Carlos Beltrán, Andruw Jones and Jeff Kent inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame — CBS News — Top

RESOLVING THE LEDGER

Puerto Rico and Cura\u00e7ao may be small islands, but the support they showed was massive as elite center fielders Carlos Beltr\u00e1n and Andruw Jones were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday. Both joined slugging second baseman Jeff Kent as the newest members before an estimated crowd of 12,000 fans at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, with 57 other Hall of Famers on stage, creating the largest gathering of current Hall of Famers.Jones\u0027 speech was almost like a love letter to his home country of Cura\u00e7ao."There\u0027s no easy way to get here from the small island of Cura\u00e7ao, more than 2,000 miles away," Jones said in his speech. "But today Cooperstown and Cura\u00e7ao are forever joined together."The longtime Atlanta Braves outfielder, a 10-time Gold Glove winner and five-time All-Star, is the first player from Cura\u00e7ao to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. But he said he doesn\u0027t plan on being the last. He pointed to players who have followed him, including Ozzie Albies and Kenley Jansen, as part of the Cura\u00e7ao legacy started by Hensley "Bam Bam" Meulens.Among the highlights, Jones\u0027 tribute to his late father, Henry Jones, stood out. He said his father used to hit him flyballs from foul pole to foul pole to teach him how to track the ball, and how to build strong wrists by rolling a sledgehammer."Everything he taught me had a purpose," Jones said. "Henry Jones was a legend in Cura\u00e7ao, a great player in his own right. And I\u0027m not standing here in Cooperstown without his constant coaching. Dad, we did it."Chants of "Puerto Rico" broke out before Beltr\u00e1n even uttered a word. And whenever he mentioned his home island, the crowd cheered for him and waved flags."Everywhere I played baseball, I always tried to represent my island," Beltr\u00e1n said. "I tried to do the best I could for the organizations that I played, but also I wanted to represent Puerto Rico."The 20-year veteran and 1999 AL Rookie of the Year ran through each organization he played for, thanking them for the different lessons each provided. The New York Mets received the most praise."When people ask me about why I chose (the Mets) cap, I have to say this," he said. "Guys, it\u0027s simple. Every organization shapes your career. New York shaped my life."When discussing the teams he played for, Beltr\u00e1n gave specific examples from some of his stops, including watching teammates Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell "play with pain" in Houston. But he did not mention winning the World Series with the Astros in 2017. That title carries controversy because of an illegal sign-stealing scheme and Beltr\u00e1n\u0027s involvement in it.Beltr\u00e1n did not directly address the scandal, but did comment on those who may or may not have voted for him for whatever reasons."To the Baseball Writers\u0027 Association of America, I want to say thank you for making me a Hall of Famer. ... And for those that didn\u0027t (vote for me) \u2014 that saw things different, I want to say also thank you. I appreciate your perspective," he said. "If baseball has really taught me something, I want to say is that I hope in life, we continue to measure ourselves by the same standard we have used to measure others."Beltr\u00e1n earned 84.2% of the vote from the BBWAA to make the Hall on his fourth try. Jones garnered 78.4% in his ninth year of eligibility, eclipsing the 75% needed for induction. Kent was elected by a smaller panel last December, the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee, after dropping off the BBWAA ballot when his eligibility ran out in 2023.The 2000 NL MVP for the San Francisco Giants played for six teams over his 17-year career and set the all-time home run mark for second basemen. The hard-nosed player showed a softer side during induction weekend.Before even speaking, Kent needed tissues to wipe the tears from his eyes after looking at his parents in the crowd, he said in a post-ceremony news conference."I was more emotional for the 35, 40 minutes of sitting down than I was for the speech," he said. "I thought I was going to be a wreck and I\u0027m glad it was only a half a wreck."In his speech, Kent told a story of how his baseball career turned when his father offered him a deal: if he earned a college scholarship, he would buy him a pickup truck. Kent quit racing motorcycles and shifted his focus to school and baseball and eventually earned a scholarship to the University of California, Berkeley, and in turn got a pickup truck he still has."It sits in my garage as a simple reminder that some of the simplest things can change the entire direction of your life," Kent said.

Carlos Beltrán, Andruw Jones and Jeff Kent inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame — CBS News — Top | AIPROPX