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Carlos Beltran, Andruw Jones voted into Hall of Fame; Chase Utley could be next in 2027

Utley is trending to get above the 75% threshold as soon as next year. Cole Hamels was on 23.8% of ballots in his first year of eligibility.

Chase Utley made another sizable leap in his third year on the ballot, climbing to 59.1% from 39.8% last year and 28.8% in his 2024 debut.
Chase Utley made another sizable leap in his third year on the ballot, climbing to 59.1% from 39.8% last year and 28.8% in his 2024 debut. Read more(Michael Bryant / Staff Photographer)

Now batting in Cooperstown … Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones.

On deck … Chase Utley?

Beltrán and Jones were elected Tuesday to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, an anticipated outcome after the center fielders fell short last year by 19 and 35 votes, respectively. Beltrán’s name was checked on 84.2% and Jones’ on 78.4% of ballots cast by 425 members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

Despite its status as a glamour position, center field has been underrepresented in the Hall of Fame for nearly a half-century. Since 1981, only two full-time center fielders received the three-quarter majority needed for election by the writers: Kirby Puckett in 2001 and Ken Griffey Jr. in 2016.

» READ MORE: Who’s next? Sizing up the Hall of Fame chances for four Phillies on the ballot.

Beltrán and Jones will join slugging former second baseman Jeff Kent, elected last month by a special committee, at the July 26 induction ceremony in Cooperstown, N.Y. And as soon as the Class of 2026 was set, the focus shifted to next year’s voting cycle.

Will it be Utley’s turn?

In his third year on the ballot, the Phillies’ iconic second baseman made another leap in the vote totals, climbing to 59.1% from 39.8% last year and 28.8% in 2024. Utley picked up 94 votes from last year, the third-largest gain after pitchers Félix Hernández (plus-115) and Andy Pettitte (plus-96).

Based on those trends, Utley could be positioned to rise above the 75% threshold next year, though 2028 might be more realistic. Utley’s surge is similar to, but slightly ahead of former Phillies third baseman Scott Rolen, who went from 35.3% in 2020 to 52.9% in 2021, 63.2% in 2022, and finally 76.3% in 2023.

Utley was among four prominent ex-Phillies on the ballot, including two teammates from the 2008 World Series champions.

  1. Jimmy Rollins made his biggest jump in five voting cycles but still has a long way to go. Rollins reached 25.4%, up from 18% last year.

  2. Cole Hamels made a strong debut on the ballot at 23.8% at a time when many voters are considering adjusting their standards for contemporary starting pitchers. Hernández, for example, vaulted to 46.1%, more than double his first-year result (20.6%).

  3. Bobby Abreu bounced to 30.8% in his seventh year on the ballot, up from 19.5% last year. But with only three more voting cycles remaining, he’s still far from 75%.

Although Utley’s candidacy already built momentum, it’s possible it got a tail wind from the election of Kent, who failed to reach 75% in 10 tries on the writers’ ballot. Utley could get another boost next year from Buster Posey’s first appearance on the ballot.

Posey, a seven-time All-Star catcher and three-time World Series champion, figures to receive strong consideration despite getting only 1,500 career hits. The writers hadn’t elected a player with fewer than 2,000 career hits since Ralph Kiner in 1975 until Jones got in with 1,933. Utley finished with 1,885.

Otherwise, Utley’s candidacy is rooted in a peak that lasted at least six seasons and as many as 10, depending on the voter’s perspective. From 2005 to 2014, he had a 127 OPS-plus and ranked second among second basemen in extra-base hits behind Robinson Canó, who was suspended twice for failing a drug test. Utley also had the second-most wins above replacement of any player, trailing only Albert Pujols.

It took four years for Beltrán to clear the 75% mark. The delay was a referendum on neither his two-way greatness nor his postseason brilliance but rather his role in the illegal sign-stealing scheme that aided the Astros’ 2017 World Series title in Beltrán’s 20th and final season.

But Beltran was a nine-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner. He was among four players to reach 2,700 hits, 400 homers, and 300 steals, joining Willie Mays, Barry Bonds, and Alex Rodríguez.

Jones waited nine years to get elected, largely because of his sharp decline after his age-30 season and domestic violence charges filed against him in 2012. His candidacy appeared to stall over the last two years, but he made the jump from 66.2% last year.

A 10-time Gold Glove winner, Jones hit 434 career homers in 17 major league seasons.