Carlos Beltrán's wife intently followed Hall of Fame vote-tracker

Making his fourth appearance of the ballot, Beltrán received 358 of 425 votes for 84.2% from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America in voting announced Tuesday. That was 39 above the 319 needed for the 75% threshold.

Andruw Jones, in the ninth of 10 possible appearances, was picked on 333 ballots for 78.4%.

Beltrán fell 19 votes short last year. Jessica kept him informed of this year's projection.

“She made me aware every single morning where I was, and if it was going to be a good day or a bad day," he said.

Just two center fielders had been elected by the BBWAA in the previous 45 years, Ken Griffey Jr. and Kirby Puckett.

“I never dreamed about being a Hall of Famer,” Jones said. “It’s kind of a weight off of my shoulders. All of my family was telling me about it. All of my fans, all of my friends, they were like ‘oh when are you going to get that call’, and I just said ‘I’m just living like it’s probably never going to happen.’”

Beltrán was the only Houston Astros player mentioned by name in a report by Major League Baseball regarding the team’s illicit use of electronics to steal signs during the teams run to the 2017 World Series championship — his final season.

“Honestly, I know that’s part of my story,” Beltrán said. “There’s no doubt that as a team, we altogether put ourselves in that position. Looking back, understanding what we did and where we were and how we were able to do it as a team, there’s a lot of times you get caught up thinking on that moment, and there’s a lot of times when you think of: We did take it to a different level, meaning on finding ways to beat the opposing team."

“As a group and as an organization, we also felt being able to find a way to take advantage of the opposing team is something that every team will do whatever it takes to win in baseball,” he added. "When you hear the name Carlos Beltrán, that’s something that’s going to be attached to my name, and at the same time, that doesn’t really define the person that I am.”

Beltrán has helped grow baseball in his native Puerto Rico, where he has a school that provides developmental and educational opportunities.

“Perfection is part of no one’s life,” Beltrán said.

When Beltrán reached the major leagues with the Kansas City Royals in 1998, he was just trying to develop a consistent approach to stay at the big league level

“I was lucky to come up here with an organization like the Kansas City Royals next to George Brett, who was very passionate about sharing information, helping the younger players develop, so after that year, I put such a good year as a rookie, now I was thinking I got to repeat this again,” Beltrán said.

Jones received just 7.3% in his first ballot appearance in 2018 and didn’t get half the total until receiving 58.1% in 2023. He increased to 61.6% and 66.2%, falling 35 votes short last year.

He had an annual tradition on the day vote totals were announced, going to a sushi bar and drinking sake regardless of his total. He changed his routine in 2025.

“I stayed home and when I didn’t get the call, I was like, ‘Man, I could have been having good sake right now,’” Jones joked.

Beltrán, among only five players with at least 400 homers and 300 stolen bases, arrived at the museum’s plaque gallery 45 minutes before the news conference. He made his way around the room to take in his newest teammates, saying the experience was overwhelming. He showed his family the names who gained baseball's highest honor and their accomplishments.

“I will encourage baseball fans to come to Cooperstown and understand the story of baseball,” Beltrán said. “The story of baseball is not about one player. It’s about multiple players, different nationalities, different backgrounds, understanding where the game began and where the game is today.”

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