By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: 2026 Getty Images, Credit: Getty Images, Creator: Jim McIsaac
Jeff Kent, Carlos Beltran, and Andruw Jones shared their speeches on Sunday afternoon in Cooperstown.
All three men were exceptional players in their respective positions. Beltran and Jones both played the centerfield position, and now they are teammates in the Hall of Fame Class of 2026. Jones waited a long time for him to get the call to make the Hall of Fame. From Curacao to Cooperstown! What an epic journey.
Kent is perhaps the best hitting second baseman ever to play this game. He played for 17 seasons and delivered 377 career home runs. Most of those home runs came with the San Francisco Giants, where he also won the 2000 NL MVP. His speech was touching and humble.
“This is special to see family and friends and fans that have come far to listen to us give our eulogy, if you will, of our baseball careers while we’re still living,” Kent said. “There were more important things in baseball at one point in my life. One of them was a pickup truck. When I was 16 years old, I was racing motorcycles and driving my great-grandparents’ old Plymouth Volare, and my dad knew motorcycles weren’t taking me anywhere, so he made me a bet. He knew that if I were to earn a college scholarship, he’d buy me a pickup truck.”
Kent won the baseball scholarship and still has the pickup truck with him. It was a beautiful story he shared of how this moment changed the direction of his life.
Beltrán carried Puerto Rico on my blood. Baseball is a big part of Puerto Rico. Beltrán is one of the best switch-hitting hitters of his era. He was an efficient baserunner and an elite postseason hitter. Beltran finished his MLB career with 435 home runs.
“When I was growing up in Manati, Puerto Rico, many of these guys (pointing to the Hall of Famers) were teaching me the game of baseball,” Beltran said. “Some of you guys opened a lot of doors and went through a lot of situations in your careers that my generation was able to walk through those doors because you opened the path for us.”
Jones had 10 gold gloves. His defense was tenacious and fun to watch. It’s about time for the baseball writers to acknowledge defense in baseball. It’s not always about home runs. Defense matters in baseball. Jones was an elite center fielder who saved runs and became a big part of those great Atlanta Braves teams. At 19, he hit two home runs in the World Series against the New York Yankees.
His speech hit the core of many people when he talked about the influence his father had on him.
“This moment is bittersweet because my father, Henry Jones, is not here today,” Jones said. “Dad passed away ten years ago. He showed me how to work hard and play for what it takes to become a successful baseball player and a great person.”
Jones mentioned many current players who are playing in MLB who are from Curacao and are following his footsteps. Jones is proud of them, and hopefully some of them can join him in Cooperstown in the future.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
X: @mmm_sportnfilms, Instagram: @miguel_passionforsports and @themmmjournal, LinkedIn: The MMM Journal, TikTok: @miguelmikemedina
