00:00Esteemed followers of the Detroit Tigers, we will be examining the significant Hall of Fame
00:05announcements that were recently made. Carlos Beltran and Andrew Jones have officially been
00:10elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America.
00:15The results were revealed Tuesday night on MLB Network. Beltran got in on his fourth try on the
00:20BBWAA ballot, and Jones made it on his ninth. They will be formally inducted, alongside Contemporary
00:26Baseball-era committee honoree Jeff Kent, on July 26 in Cooperstown, NY. Here's how the voting shook
00:33out. A player needs at least 75% support, Carlos Beltran was on 84.2% of the 425 ballots submitted,
00:42Andrew Jones, who was on only 7.3% of ballots back in his first year of eligibility in 2018,
00:49which was the lowest debut percentage for anyone eventually elected by the BBWAA,
00:53was on 78.4% of ballots this time. Beltran, the sixth native of Puerto Rico elected, said,
01:01There's no doubt that today, my life has really changed. Today, I can say I'm a Hall of Famer.
01:08Jones, the first native of Curaçao to reach the Hall, said, You don't play this game to be a Hall
01:13of Famer. You play to help your team win a championship. It's a big honor for me. It's an
01:18amazing connection. These two were born just one day apart in 1977, Jones on April 23, Beltran on
01:25April 24, and got the call on the same day. While they were the only two elected, a few other guys
01:31made big jumps. In his third year on the ballot, Chase Utley crossed the 50% mark, landing at 59.1%,
01:39a 19.3% gain from last year. Andy Petit, on his eighth ballot, got 48.5%, and Felix Hernandez,
01:48on his second ballot, got 46.1%. Both saw gains of over 20% from last year. Manny Ramirez,
01:55on his tenth and final ballot, received 38.8% support. Among first-timers, Cole Hamels got 23.8%,
02:03which is above the 5% needed to stay on the ballot for 2027. Let's dive deeper into the two
02:08new Hall of Famers, Carlos Beltran. His voting rise was fast, 46.5% in 2023, his first year,
02:1657.1% in 24, 70.3% last year, and now 84.2%. His 20-year career with the Royals, Astros, Mets,
02:26Giants, Cardinals, Yankees, and Rangers, plus his combination of power and speed,
02:31made his case undeniable. He was the 1999 AL Rookie of the Year, a nine-time All-Star,
02:38a three-time Gold Glove winner, a two-time Silver Slugger, won a World Series with Houston in 2017,
02:45and an NL pennant with St. Louis in 13. He's one of only five players in ALNL history with at least
02:52500 doubles, 565, 400 homers, 435, and 300 steals, 312, joining Willie Mays,
03:01Andre Dawson, Barry Bonds, and Alex Rodriguez. His 86.4% stolen base success rate is the highest
03:08ever for anyone with 200-plus steals in the live ball era. Since 1920, his 70-point Ero career BWAR
03:16ranks eighth all-time among center fielders. He was also a postseason legend, slashing 307-42-609,
03:23with a then-record-tying eight homers in the 2004 playoffs. He and Derek Jeter are the only players
03:30with a 300 average, 10-plus homers, and 10-plus steals in postseason history. He addressed the
03:372017 Astros sign-stealing scandal, saying, I understand that is a story that I have to deal
03:43with. But emphasize the continued support he receives in the game, Andrew Jones, his case
03:49caught fire in recent years, climbing from that 7.3% debut to 78.4%. His legendary defense
03:57was the cornerstone, 10-goal gloves tied for, third, most, among outfielders. His 24.4% defensive
04:05WAR is the highest of any outfielder in MLB history, by a full 5.6 wins. He said he idolized
04:12Ken Griffey Jr., but was often compared to Willie Mays defensively, adding, I wanted to
04:18be myself, and help my team win. At the plate, his .254 average is the lowest for a Hall of Fame
04:25outfielder, but he hit 434 home runs. Only Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr., and Mike Schmidt also have
04:32400-plus homers and 10-plus gold gloves. His peak from 1998 to 2006 was elite. His 54.5 BWAR in that span
04:43trailed only Alex Rodriguez and Barry Bonds. He now joins an incredible group from the mid-90s
04:49Braves. Chipper Jones, Fred McGriff, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddox, and John Smoltz are all already in the
04:55Hall, along with manager Bobby Cox and GM John Schwerholtz. Jones said, I'm proud to be in this
05:01elite group. So, Tigers fans, what's your take? With defense and peak performance being such huge
05:08factors for Jones, does this change how you view the Hall of Fame cases of other defensive legends?
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