Saturday brings anticipation for Class of 2026

Class of 2026 National Baseball Hall of Fame electees Carlos Beltrán, Andruw Jones and Jeff Kent were a day away from immortality on Saturday.

Outwardly calm, cool, collected – but with a bit of anticipation under the surface – the trio will officially be inducted into the Hall of Fame at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at Cooperstown’s Clark Sports Center.

“It’s been great, honestly,” said Beltrán as he prepared to tee off at Saturday’s golf outing with his fellow Hall of Famers. “I’ve been around so many incredible players that have really played the game to the highest level possible. Going back to having a conversation yesterday with Reggie (Jackson), Johnny Bench and many others, Juan Marichal. The history of baseball really is incredible. I try to be as present as I can and ask as many questions as I can, also.

“I didn’t play in that era, but I bet for some of them it was extremely difficult. So, the fact that they really make our path better for our generation, we benefit from the game of baseball because those guys really created a better path for us. My hope is that we continue to do the same for the ones coming.”

Asked if he might become emotional during his induction speech, the five-tool, switch-hitting center fielder with 435 home runs, 312 stolen bases and three Gold Glove Awards admitted he probably will when talking about his mom and dad.

“You always think about your childhood, the things that you overcome as a family, so for me it’s very incredible that I have both of my parents here,” he said. “They came from Puerto Rico and coming to Cooperstown is not an easy task. They took the four-hour ride. We brought probably like 150 people from the island, all family members and close friends, so they’re excited. And I’m excited, too.”

Jones, the defensive wiz in center field with 10 Gold Glove Awards as well as 434 homers, described his weekend as “beautiful.”

“This is a great honor to be here with all these legends, come out here, have fun and play golf to start the weekend,” Jones said. “This group is very special. Everybody is just trying to make sure you’re doing good, if you’re ready for this, is your speech ready. So, everybody has been very helpful. I’m just grateful for it.”

Kent was familiar with playing the game under pressure, setting a record for second basemen with 377 career home runs, but this weekend is different.

“Meeting all these players that I watched, getting to shake their hands and have real conversations with them rather than in uniform where their competitive nature is up…It’s been pretty cool to see them,” Kent said. “It’s pretty cool.”

As for advice on what to expect, he was in contact with a legendary catcher.

“He (Johnny Bench) called me about a week ago and he said, ‘Hey, when you come in here, just act like you belong. Just feel like you belong. You deserve to be here, and you belong.’ So, that word just keeps ringing in my mind because it’s a pretty good nugget of advice. I think a lot of guys come here and they’re so influenced by these great players, and you feel you’re not up to par with them, but to hear a guy like Johnny Bench, and the other guys have shared the same type of sentiment when I got here, is you’re ‘deserving’ and ‘welcome.’ Those are some key words.”

Another of the day’s golfers was Hall of Fame third baseman George Brett, a Kansas City Royals icon and 1999 Hall of Fame inductee who developed a bond with Beltrán when the Class of 2026 member spent his first seven seasons with the franchise. 

“It’s a thrill,” said Brett when asked about seeing Beltrán enter the Hall of Fame. “I was very fortunate to know Carlos when we drafted him, followed him through his minor league career back then, but then to watch him play in Kansas City all those years, he became a good friend, and I’m very happy for him and his family.

“I probably threw him 5,000 balls at batting practice throughout his career and was always impressed with the way the ball came off the bat. I was doing an interview today, and if somebody said, ‘Was he better from the right side or the left side?’ I don’t think there was a better side. He was just a solid, all-around Gold Glove center fielder, Rookie of the Year. He could do it all.”

A busy Saturday of events continued with the 2026 Awards Presentation, a mid-afternoon event held at the nearby Alice Busch Opera Theater. National television voice Joe Buck received the Ford C. Frick Award for excellence in broadcasting and longtime Indians/Guardians beat writer Paul Hoynes was honored with the BBWAA Career Excellence Award for meritorious contributions to baseball writing.

“This writer said there should be an asterisk at the end of every game story or column written under the ticking clock,” is how Hoynes ended his remarks. “It would say something like this: ‘I know this isn’t a very good story. I only had 20 minutes to write it. When I went down to the locker room, the manager got mad at a question and kicked all the reporters out of his office. The pitcher who gave up the game-winning home run was getting treatment. The shortstop who made the critical error didn’t want to talk. The guy that got three hits, he told me to take a hike because he was mad at something I wrote earlier in the week. When I got back up to the press box, the battery in my laptop had run out because I forgot to plug it in. Like I said, I’m sorry. I’ll try to do better tomorrow.’ That’s what I’ve been doing since 1983. Trying to do this job a little bit better every day and looking forward to tomorrow.”

Bill White never imagined a life in baseball, but few have shaped the National Pastime as profoundly as he did.



Hear from our 2026 Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award winner. pic.twitter.com/4qJVSopYFM

— National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ⚾ (@baseballhall) July 25, 2026

Buck harkened back to a Lou Gehrig speech to end his own.

“I’m proud that I guided my network through the end of the ‘90s and the first part of the 21st century on national TV, night after night, year after year,” Buck said. “I called big moments that needed a stamp on them, and I always tried my best. It took work, time and courage at a young age, and for every year after. I’m so proud of what I and what we did, and I’m proud to win this award on behalf of my family, who made every one of these moments possible with their love and encouragement, and who have made me, as far as I’m concerned, the luckiest man on the face of the earth.”

The Awards Presentation also featured a celebration of Rick Monday saving an American flag from burning at Dodger Stadium 50 years ago while Bill White was honored with the Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award.

Bill Francis is the senior research and writing specialist at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum