Three MLB stars of the 2000s are about to receive eternal recognition. Carlos Beltr\u00e1n, Andruw Jones and Jeff Kent combined for seven Silver Sluggers, 13 Gold Gloves and more than 1,200 home runs during their playing careers. Together, they enter Cooperstown as the latest Hall of Fame class.<\/p>\n
Joe Buck<\/a> is this year\u2019s Ford C. Frick Award winner. He\u2019s being honored as a broadcaster nearly 40 years after his father, Jack Buck, was the recipient of the same award. The annual Baseball Hall of Fame induction is a special moment for fans of all stripes. Here\u2019s what to know about the 2026 ceremony.<\/p>\n How to watch the 2026\u00a0Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony This broadcast is also available on MLB.com, MLB.TV and the MLB app.<\/p>\n Hall of Fame induction ceremony coverage<\/p>\n The MLB Network broadcast is hosted by Greg Amsinger. Jon Morosi, Harold Reynolds and Tom Verducci are all joining him in Cooperstown. MLB Network\u2019s Brian Kenny is the master of ceremonies.<\/p>\n Coverage opens with an essay written by Verducci and read by Joe Buck. Beltr\u00e1n and Jones also get sit-down interviews with Bob Costas, while Kent\u2019s conversation with Verducci from January gets a re-air.<\/p>\n All three inductees are honored with video tributes from former teammates or managers. Carlos Delgado welcomes Beltr\u00e1n, John Smoltz introduces Jones and Dusty Baker tips his hat to Kent.<\/p>\n According to MLB Network, 61 Hall of Famers are expected to attend Sunday\u2019s ceremony. That would be a record number, surpassing the 58 who took part in the 2019 festivities.<\/p>\n Why the union should reject MLB’s latest offer<\/p>\n Keith Law<\/p>\n This year\u2019s Hall of Fame inductees<\/p>\n Center fielders Beltr\u00e1n and Jones joined this 2026 class through the Baseball Writers\u2019 Association of America vote.<\/p>\n Beltr\u00e1n\u2018s MLB career spanned 20 seasons. He was born in Puerto Rico and debuted for the Kansas City Royals in 1998. The switch hitter was a nine-time All-Star and won three Gold Glove awards. By wins above replacement, Beltr\u00e1n\u2019s most dominant stretch came with the New York Mets from 2005-11.<\/p>\n His legacy was marked by playoff highs and lows. Beltr\u00e1n\u2019s 2004 postseason<\/a> with the Houston Astros was special \u2014 a .435 average with eight homers, 14 RBIs and six stolen bases across a dozen games. But his 2006 Mets run ended in Game 7 of the NLCS<\/a> when he struck out looking with the bases loaded. Beltr\u00e1n retired after he won his only title, the controversial 2017 World Series<\/a> with the Astros.<\/p>\n He finished with 435 home runs and a slash line of .279\/.350\/.486, numbers well worthy of Cooperstown.<\/p>\n Jones was born in Cura\u00e7ao and joined the Atlanta Braves at just 19 years old. Twelve of his 17 MLB seasons came in a Braves uniform. He claimed 10 Gold Glove awards<\/a> as he patrolled the Atlanta outfield.<\/p>\n He led the majors with 51 home runs in 2005, and he logged at least 100 RBIs in five different seasons. Jones wrapped up his career in 2012 with the New York Yankees. He posted 434 homers with a .254\/.337\/.486 line.<\/p>\n He\u2019s forever known as an all-time great defensive player, though he sometimes struggled with consistency at the plate. Jones\u2019 son, Druw, was the No. 2 pick of the 2022 draft and represented the Netherlands<\/a> in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.<\/p>\n Kent was the first announcement of the 2026 class, voted in by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee. The second baseman played for six MLB teams and earned All-Star bids with the San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers and Astros. Kent spent 2,194 of his 2,298 regular-season games in the National League.<\/p>\n His best season was with the 2000 Giants, an MVP campaign<\/a> off the strength of his .334 average, 33 home runs and 125 RBIs. He finished his 17-year tenure with 377 homers and a .290\/.356\/.500 slash line. Though he gained a reputation for surliness<\/a>, Kent\u2019s countenance is now immortalized in baseball history.<\/p>\n The new Hall of Famers in the\u00a0NYT\u00a0archivesCarlos Beltr\u00e1n<\/p>\n About 250 reporters were at Shea to watch Beltr\u00e1n button a Mets jersey with the number 15, and to hear him respectfully talk about the history of great New York center fielders and to listen as he coolly welcomed the scrutiny that will become as indelible to his life as brushing his teeth. Beltr\u00e1n called New York a \u201ccity of a lot of pressure\u201d and seemed eager to dive into the intensity.<\/p>\n \u201cI expect a lot from myself,\u201d Beltr\u00e1n said. \u201cWhat I will do is what I have done my whole career: have fun.\u201d\u00a0\u2014 Jack Curry, 2005<\/a><\/p>\n Andruw Jones<\/p>\n Jones eclipsed Mickey Mantle as the youngest player to hit a home run in the World Series. He is only the second player in history to homer in his first two at-bats in a World Series, joining Oakland\u2019s Gene Tenace (1972). The two homers and five runs batted in were a remarkable display for a player of any age and in any era, but it was even more remarkable because it was accomplished by a teenager who had had only 106 at-bats in the major leagues and occurred in the most pressure-packed setting in the sport.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the beginning of the year, I never thought that it could happen this fast,\u201d Jones said. \u2014 Curry, 1996<\/a><\/p>\n Jeff Kent<\/p>\n It is a hard-edged sense of discipline and a decided fear of failure \u2014 both taught by his father \u2014 that have gotten Kent into the top 10 in almost every offensive category in the National League.<\/p>\n
\nVenue: Clark Sports Center \u2014 Cooperstown, N.Y.
\nDate: Sunday, July 26
\nTime: 1:30 p.m. ET
\nTV: MLB Network
\nStreaming: Fubo (Stream Free Now<\/a>)<\/p>\n