It was a memorable weekend for former second baseman Jeff Kent of Bellflower, California. That is because it was announced that Kent would be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York in 2026.
Kent played 17 seasons in the Majors from 1992 to 2008. He was with the Toronto Blue Jays for one season (1992), the New York Mets for five seasons (1992 to 1996), one season with the Cleveland Indians (1996), six seasons with the San Francisco Giants (1997 to 2002), two seasons with the Houston Astros (2003 and 2004), and four seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers (2005 to 2008).
During 2298 games, 8498 at bats and 9537 plate appearances, Kent batted .290 with 377 home runs and 1518 runs batted in. He scored 1320 runs and had 2461 hits, 560 doubles, 47 triples, 94 stolen bases, 801 walks, 4246 total bases, 10 sacrifice bunts, and 103 sacrifice flies, with an on base percentage of .356, and a slugging percentage of .500. Kent’s 377 home runs are the most ever by a second baseman.
Twice Kent led the National League in sacrifice flies. He had 10 during the 1998 season, and 13 during the 2001 season.
Kent was a five-time All-Star. He was honoured while with the San Francisco Giants for three straight years from 1999 to 2001, one season with the Astros in 2004, and one season with the Dodgers in 2005.
In 2000, Kent was the National League MVP while with the Giants. He batted .334 with 33 home runs and 125 runs batted in. During 159 games, 587 at bats and 695 plate appearances, he scored 114 runs and had 196 hits, 41 doubles, seven triples, 12 stolen bases, 90 walks, 350 total bases, and nine sacrifice flies, to go along with an on base percentage of .424 and slugging percentage of .596.
