Carlos Beltran appears primed for Hall of Fame nod

Slugger Edwin Encarnacion and former ace Cole Hamels highlight the 12 newcomers to the 2026 National Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, which is likely the one that puts Carlos Beltran with the immortals in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Unlike recent years, there aren’t any surefire first-ballot Hall of Famers among the newcomers on the 2026 ballot. Yet, this ballot could be remembered as the year of the center fielder with Beltran and Andruw Jones finally earning their spots in Cooperstown.

Voters can submit an empty ballot or vote for as many as 10. I have traditionally used all 10 votes allowed over my first 19 years as a voter. There might not be 10 Hall-worthy players on this ballot, though. 

Beltran likely would have already been elected to the Hall of Fame if voters didn’t punish him for his involvement in the 2017 Astros’ cheating scandal. Whatever the case, only first-ballot Hall of Famers Ichiro Suzuki and CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner, who got in on his 10th and final year of eligibility, received more votes than Beltran last year.

Close to 75 percent

Players must receive votes from 75 percent of the veteran members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America to be elected to the Hall. Beltran received 277 votes for 70.3 percent in his third year on the ballot. He might want to make plans to be in Cooperstown for induction weekend next July 24-27. 

Jones received 261 votes for 66.2 in his eighth year on the ballot. Jones made a solid jump from 61.6 percent in 2024. Beltran, however, made a huge jump from 57.1 percent in 2024. He received 46.5 percent in 2023, his first year on the ballot.

If Carlos Beltran’s support grows at a similar pace, he’ll cruise to Cooperstown. Beltran, Jones and Hall of Famer Ken Griffey, Jr., were considered the greatest center fielders of their generation. Beltran, a nine-time All-Star, did it all.

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The 1999 American League Rookie of the Year, won three Rawlings Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers. He also won the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award for his humanitarian work off the field.

Beltran posted a 70 wins above replacement (WAR) after hitting .279 with 435 home runs. He also stole 312 bases and drove in 1,587 runs. If not for his involvement in the cheating scandal, he surely would have been a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Beltran has admitted that he crossed the line with the 2017 World Series champion Astros.

“Looking back now, yes, we crossed the line,” Beltran said in 2022. “We all did what we did. Looking back today, we were wrong.”

2017 scandal hovers over Carlos Beltran

Jones, a five-time All-Star who posted a 62.7 WAR, has lingered on the ballot for nine years. The 10-time Gold Glove winner won a Silver Slugger. He was also runner-up for the 2005 NL MVP Award. Jones finished his career with 434 home runs 

Alex Rodriguez has the most impressive stats among the 27 men on this year’s ballot, but his candidacy has stalled because of his use of performance-enhancement drugs. He and Manny Ramírez will likely continue to fall short because of the MLB suspensions they drew for PED use.

Ramirez is in his 10th and final year on the ballot. Mark Buehrle, Felix Hernandez, Andy Pettitte, Francisco Rodríguez, Dustin Pedroia, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Omar Vizquel, David Wright, Bobby Abreu and Torii Hunter also return to the ballot this year.

Hamels and Encarnacion are arguably the top newcomers on the ballot. Hunter Pence, Ryan Braun, Matt Kemp, Howie Kendrick, Daniel Murphy, Rick Porcello, Gio Gonzalez, Alex Gordon, Shin-Soo Choo and Nick Markakis are the other newcomers.