SABR Research Collection celebrates Baseball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026
On Sunday, July 26, the Baseball Hall of Fame welcomes three new members: Carlos Beltrán, Andruw Jones, and Jeff Kent. SABR celebrates Cooperstown’s Class of 2026 by highlighting Research Collection articles featuring the new inductees.
Possessing a rare combination of power and speed, Beltrán is one of only five major league players to exceed 400 home runs and 300 stolen bases. Across his 20-year career, during which he played for seven different teams, he was a nine-time All-Star, winning three Gold Glove Awards and two Silver Sluggers. His 435 home runs ranked fourth all-time among switch-hitters. Click here to read his SABR biography by Ralph Caola.
Jones won 10 consecutive Gold Glove Awards from 1998 to 2007 and was considered one of the best defensive center fielders in baseball history; he also hit 434 home runs during his 17-year career spent mostly with the Atlanta Braves. He led the National League with 51 home runs in 2005, finishing runner-up in the MVP voting. At age 19, he became the youngest player to hit two home runs in a World Series game in 1996.
Kent finished a 17-year career with 377 home runs, 1,518 RBIs, five All-Star Game appearances, four Silver Slugger Awards, and the 2000 NL MVP Award. He is one of just four second basemen to hit 30 or more homers three times and the only second baseman to drive in 100 runs in eight seasons. He helped lead the San Francisco Giants to the 2002 World Series and also played in the postseason with the Cleveland Indians, Houston Astros, and Los Angeles Dodgers. Click here to read Kent’s biography at the SABR BioProject.
The SABR Games Project also includes stories that shine a light on the baseball figures inducted in the Class of 2026. An Opening Day walk-off home run for Beltrán; a two two-home run game during Jones’s NL MVP runner-up season; and Kent hitting for the cycle and a 7-RBI game are all featured in the Games Project.
You can also check out player surveys filled out by a young Andruw Jones in 1994 and Carlos Beltrán in 1995 in the Weiss Baseball Questionnaires collection at SABR.org.
Find all published SABR biographies for Baseball Hall of Fame inductees by clicking here.
- Induction Day SABR meeting in Cooperstown: SABR’s Cliff Kachline Chapter will hold its annual Induction Day meeting at 6:00 p.m. EDT on Sunday, July 26 at Tillapaugh’s, 28 Pioneer St, Cooperstown, NY 13326. All baseball fans are invited to attend this free, open-to-the-public event. Our guest speakers include Tom Gilbert, author of Death in the Strike Zone: The Mystery of America’s First Baseball Hero Local; Steve Kuzmiak, who will present on John McGraw’s career on and off the field; Tom Russo, who will present on the 1926 World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Yankees; and Brian Frank, author of Blue Jays in Buffalo: The Story of Two Amazing Summers in the Queen City.
Originally published: July 23, 2026. Last Updated: July 23, 2026.