Carlos Baerga Completes Latino Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2026

Carlos Baerga Completes the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame’s 13th Induction Class of 2026

The Puerto Rican was selected by the Veterans Committee and joins Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina, Magglio Ordóñez and Edwin Encarnación. The ceremony will take place in December in Caguas, Puerto Rico.

Latin Baseball Hall of Fame Press Office, PUNTA CANA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC – The Latino Baseball Hall of Fame officially announces the selection of Puerto Rican Carlos Baerga by the Veterans Committee, making him the fifth and final member of the 13th Induction Class of 2026.
Baerga was selected through the voting process for eligible candidates who have been retired for 20 years or more. Dominican George Bell and Cuban Rafael Palmeiro also received votes.

His selection completes the Class of 2026, comprising Dominicans Albert Pujols and Edwin Encarnación, Puerto Ricans Yadier Molina and Carlos Baerga, and Venezuelan Magglio Ordóñez. Pujols, Molina, Ordóñez and Encarnación were previously selected by the Baseball Writers’ Circle as contemporary inductees.

The 13th Induction Ceremony will take place in Caguas, Puerto Rico, in December 2026. For the first time since the institution’s founding, an induction ceremony will be held outside the Dominican Republic, a milestone that underscores the international scope of its mission to honor the legacy of Latino baseball players.

Born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, Carlos Baerga distinguished himself as an accomplished offensive second baseman and switch-hitter. He enjoyed his finest seasons with Cleveland, where he was a key contributor to the team that reached the 1995 World Series. He earned three All-Star selections—1992, 1993 and 1995—and two Silver Slugger Awards, in 1993 and 1994.

During his Major League career, he recorded 1,583 hits, 134 home runs and 774 runs batted in, with a .291 batting average.

During his 14 seasons in Major League Baseball, Carlos Baerga played for six organizations: the Cleveland Indians (1990–1996 and 1999), the New York Mets (1996–1998), the San Diego Padres (1999), the Boston Red Sox (2002), the Arizona Diamondbacks (2003–2004) and the Washington Nationals (2005).

In both 1992 and 1993, he recorded at least 200 hits, 20 home runs and 100 RBIs while batting above .300. On April 8, 1993, he also became the first player in Major League history to hit a home run from each side of the plate in the same inning. His career was further recognized with his induction into the Cleveland Guardians Hall of Fame in 2013.

Following his retirement, Carlos Baerga has remained a strong advocate for the advancement of Latin American baseball. He became an owner of the Vaqueros de Bayamón in the Puerto Rican Winter League, winning a championship as general manager and owner. He also managed the Indios de Mayagüez, earning another championship as manager, and served as a coach for Puerto Rico’s national team at the 2013 World Baseball Classic.

Baerga has also maintained a prominent presence in sports media in recent years. He served as a respected analyst for ESPN and has contributed to various media outlets while providing daily baseball commentary through his own social media channels, becoming one of the most influential Spanish-language voices in baseball media.

In 2011, he was elected to the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame in recognition of his accomplishments and participation in the Caribbean Series, highlighted by his role on Puerto Rico’s legendary 1995 “Dream Team.”

With the selection of Carlos Baerga, the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame honors a career that forms part of the sporting heritage of Puerto Rico and Latin American baseball.

The induction of these five distinguished figures will celebrate their contributions to the game and preserve their stories as an inspiration for future generations. In the coming days, the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame will announce the recipients of special honors to be presented at the upcoming ceremony.

About the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame
Founded in 2010, the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame honors the outstanding players, managers, executives, pioneers and other influential figures who have contributed to the development and history of Latin American baseball. Through its international selection process, induction ceremonies and historical preservation initiatives, the institution recognizes sporting excellence and celebrates the cultural and social impact of Latino baseball around the world.

Since 2026, the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame has received statistical and analytical support from Baseball Reference, a Sports Reference platform and one of the world’s leading sources of baseball statistics, historical records and comprehensive baseball information. This partnership strengthens the rigor, transparency and depth of the evaluation and selection process for new inductees.