaths is unparalleled. His 86.4 percent stolen base success rate is the best in MLB history, with a minimum of 200 stolen base attempts.
A nine-time All-Star, Beltran collected over 2,700 hits in his career, which culminated in a World Series championship with the 2017 Houston Astros.
His offensive exploits shouldn’t diminish what he did in the field, winning three Gold Glove awards. Beltran will become the fifth Puerto Rican inducted into Cooperstown, joining Roberto Clemente, Orlando Cepeda, Roberto Alomar, and Ivan Rodriguez.
Andruw Jones, OF, 1996–2012
Widely considered the greatest defensive center fielder of all time, Jones suited up for five teams. He’s best known for his time with the Atlanta Braves, whom he played a dozen seasons with, and that’s fitting, as Jones will become the 12th player to enter the HOF as a Brave. Jones gets the nod for the Hall in his penultimate year on the ballot, garnering 78.4 percent of the vote in his ninth year.
Only 17 players in MLB history—and just six outfielders—have won at least 10 Gold Glove awards, including Jones. His came in 10 straight seasons with Atlanta from 1998-2007, and the advanced metrics love Jones even more than the Gold Glove voters did. He ranks first in MLB history in total zone runs as a centerfielder, easily besting the player with the second most in Willie Mays.
Jones’s proficiency in patrolling center field often overshadows what he did at the plate, but all he did as a batter was club 434 home runs. That makes him one of just four players—alongside Ken Griffey Jr., Mike Schmidt, and Mays—to have 400 homers and 10 Gold Gloves. Speaking of homers, Jones hit one as a 19-year-old in the 1996 World Series, making him the youngest player to ever homer in the Fall Classic.
Jones was a five-time All-Star during his career and led the NL in both homers (51) and RBI (128) in 2005, finishing as runner-up for the MVP award. He also played two years in Japan after his MLB career ended, being an All-Star in NPB and also winning that league’s championship.
A native of Curacao, Jones will proudly become the first Curacaoan to go into the Hall of Fame.
Jeff Kent, 2B, 1992–2008
The greatest power-hitting second baseman in MLB history, Kent logged time with six different teams, with the San Francisco Giants being the most prominent of those. That’s the franchise he chose to represent on his cap on his HOF plaque, becoming the 16th Giant with a Cooperstown plaque.
Kent never received the minimum number of votes during his 10 years on the BBWAA ballot, as he’s going into the Hall via the Contemporary Era committee.
Playing in an era in which power wasn’t the norm for middle infielders, Kent slugged 377 career home runs. He hit 351 of those at the position, making him the all-time leader in home runs by a second baseman and 61 clear of second place (Robinson Cano: 316).
He was a late bloomer who didn’t truly find his groove until his late 20s, and Kent’s 1,200 RBI after turning 29 years old are the 10th-most in MLB history.
A five-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger, Kent’s defining season came in 2000. His entire batting split of .334/.424/.596 was a career high en route to 33 home runs, 125 RBI and 114 runs scored. That enabled Kent to win the NL MVP award, as his teammate, Barry Bonds, had to settle for second place before the latter would win the award in each of the next four seasons.
A native of Bellflower, California, in Greater Los Angeles, Kent is, surprisingly, not the first Bellflower-born player to get enshrined in Cooperstown. He’ll become the second, following closer Trevor Hoffman, who was inducted in 2018.
The 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on Sunday, July 26 at 1:30 p.m. ET at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown. It will air on MLB Network and stream on the MLB app.
