Little League® Grads Selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2026

Photo Courtesy of the National Baseball Hall of Fame Photographer, Milo Stewart Jr.

After decades of leaving their legacies on the diamond, former Little Leaguers® Andruw Jones and Carlos Beltran received the call every ballplayer dreams of receiving when they hang up their cleats for the final time. The two Little League Baseball® graduates earned their selections for a bronze plaque at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, Pennsylvania, cementing their careers in baseball history. 

To be eligible for election into the Baseball Hall of Fame, players must be named on at least 75% of the ballots cast by eligible voting members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA). After a total of 424 ballots were submitted in 2026, Jones earned the honor with 78.4% of the votes while Beltran earned 84.2%. 

Andruw Jones – Pariba Little League (Willemstad, Curaçao)

Jones earns the honor in his ninth attempt on the ballot after an incredible 17-season Major League Baseball (MLB) career that saw 434 home runs, 1,933 hits, and 1,289 RBIs. Throughout his career, Jones received 10 Gold Glove Awards, 5-time MLB All-Star selections, and the Hank Aaron award, recognizing his outstanding performance as an outfielder.  

In 2015, Jones stepped up to the plate and gave back to the Little League, a program he still calls home. He donated more than two million dollars with the help of his foundation to renovate a local league complex in Muizenberg, Curaçao. Thanks to his efforts, thousands of kids on the small island have the chance to grow their love for the game. Since Jones’ debut in 1996, there have been 15 additional Curaçao natives who have gone on to become MLB players, including Little League alumni Jurickson Profar, Ozzie Albies, and Kenley Jansen.  

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Carlos Beltrán – José María Rodríguez Little League (Manatí, P.R.) 

Beltrán cements his legacy in his fifth attempt on the ballot after a stellar 20-season career on the diamond that received multiple awards, including three Gold Gloves, two Silver Sluggers, and the American League Rookie of the Year Award in 1999. Offensively, Beltran recorded 435 home runs, 1,587 RBIs, and 2,725 hits. In 2017, Beltrán helped lead the Houston Astros to win the World Series Championship.  

Today, Beltrán continues to impact young players in his home country through the creation of his very own baseball academy, which promotes the academic and sports development of athletes in Puerto Rico. Beltrán now joins an exclusive club of Puerto Ricans who have been named to the Baseball Hall of Fame, which includes Iván Rodríguez, Roberto Alomar, and Edgar Martínez.  

With the selection, Andruw Jones and Carlos Beltran become the 38th and 39th Little League graduates to earn a bronze plaque in the Hall of Fame.  

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NOTE: If you know of a Little League graduate who is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, or notice any incorrect information, please complete the Little League Alumni Submission form at LittleLeague.org/Alumni