Who is Jeff Kent? Second baseman elected to Baseball Hall of Fame - Check how many votes Kent got from the 16-member panel

Second baseman Jeff Kent was elected to the Hall of Fame on Sunday by the Contemporary Baseball Era committee, earning 14 votes from the 16-member panel - two more than the 12 required. Overcome with emotion, Kent said he never expected the honor and was grateful simply to be considered among so many great players. Kent played 17 seasons, batting .290 with 377 home runs and 1,518 RBIs across six teams.


Carlos Delgado came closest among the remaining candidates with nine votes, while Don Mattingly and Dale Murphy received six each. Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Gary Sheffield, and Fernando Valenzuela earned fewer than five votes.


“The turning point of my career was with Dusty Baker, who I got with when I got to San Francisco,” Kent told MLB. “He was the hitting coach and really motivated me to get to my peak. He told me that if I started to go the other way, then my batting average would go up.

“I was a dead pull hitter early in my career. I started to turn it around in San Francisco. There were so many great moments in the Bay Area with those fans and opening a new ballpark -- it was a phenomenal place for me to play,” Kent added.


The Contemporary Baseball Era Committee will review player candidates again in 2028 for potential induction in 2029, following its three-year cycle. Under committee rules, any candidate who received fewer than five votes in this election will not be eligible for reconsideration in 2028.

WHO IS JEFF KENT?

Drafted by the Blue Jays in the 20th round of the 1989 MLB Draft, California-born Kent went on to play 17 seasons across six teams. After debuting with Toronto, he was traded to the Mets in 1992 and later moved to Cleveland in 1996. His career took off in San Francisco, joining the Giants in 1997 in the deal that sent Matt Williams to Cleveland. There, he and Barry Bonds became the club’s most powerful tandem since Willie Mays and Willie McCovey.

A five-time All-Star, Kent edged Bonds for the 2000 NL MVP Award and hit 351 of his 377 homers as a second baseman, the most in MLB history with Robinson Cano second at 316. His 1,518 RBIs rank among the highest at the position, and his eight 100-RBI seasons are the most by any second baseman. He also logged 1,282 games batting cleanup, the second-most ever for the position.

Kent was a major threat with runners in scoring position, posting a .300 average and an .897 OPS. He also delivered in the postseason, hitting nine home runs and recording an .840 OPS across 49 games.

The Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee included Hall of Famers Fergie Jenkins, Jim Kaat, Juan Marichal, Tony Pérez, Ozzie Smith, Alan Trammell and Robin Yount; MLB executives Mark Attanasio, Doug Melvin, Arte Moreno, Kim Ng, Tony Reagins and Terry Ryan; along with media members and historians Steve Hirdt, Tyler Kepner and Jayson Stark.