Carlos Beltrán’s path to the Baseball Hall of Fame began with the Kansas City Royals. Beltrán was elected Tuesday to the Hall of Fame Class of 2026, earning 358 of 428 votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

Drafted by the Royals in the second round in 1995, Beltrán made his major league debut in 1998 and quickly became a key player in Kansas City. He broke out in 1999, hitting .293 with 22 home runs and 108 RBIs while winning the American League Rookie of the Year award.

Beltrán played parts of seven seasons with the Royals before being traded in 2004. He finished his career with 435 home runs, 312 stolen bases and a .279 batting average over 20 seasons.

He will be inducted in Cooperstown on July 26, alongside Andruw Jones and Jeff Kent.