SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO — Though he had been denied in previous years, it finally occurred. Puerto Rican native Carlos Beltrán became the sixth Puerto Rican elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown on Tuesday night, as part of the Class of 2026, eight years after his retirement from Major League Baseball.
Beltran received 358 votes for a total of 84.2%, followed by Andruw Jones who, in his ninth attempt, received 333 votes for 78.4%.
It took the 48-year-old Beltrán four attempts on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) ballot before surpassing the 75% of votes required for induction.
Thus, the former center fielder and switch-hitter joins fellow Puerto Ricans Roberto Clemente (1973), Orlando “Peruchín” Cepeda (1999), Roberto Alomar (2011), Iván Rodríguez (2017), and Edgar Martínez (2019).
His induction ceremony and the unveiling of his plaque at the Baseball Hall of Fame Museum will take place on Sunday, July 26, in Cooperstown, upstate New York, as part of a weekend of activities for the newest members of baseball’s immortal club.
Beltrán, a graduate of Fernando Callejo High School in Manatí, was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the second round of the 1995 amateur draft. He signed a professional contract that same year and made his Major League Baseball debut three years later, at the end of the 1998 season. In 1999, Beltrán won both the American League Rookie of the Year and LatinoMVP Rookie of the Year awards.
2026 National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Carlos Beltrán and Latino Sports founder/president Julio Pabón during a local event where we honored Beltrán for his impact on and off the field – Image Credit: Latino Sports
Notably, Beltrán becomes the first Puerto Rican in the Hall of Fame to achieve immortality in baseball through the Major League Baseball draft. Clemente, Cepeda, Alomar, Rodríguez, and Martínez all entered organized baseball as free agents.
Beltran had the statistics to be inducted earlier, home runs (435), RBIs (1,587), and runs scored (1,582), but the Houston Astros cheating incident had tarnished him enough to keep him out of the HOF until now.
He also ranks third in hits with 2,725, behind Clemente (3,000) and Iván Rodríguez (2,844).
Only Rodríguez played longer than Beltrán in the Major Leagues, with 21 seasons. Considered one of the few Puerto Rican players to excel as a five-tool player, Beltrán was a versatile talent who shone for his ability to hit for average and power, as evidenced by his lifetime .279 batting average, 435 home runs, and 565 doubles. He also combined speed on the bases and a high stealing rate, in addition to his excellent defense.
Carlos Beltrán received the call of a lifetime Tuesday night with the news of him getting elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum – Image Credit: MLB
Beltrán stole 312 bases, second only to Alomar (474) among Puerto Rican Hall of Famers, but with a superior and impressive ERA of 86.4. His powerful arm early in his career as a center fielder led him to lead all of Major League Baseball in 2006 in total assists, with 13, and in double plays, with six, playing for the Mets in the season he won his first Gold Glove.
Congratulations to Carlos for finally being inducted to the baseball HOF where he belongs.
SPECIAL NOTE
Latino Sports will once again follow our tradition of organizing a bus trip from the South Bronx to Cooperstown for the Induction ceremony every time that a Latino get selected. Anyone interested in the bus trip on Sunday, July 26 should reach out and reserve by writing to Latsports@aol.com
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