Former Giants star, NL MVP Jeff Kent finally gets his due with HOF election

The National Baseball Hall of Fame will have at least one member of the 2026 class.

Former San Francisco Giants second baseman Jeff Kent was elected to the Hall of Fame by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee. He received 14 of 16 votes, the only candidate to reach the 75% threshold. Carlos Delgado (nine votes), Don Mattingly (six votes) and Dale Murphy (six votes) will be eligible for the next ballot in 2027. Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Gary Sheffield and Fernando Valenzuela received fewer than five votes and will not be eligible for the ballot until 2031.

Kent was a late bloomer, a solid player for the first few years of his career. Originally a 20th round draft pick by the Blue Jays in 1989, he was traded to the Mets in 1992 for pitcher David Cone. Kent became the Mets starting second baseman until he was traded to Cleveland for fellow second baseman Carlos Baerga. His stay with the Indians was brief, as he was traded to the Giants during the 1996-97 offseason.

San Francisco Giants star Jeff Kent gets long overdue call to Hall of Fame

The trade to San Francisco was exactly what Kent needed. He became a star with the Giants, pairing with Barry Bonds to form a formidable duo in the lineup. Kent would spend six years with the Giants before moving on to the Astros and Dodgers to wrap up his career. 

Overall, the five-time All-Star and 2000 NL MVP posted a .290/.356/.500 batting line in his 9,537 plate appearances, hitting 377 homers and 560 doubles while driving in 1518 runs. Kent holds the record for most homers hit by a second baseman and is third in RBI and OPS (.856) and fifth in doubles.

His performance did not translate to success on the writer's ballot. Kent languished on the ballot for 10 years, earning less than 20% of the vote in his first six years. A late push brought Kent to 46.5% of the vote in 2023, his final year on the ballot, leaving him significantly short of induction.

Inducting Kent is a continuation of the Veteran's Committee righting the wrongs of the BBWAA. Kent was one of the most productive second basemen in the history of the game, a slugger the likes of which had been at the position previously. While other players on the ballot were also snubbed, Kent may help open the door for other second basemen such as Lou Whitaker and Bobby Grich. Their call, as was the case with Kent, is long overdue.