Royals’ Carlos Beltran receives special call to National Baseball Hall of Fame
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Carlos Beltran spent seven of his 20 seasons with the Kansas City Royals.
- Beltran was named the 1999 AL Rookie of the Year after posting 22 homers and 108 RBIs.
- Beltran will headline the 2026 Hall of Fame class alongside Andruw Jones and Jeff Kent.
Carlos Beltran has finally received the call to Cooperstown.
On Tuesday, Beltran was one of two players — the other being Andruw Jones — inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He will headline the 2026 class after spending his career with seven teams.
In December, Jeff Kent was elected as the lone Hall of Fame inductee from the Contemporary Era Baseball Committee.
Beltran received 84.2% of the votes on the Hall of Fame ballot.
Beltran began his career with the Kansas City Royals. He was selected in the second round of the 1995 MLB Draft and quickly rose through the system.
In Kansas City, Beltran posted a .287 batting average and a 24.8 WAR (wins above replacement) across seven seasons. He won the 1999 American League Rookie of the Year after logging 22 homers and 108 RBIs.
Beltran was a key contributor in the Royals lineup. He posted four seasons with a 100 or more RBIs before departing in 2004. The Royals traded Beltran to the Houston Astros at the midseason deadline for three prospects.
Beltran would finish the 2004 season with the Astros. He later played with the New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, and Texas Rangers.
After two decades, Beltran retired after the 2017 season. He finished his career with 435 homers, 1,587 RBIs, 2,725 hits and an .837 OPS. Additionally, Beltran earned nine All-Star nominations, three Gold Gloves and two Silver Slugger Awards.
The Royals were the beginning of his storied career. He ranks fifth in slugging percentage and eighth in stolen bases among franchise leaders.
Now, Beltran becomes the second player who played multiple seasons with the Royals to enter the Hall of Fame. He will join franchise icon George Brett and former manager Whitey Herzog in Cooperstown.
Beltran crossed the required 75% threshold in his fourth year on the ballot. He steadily climbed toward induction after garnering 277 votes in 2025.
The Hall of Fame ceremony will be held on July 26. Beltran will receive his Hall of Fame plaque and give a speech after induction.
