Former Royals Carlos Beltrán and James Shields on Hall of Fame ballot

José Bautista, who was briefly on the Royals, also listed

Former Royals Carlos Beltrán, and James Shields are part of the 26 players that will be on this year’s ballot for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. It will be the second time on the ballot for Beltrán, who received 46.5 percent of the vote last year and was likely hurt by his involvement with the sign-stealing scandal in Houston. Shields is on the ballot for the first time. José Bautista, who briefly played for the Royals, is also on the ballot for the first time.

Beltrán enjoyed a 20-year career, including seven seasons in Kansas City. He won Rookie of the Year with the club in 1999 with 22 home runs and 27 steals, showing off his rare blend of power and speed. Aside from his injury-plagued 2000 season, Beltrán always hit at least 20 home runs and stole at least 25 bases in his other five full seasons with the Royals. He went to become a nine-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glove winner, and two-time Silver Slugger winner He collected 2,725 career hits with 435 home runs and 312 steals in a career with the Royals, Astros, Mets, Giants, Cardinals, Yankees, and Rangers. Only four other players in baseball history have 400+ home runs and 300+ steals – Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Willie Mays, and Andrew Dawson.

James Shields began his career with the Rays, but was acquired by the Royals in the winter of 2012 in a bold trade with Wade David and Elliot Johnson for Wil Myers, Jake Odorizzi, Mike Montgomery, and Patrick Leonard. He led the league in innings in 2013 and earned Cy Young votes, and he won 27 games in his two seasons with the Royals, helping to lead them to the playoffs in 2014, starting the critical Wild Card game against the Athletics. Shields pitched 13 seasons in the big leagues, joining the Padres and White Sox after leaving the Royals, winning 145 games with a 4.01 career ERA.

The ballot returns 13 players from last year’s vote, including Todd Helton who was on 72 percent of ballots last year. Gary Sheffield will be considered for the final time this year. In addition to Beltrán, Helton, and Sheffield, the other players that return on the ballot include Bobby Abreu, Mark Buerhle, Andrew Jones, Andy Pettitte, Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez, Francisco Rodriguez, Jimmy Rollins, Omar Vizquel, and Billy Wanger.

Adrian Beltre, Joe Mauer, and Chase Utley headline the list of newcomers on the ballot. Bautista, who spent 13 games with the Royals in 2004 before becoming a home run champ in Toronto, is also on the ballot for the first time. Other first-time candidates include Adrian Gonzalez, Matt Holliday, Victor Martinez, Brandon Phillips, Jose Reyes, and David Wright.