COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Baseball’s global reach was on full display Sunday as fans from across the world gathered in Cooperstown to celebrate three players whose careers helped shape the modern game.
Braves fans filled the crowd wearing white hats featuring Andruw Jones’ No. 25, while the blue and white of Curaçao could be seen throughout the gathering. Puerto Rican fans brought their own energy to the celebration, waving flags, applauding and chanting as they honored Carlos Beltrán.
At the center of it all were the newest members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame: Jeff Kent, Andruw Jones and Carlos Beltrán.
The three inductees were joined on stage by a remarkable collection of Hall of Famers, with 60 legends in attendance to welcome the newest members. The group included 57 previously inducted Hall of Famers, spanning generations from Sandy Koufax, a member of the Class of 1972, to the three living inductees from last year’s class—CC Sabathia, Ichiro Suzuki and Billy Wagner.
With Kent, Jones and Beltrán officially inducted, the Hall’s membership now stands at 354 members, including 281 players.
The class also represents a significant moment in baseball history. Jones and Beltrán became only the third and fourth center fielders elected by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America in nearly half a century, joining Kirby Puckett and Ken Griffey Jr. since Duke Snider was inducted in 1980.
Kent, meanwhile, became the first second baseman elected to the Hall since Craig Biggio entered in 2015.
JEFF KENT
For Jeff Kent, the road to Cooperstown was finally complete.
The former second baseman, who was elected by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee at the Winter Meetings last December, arrived in Cooperstown as one of the most accomplished offensive players ever to play his position.
Kent was known throughout his career for his intensity and competitiveness, but during his induction weekend, the emotions that he had kept beneath the surface for so many years finally came pouring out.
Before Kent took the stage, a retrospective video featured former San Francisco Giants manager Dusty Baker, who joked that he was waiting to see whether Kent would smile or cry during his induction speech.
Kent knew his longtime manager well.
“Dusty knows me too well, probably better than my dad does,” Kent said. “I’ll try not to cry now, but it’s coming. No doubt.”
Baker would eventually get his wish.
One of Kent’s most emotional moments came when he recalled a pickup truck that played a surprisingly important role in his journey to the Major Leagues.
As a teenager, Kent was racing motorcycles and driving an old Plymouth Volaré owned by his great-grandparents. His father, Alan, believed his son needed to focus on school and baseball and made him a deal: If Kent earned a college scholarship, he would buy him a pickup truck.
Kent accepted the challenge.
He gave up motorcycle racing, concentrated on his education and baseball, earned his scholarship—and got the truck.
That same pickup truck remains with him today.
“That truck is still with me,” Kent said. “It sits in my garage as a simple reminder that some of the simplest things can change the entire direction of your life.”
The moment brought tears and laughter from the crowd, with Kent’s father looking on proudly.
Kent also reflected on what it meant to become part of baseball’s permanent history.
“When my wife and I had a chance to visit the Hall of Fame Museum just a few months ago, I finally realized the weight that this game carries,” Kent said. “The halls are filled with stories that you can’t experience anywhere else.”
For Kent, standing alongside the legends he grew up watching was difficult to put into words.
“Overwhelming doesn’t even begin to describe it,” he said.
Despite the personal significance of the day, Kent insisted that his induction was ultimately about something bigger than himself.
“This day isn’t about me though, this day is about baseball,” he said. “It’s a celebration of baseball, and I just happen to be a part of it.”
ANDRUW JONES
The celebration continued with Andruw Jones, who became the first native of Curaçao to enter the Baseball Hall of Fame.
For the island of Curaçao, Jones’ induction was a historic moment.
“There is no easy way to get here from the small island of Curaçao, more than 2,000 miles away, but today Cooperstown and Curaçao are forever joined together,” Jones said. “Being the first Hall of Famer from my island is an incredible moment.”
Jones was born on April 23, 1977, on the 171-square-mile Caribbean island located north of Venezuela. His baseball journey began at an incredibly young age.
He received his first glove when he was just 3 years old, began playing internationally at 11 and was competing with players much older than him by the time he was 13.
Much of his baseball education came from his father, Henry Jones, who coached him and helped develop the defensive instincts that would eventually make him one of the greatest center fielders of his generation.
Jones recalled how his father would hit fly balls from foul pole to foul pole, forcing him to track balls in the difficult ocean breeze of Curaçao.
“Because he played center field, I wanted to be a center fielder,” Jones said of his father. “And he passed down every bit of knowledge of the game to me.”
His mother, Carmen, was also in attendance for the celebration, surrounded by family that included his son, Druw, a prospect in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization.
Jones made sure to recognize her during his speech.
“Thank you for being an amazing mom and raising me the right way,” he said. “You taught me how to be humble, you taught me so many things in life.”
Jones entered the Hall wearing a Braves cap, a fitting tribute to the organization where he spent the majority of his career and helped build one of the greatest sustained periods of success in baseball history.
His induction adds another important name to a Braves organization that won 14 consecutive division titles from 1991 through 2005.
Jones now stands alongside Hall of Fame teammates and Braves legends including Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Chipper Jones and Fred McGriff, as well as manager Bobby Cox and general manager John Schuerholz.
Jones saved special praise for Cox, who trusted him as a teenager and placed him in the Braves’ World Series lineup at just 19 years old.
“Bobby had confidence in me and helped me become the best player I could’ve been,” Jones said.
He also acknowledged the longtime support of his former teammate and fellow Hall of Famer Chipper Jones.
“Larry Wayne Jones—some call him Chipper—Chipper pushed for my induction for many years,” Andruw said.
Then came the perfect closing line:
“The Jones boys are in Cooperstown now.”
CARLOS BELTRÁN
The final member of the Class of 2026 to take center stage was Carlos Beltrán, whose induction transformed Cooperstown into a celebration of Puerto Rican pride.
As Beltrán’s plaque was unveiled, fans wearing Puerto Rican jerseys waved flags and filled the grounds with applause and chants.
Beltrán embraced every moment.
“I love it. I love it,” he said afterward. “We’re proud, man. We’re proud people. And we’re a little island in the Caribbean, but full of passion, full of love, full of people with big hearts.”
Beltrán became the sixth Puerto Rican-born player elected to the Hall of Fame, a distinction that carried special meaning for someone who grew up in Manatí, Puerto Rico.
Looking back at his childhood, Beltrán recognized the Hall of Famers who helped pave the way for future generations of Puerto Rican players.
“When I was growing up in Manati, Puerto Rico, many of these guys were teaching me the game of baseball,” he said.
Beltrán thanked those who came before him for opening doors that allowed his generation to follow.
“Every generation has a responsibility to continue to make the game better,” he said.
Beltrán also took time to speak in Spanish to his parents, who were seated in the front row. Overcome with emotion, he eventually pulled a small Puerto Rican flag from his jacket and held it proudly in the air.
He thanked the more than 150 friends and family members who traveled to Cooperstown to share the moment with him.
When reflecting on his career, Beltrán remembered each stop along the way, from Kansas City, the organization that drafted him, to Houston, where he enjoyed a memorable postseason run alongside future Hall of Famer Jeff Kent.
But when it came time to choose the logo for his Hall of Fame plaque, Beltrán selected the New York Mets.
He explained that every organization he played for shaped his career, but New York had a deeper impact on his life.
“It was here where I experienced my greatest success and some of my greatest challenges,” Beltrán said. “Playing for the Mets made me a better man and a better leader.”
The plaque now joins those of Tom Seaver and Mike Piazza as the third Hall of Fame plaque featuring the Mets logo.
For Beltrán, however, the plaque represents much more than his accomplishments on the baseball field.
“Next to this plaque, I see a God who never stopped showing me grace throughout my career,” he said. “I see my parents, who gave me their best. I see my brothers, my family, my whole family. I see my children.”
He also recognized his wife, Jessica, his coaches, teammates, fans and the Little League coaches who helped shape his journey.
Beltrán’s thoughts eventually returned to Puerto Rico and the Carlos Beltrán Baseball Academy, where young people continue to pursue their dreams through education and baseball.
“I see my island, Puerto Rico,” he said.
Three players. Three different journeys. One destination.
Jeff Kent, Andruw Jones and Carlos Beltrán officially became members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, bringing with them the stories of the families, communities, countries and teammates that helped shape their careers.
Their induction weekend was not simply a celebration of individual achievement. It was a celebration of baseball’s ability to connect generations and cultures—from the pickup truck that inspired a young Jeff Kent, to the ocean breezes that helped Andruw Jones become a defensive master, to the passion of Puerto Rico that followed Carlos Beltrán all the way to Cooperstown.
On Sunday, baseball history welcomed three more legends.
