A couple weeks ago, the National Baseball Hall of Fame welcomed its 2026 inductees; Jeff Kent, Andruw Jones and Carlos Beltrán.

A record 60 Baseball Hall of Famers came together at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, New York, to honor the newest members of the Hall. All three of this year’s inductees delivered emotional speeches detailing their career highlights.

Jeff Kent played with the Toronto Blue Jays (1992), New York Mets (1992-96), Cleveland Indians (1996), San Francisco Giants (1997-2002), Houston Astros (2003-04), and Los Angeles Dodgers (2005-08).

Kent was not elected during his 10 years on the BBWAA ballot but was granted enshrinement by the 16-member Contemporary Baseball Era Committee.

“There were more important things in my life than baseball,” Kent admitted. “One of them was a pickup truck. When I was 16 years old, I was racing motorcycles and driving my great-grandparents’ old Plymouth Volaré. And my dad knew motorcycles weren’t taking me anywhere, so he made me a bet. If I were to earn a college scholarship, he’d buy me a pickup truck. My dad was a simple guy, a police officer in Southern California, and that’s about all we could afford extra at that time in my life. And that truck meant everything to me. So, I quit racing and focused on school and baseball and won that baseball scholarship…that truck is still with me. It sits in my garage as a simple reminder that some of the simplest things can change the entire direction of your life.”

Kent was a hard-nosed everyday shortstop, but he was known for his hitting. He hit more home runs than any other second baseman with 377, and had eight 100-RBI seasons, ending his career with 1,518 RBI.

“I took pride in playing second base: the position that keeps you in every play and demands toughness,” he said. “But my bat was always my ticket. I learned a long time ago from Tommy Lasorda, one of the best motivators in the game, a simple truth that I lived by for my whole career: The money lies in the RBIs.”

Andruw Jones, a five-time All-Star centerfielder, played for the Atlanta Braves (1996-2007), Los Angeles Dodgers (2008), Texas Rangers (2009), Chicago White Sox (2010), and New York Yankees (2011-12). Jones won 10 Gold Glove Awards and hit 434 home runs across 17 seasons.

Jones, a native of Curaçao, gave credit to his father for his success.

“This moment is bittersweet because my father, Henry Jones, is not here today,” Jones said. “Dad passed away 10 years ago. He showed me how to work hard and what it takes to become a successful baseball player and a great person. Because he played center field, I wanted to be a center fielder. And he passed down every bit of knowledge [about] the game to me, like how to read balls off the bat. He hit me fly balls from foul pole to foul pole every time in Curaçao so I can track balls down because the ocean breeze makes tracking balls very difficult on the island. He also showed me how to build strong wrists by rolling a sledgehammer.”

He paid homage to Hensley Meulens, the first Curaçaoan to play in MLB.

“There’s no easy way to get here from the small island of Curaçao, more than 2,000 miles away, but today Cooperstown and Curaçao are forever joined together,” Jones said. “Being the first Hall of Famer from my island is an incredible moment. That’s why [this] makes such a memorable day. I’m overjoyed to share this day with people from my homeland. So many people helped me get here, helped me get the journey of loving this game and making it here to the major leagues.”

Carlos Beltrán, a nine-time All-Star outfielder, played with the Kansas City Royals (1998-2004), Houston Astros (2004, 2017), New York Mets (2005-11), San Francisco Giants (2011), St. Louis Cardinals (2012-13), New York Yankees (2014-16), and Texas Rangers (2016).

He compiled his greatest stats with the Mets, from 2005-2011, winning all three of his Gold Glove Awards and both of his Silver Slugger Awards in that span. He finished his career with 435 homers and 312 stolen bases.

Beltrán dedicated a portion of his speech to honoring his homeland, Puerto Rico.

“Everywhere I play baseball, I always try to represent my island,” said Beltrán, who. “I try to do the best I could for the organizations that I played [for], but also I wanted to represent Puerto Rico.”

Beltrán said he learned something from many of his teammates and managers along the way, but his time with the Mets was the most impactful for him personally.

“Every organization shapes your career,” Beltrán said. “New York shaped my life. I was here where I experienced my greatest success and some of my greatest challenges. Playing for the Mets made me a better man and a better leader. Many of the most meaningful relationships that I was able to build in my career, I did it wearing a Mets uniform. So, the Mets cap, what [it] represents to me is growth and it represents a place where I became the best version of myself.”

TULSA BEACON RADIO

Tune in to “Tulsa Beacon Weekend” radio show every week, featuring interviews with local and national guests, talking about everything from politics to family issues. This week, my guests will include Stanton Doyle, executive director of The Church Studio. The show airs on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. CST on 970am KCFO.