Jones elected to Hall; Utley, Abreu & Rollins climb closer to election

LOS ANGELES -- After one former Dodger got a long-awaited call to Cooperstown in December, so did another on Tuesday.

Andruw Jones, who spent the 2008 season with L.A., was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame after appearing on 78.4% of the ballots in his ninth year of eligibility, it was announced on MLB Network. Carlos Beltrán was also voted in through the Baseball Writers' Association of America ballot, rounding out the 2026 Hall of Fame class that already features Jeff Kent, who played his final four seasons for the Dodgers and was elected via the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee.

Former Dodgers Manny Ramirez (38.8% in final year of eligibility), Matt Kemp (0.5% in first year) and Howie Kendrick (0.0% in first year) were also on the ballot. Players must receive at least 5% of the vote each year to remain on the ballot for a maximum of 10 years, and they must appear on 75% of ballots to be voted into the Hall of Fame.

Here's an overview of how other players who spent time in the big leagues with the Dodgers fared on the ballot:

• Chase Utley: 59.1% of the vote (third year of eligibility)
• Bobby Abreu: 30.8% (seventh year)
• Jimmy Rollins: 25.4% (fifth year)

Like Kent, who seems likely to be enshrined in Cooperstown as a Giant, Jones is far better known for his time with another team: the Braves. Jones spent the first 12 years of his career with Atlanta, where he made a name for himself with his defensive excellence in center field. He won 10 straight Gold Glove Awards from 1998-2007 and hit 434 homers in his career. Jones was in decline by the time he joined the Dodgers, posting a .505 OPS across 75 games in '08.

Ramirez's tenure with the Dodgers was brief but impactful, though "Mannywood" was tainted when he received a 50-game suspension for violating the league's PED policy in 2009. His multiple PED violations cast a shadow over his Hall of Fame case, which would have been airtight from the numbers alone: 2,574 hits, 555 homers, .996 OPS.

Kemp received two votes. There were times early on in Kemp's career that he seemed like a possible future Hall of Famer, but injuries took their toll once his peak had passed. Drafted by L.A. in 2003, Kemp slashed .292/.348/.494 in 10 seasons as a Dodger (2006-14, '18). He finished second in NL MVP voting in '11, accruing 8 bWAR that year.

Kendrick, who did not receive any votes, is better known for the big hit he had against the Dodgers than his two years in L.A. from 2015-16. In Game 5 of the 2019 NLDS, Kendrick hit a go-ahead grand slam that lifted the eventual World Series champion Nationals to victory and sent the Dodgers to a stunning early elimination.

Utley looks to be in good shape to reach the 75% threshold while his eligibility remains intact, and Cole Hamels -- who signed with the Dodgers in 2021 but never made it into a game -- had a strong debut on the ballot, receiving 23.8% of the vote.