Center fielders Andruw Jones, Carlos Beltran elected to Baseball Hall of Fame

Andruw Jones became emotional on Tuesday thinking about the possibility of being inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Jones, who had been on the ballot for nine years, was choked up before he got the official word that he had been elected to the Hall of Fame. He was thinking about his dad, and he was appreciative of that moment that he was able to have to himself before receiving the official announcement.

“It was just one of [those] moments that I was like, ‘Man, I wish he was here with me [to] enjoy this part, ” Jones said Tuesday on Zoom. “Just having that opportunity to take it in by myself, and my emotion came out. Tears are coming out of my eyes.”

Jones and Beltran were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame along with Jeff Kent — who was elected by the contemporary baseball committee — and will be formally inducted on July 26 in Cooperstown.

Beltran was chosen on 84.2% of the ballots and Jones 78.4%. Candidates have to be on at least 75% of ballots, which this year was 319 of 425, to be elected to the Hall of Fame.

“To be in a class with all those greats, some of those guys that you idolized, to be on the same podium with them is a great honor,” Jones said.

Since 1981, just two center fielders have been elected into the Hall of Fame (Ken Griffey Jr. in 2016 and Kirby Puckett in 2001). Jones finished with a career WAR of 62.7, 10 Gold Gloves and was a five-time All-Star.

Jones made history in 1996, when he became the youngest player to hit a homer in a World Series game.

“Be honest with you, I didn’t expect to be [at the World Series],” Jones said. “I always wanted to win.”

Jones had been on the ballot for nine years before Tuesday’s selection. He hit his 400th career homer as a member of the White Sox in 2010.

Whereas Jones had to wait his turn, Beltran’s candidacy — he’d been on the ballot for four years — had been trickier because of his role in the 2017 Astros sign-stealing scandal.

Beltran was trying to not pay too much attention to the Hall of Fame process.

His wife, Jessica, was entrenched into the process and monitoring her husband’s chances. Because of her dedication, Beltran was able to stay removed. But come Tuesday, the anxiety and anxiousness was prevalent.

But unlike the three previous years, Beltran didn’t feel disappointment after he was named to the Hall of Fame.

Beltran acknowledged that his role in the Astros scandal played a role in his lack of Hall of Fame support. He was fired as manager of the Mets because of his role in the scandal.

“When I retired from baseball, I thought that everything that I [felt] in the game of baseball — relationships and the good people that I was able to relate myself with — I thought that was going to be lost.

“I still receive love from the players and the teammates that I had inside the clubhouse. They know the type of person that I am, but at the same time, I understand that that’s also a story that I have to deal with.”