Former MLB, NPB All-Star and WBSC Premier12 alum Andruw Jones elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame

Andruw Jones, who represented the Kingdom of the Netherlands at the WBSC Premier12 2015 and the 2006 and 2013 World Baseball Classics, is now a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in the US.

Needing 319 votes to earn the induction, Jones received 333 votes (78.4%) in the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) ballot. It was Jones's ninth ballot. The limit on the number of years to gain induction is 10.

When he debuted on the BBWAA ballot in 2018, Jones received only 7.3 % of the votes. MLB.com reported that "his ascension from 7.3% to the necessary 75% threshold is the largest increase in voting history, eclipsing the record of 10.2%, set by Class of 2023 inductee Scott Rolen."

MLB.com reached Jones in the Dominican Republic, where he is competing in a golf event Albert Pujols organised.

"To be honest, when I was playing, I never thought about possibly going to the Hall of Fame," Jones said. "I played the game because I love it. I played the game because I wanted to win. I played the game because I wanted to help my team win."

Born in 1977 in Curaçao, Jones played the core of his MLB career (1996-2007) for the Atlanta Braves. The club retired his No. 25 jersey in 2023.

Jones, the first player born in Curaçao to reach Cooperstown, is a five-time All-Star, 10-time Gold Glove outfielder, and led the National League in home runs (51) and RBIs (128) in 2005. After leaving the Braves, he played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Texas Rangers, and the Chicago White Sox. He finished his career in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), leading the Rakuten Golden Eagles to the 2013 Japan Series title with an All-Star season. He hit 434 MLB home runs and added 50 at the NPB level.

Jones will manage the Kingdom of the Netherlands at the 2026 World Baseball Classic

The only other player elected in the ballot was Carlos Beltran. He led the ballot with 358 votes (84.2%) in his fourth year.

The former superstar centre fielder for the Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees and Texas Rangers is the sixth Puerto Rican player inducted after Roberto Clemente, Orlando Cepeda, Roberto Alomar, Ivan Rodriguez and Edgar Martínez

"There’s no doubt that today, my life really has changed," Carlos Beltrán said on a conference call with MLB.com. "What this means to me, to Puerto Rico, to our family… It’s just a great thing that through my career, through the ups and downs of baseball, today I can say that I’m a Hall of Famer."

Beltran will serve as Puerto Rico's General Manager at the World Baseball Classic 2026.

"We are happy to celebrate that what Carlos did in baseball will gain immortality through the Hall of Fame induction," said Puerto Rico Baseball Federation (FBPR) President José Quiles

Jeff Kent, the all-time home run leader among second basemen with 377, joined Jones and Beltran as the sole selection made by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee.

"The emotions are overwhelming -- unbelievable," Jeff Kent said on MLB Network. "I didn’t even expect it. For me, there were so many quality guys that the committee had to argue through and vote for. I’m grateful that they considered me and gave it a shot at putting me in."

Kent had a 17-year MLB career with the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, Cleveland Indians, San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Class of 2026 induction ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, July 26, at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, N.Y.