NEW YORK — The National Baseball Hall of Fame announced its Class of 2026 on Tuesday night. Two outfielders with Yankees connections are headed to Cooperstown. But two franchise icons were left on the outside looking in.
Carlos Beltran received 358 votes for 84.2% of the ballot in his fourth year of eligibility. Andruw Jones earned 333 votes for 78.4% in his ninth year. Both cleared the 75% threshold needed for induction.
The results brought celebration for two center fielders who wore pinstripes during their careers. They also brought continued frustration for fans hoping to see Andy Pettitte and Alex Rodriguez join the pantheon of baseball immortals.
The new Hall of Famers and their Bronx ties
Both Beltran and Jones spent time in the Bronx during their storied careers. Beltran served as a designated hitter for the Yankees from 2014 to 2016. He batted .270 with 56 home runs and 180 RBI across 341 games in pinstripes.
Jones arrived as a shell of his former self, playing his final two MLB seasons with the Yankees in 2011 and 2012. He hit .220 with 27 home runs over 171 games as a platoon bat against left-handed pitching.
“Carlos was an incredible all-around talent on the field, and the back of his baseball card speaks for itself,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. “What shouldn’t be lost about his career is the impact he made on giving a stronger voice to Latin baseball players, including the way he spearheaded the effort to have Spanish language interpreters in every clubhouse.”
Former Yankees captain Derek Jeter welcomed both inductees to the Hall.
“Carlos was a player that could do it all on the baseball field and one of the game’s great minds,” Jeter said. “He was an integral part of the success on every team he played for.”
Jeter added on Jones: “From playing against him in the World Series when he was 19 years old to becoming teammates later in our careers and even better friends since, Andruw will go down as one of the best center fielders to ever play this game.”
Pettitte surges but remains short
The most significant Yankees storyline came from a player who will not be heading to Cooperstown this summer. Andy Pettitte jumped from 27.9% last year to 48.5% in 2026. That 20-point gain marks one of the largest year-over-year increases on this ballot.
The left-hander won 256 games with a 3.85 ERA over 18 seasons. He captured five World Series rings with the Yankees and holds the all-time postseason record with 19 wins. His case has gained momentum following comparisons to CC Sabathia, who was elected on the first ballot last year.
Pettitte now enters his ninth year of eligibility in 2027. He has just two chances remaining to reach the 75% threshold through the BBWAA ballot. His rapid ascent offers hope that Cooperstown may still be calling.
Rodriguez remains stuck at 40%
Alex Rodriguez received 170 votes for exactly 40% of the ballot in his fifth year. That small increase from last year’s 37.1% offers little encouragement for the former Yankees slugger.
Rodriguez finished his 22-year career with 696 home runs, 2,086 RBI and three MVP awards. He helped the Yankees win the 2009 World Series. But his 2014 suspension for performance-enhancing drug use continues to haunt his candidacy.
With five years remaining on the ballot, Rodriguez appears headed toward the same fate as Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Manny Ramirez. The Contemporary Era Committee provides his most likely path to Cooperstown now.
Ramirez falls off after final year
Manny Ramirez received just 38.8% in his 10th and final year on the BBWAA ballot. The former Yankees rival with the Red Sox owned numbers that screamed Hall of Fame candidacy. He hit 555 home runs with a .312 career average and a .996 OPS.
Multiple PED suspensions sealed his fate with the writers. Ramirez becomes eligible for the Contemporary Era Committee ballot in fall 2028. That group has proven even more hostile toward players with steroid connections.
The case for Beltran and Jones
Beltran finished his 20-year career with a .279 average, 435 home runs, 1,587 RBI and 312 stolen bases. He is one of just five players with 500 doubles, 400 home runs and 300 steals. The others are Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Andre Dawson and Willie Mays.
His path to Cooperstown was complicated by his involvement in the 2017 Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal. Beltran was the only player named in the commissioner’s report. He was fired as Mets manager before ever leading a game following those revelations.
“I tried not to overthink about that process,” Beltran said on MLB Network. “But let me tell you, my wife, Jessica, she spent hours of time trying to basically stay in contact with the Hall of Fame Tracker. Every vote that I received, I knew that I received a vote because she would kind of scream. And I knew when I didn’t receive a vote, because she was angry.”
Jones stands alongside Ken Griffey Jr. and Willie Mays as the only center fielders with 10 Gold Glove Awards. He hit 434 home runs including 51 in 2005 when he finished second in MVP voting. His defensive peak from 1998 to 2006 remains unmatched at the position.
“When you play this game, you don’t play to be in the Hall of Fame,” Jones said. “You play this game to help your team win championships.”
Other ballot notes
Chase Utley jumped to 59.1% in his third year of eligibility. The former Phillies star appears on track for eventual election. Felix Hernandez rose to 46.1% in his second year. Cole Hamels debuted at 23.8% and was the only first-year candidate to remain on the ballot.
Bobby Abreu, another former Yankee, received 30.8% in his seventh year. The outfielder spent parts of three seasons in the Bronx from 2006 to 2008.
Beltran, Jones and Jeff Kent will be inducted on July 26 at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown. Kent was elected by the Contemporary Era Committee in December.
What this means for Yankees fans
The Yankees have added two more names to their Cooperstown legacy. Beltran and Jones join the long list of players who wore pinstripes during Hall of Fame careers. Neither spent their best years in New York. But both left memorable marks in the Bronx.
The bigger question involves Pettitte. His surge offers genuine hope that a true Yankees icon could soon receive baseball’s highest individual honor. Two more years on the ballot remain. The momentum is finally building in his favor.
As former manager Joe Girardi said of Jones: “He was the best center fielder of my generation.” That sentiment now carries the official stamp of Cooperstown approval.
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