Jeff Kent Elected To Baseball Hall Of Fame
Jeff Kent was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, as revealed by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee tonight. Kent received 14 of a possible 16 votes from the Era Committee, easily topping the 75% (12 of 16) threshold needed for induction to Cooperstown. Of the other seven candidates under consideration, Carlos Delgado was the next-closest candidate with nine votes, and Dale Murphy and Don Mattingly each received six votes. Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Gary Sheffield, and Fernando Valenzuela all received less than five votes.
A veteran of 17 Major League seasons with the Blue Jays, Mets, Indians, Giants, Astros, and Dodgers from 1992-2008, Kent hit more homers as a second baseman than any other player in history, going yard 351 times from the position. His resume includes four Silver Slugger awards and five All-Star nods, as well as the 2000 NL MVP Award when Kent was a member of the Giants.
Kent is primarily remembered for his six seasons in San Francisco and five seasons with the Mets. Beginning his career as a well-regarded prospect in the Blue Jays’ farm system, Roberto Alomar’s presence in Toronto made Kent expendable, and the Jays dealt Kent for David Cone in August 1992. Cone’s presence helped the Blue Jays capture the 1992 World Series, while Kent went onto establish himself as a solid regular during his time in New York.
The 1996 trade deadline saw Kent again on the move, this time to Cleveland. During the 1996-97 offseason, the Tribe flipped Kent to San Francisco, where he truly rose to stardom. Kent hit .297/.368/.535 with 175 homers over 3903 plate appearances and an even 900 games with the Giants from 1997-2002, teaming with Bonds to form a devastating one-two punch in the lineup. The 2002 Giants reached the World Series for Kent’s only appearance in the Fall Classic, as the team fell just short in a seven-game loss to the Angels. For his career in the postseason, Kent hit a solid .276/.340/.500 over 189 PA.
Kent spent his final six seasons with the Astros (2003-04) and Dodgers (05-08), and remained an offensive force at the plate until his production finally trailed off in his 17th and final MLB season. Over 2298 career games and 9537 PA, Kent hit .290/.356/.500 with 377 home runs, 1518 RBI, and 1320 runs scored.
Despite his impressive career numbers, Kent didn’t gain much traction during his 10 years on the writers’ ballot, as he never received more than 46.5% of the vote. A crowded ballot during Kent’s era didn’t help, yet his subpar defense and surly reputation probably also didn’t help curry much favor with voters. Clubhouse controversy followed Kent during his time with the Mets and Giants, and his stint in San Francisco included a well-publicized feud with Bonds. There is some irony, therefore, in the fact that Kent is finally making it into Cooperstown while on the same Era Committee ballot as his former Giants teammate.
Formerly known as the Veterans Committee, the Era Committee is the latest incarnation of the process that for decades has given some fresh evaluation and a second chance to players initially overlooked on the writers’ ballot. This year’s version of the Era Committee focused on players whose greatest contributions came during the “Contemporary Baseball” (1980-present) era. Next year’s ballot will focus on managers, executives, and umpires from the Contemporary Baseball era, and the 2027 ballot will consider candidates from the “Classic Baseball” era (prior to 1980) before Contemporary Players are again considered in 2028.
A rule change introduced this year added an extra layer of intrigue (or even controversy) to this year’s proceedings. Because they received less than five votes on this year’s ballot, Bonds, Clemens, Sheffield, and Valenzuela must be omitted from the next voting cycle, and can’t return to the Contemporary Players ballot until at least 2031. If any of these four players then don’t receive at least five votes in 2031 or on any future ballot, they are no longer eligible for inclusion on any Contemporary Players ballot.
The aim of this new rule is to allow more candidates to be included on Era Committee ballots on a regular basis. The concept of permanent disqualification from ballots, however, has been viewed by some as a way for the Hall of Fame to sidestep the ongoing controversy about Bonds, Clemens, Sheffield, or other prominent superstars (i.e. Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro) who were linked to PEDs. While obviously Era Committee rules could again be altered down the road, for now, the path to Cooperstown has gotten even narrower for Bonds, Clemens, or Sheffield.
The results of the writers’ ballot will be announced on January 20, with such players as Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones seen as strong candidates to finally get over the 75% threshold after multiple years on the ballot (nine years for Jones, four years for Beltran). Any players elected on January 20 will join Kent in being officially inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 26 in Cooperstown.
The 16 members of this year’s Era Committee could vote for as many as three players, and as few as zero players. This year’s Era Committee was comprised of seven Hall of Famers (Ferguson Jenkins, Jim Kaat, Juan Marichal, Tony Perez, Ozzie Smith, Alan Trammell, Robin Yount), four former MLB general managers (Doug Melvin, Kim Ng, Tony Reagins, Terry Ryan), two current MLB owners (the Brewers’ Mark Attansio and the Angels’ Arte Moreno), two media members (the Athletic’s Tyler Kepner and Jayson Stark), and historian Steve Hirdt.
Hall Of Fame Announces Eight Names On Era Committee Ballot
Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Carlos Delgado, Jeff Kent, Don Mattingly, Dale Murphy, Gary Sheffield, and Fernando Valenzuela were revealed today by the Hall of Fame as this year’s candidates on the Era Committee ballot. Previously called the Veterans Committee, a panel made up of 16 former players, executives, sportswriters, and historians from around the game will meet during this year’s Winter Meetings to vote on whether or not these eight players will be elected into the Hall of Fame. At least 12 of those 16 votes are needed to be inducted into Cooperstown, and the results of this year’s vote will be revealed at 6:30pm CT on December 7.
The Era Committee rotates between three pools of candidates every year. The “Contemporary Baseball Era” is split into two pools, one for players from 1980 to the present and one for executives, managers, and umpires from that same period. A third pool is made up of all individuals from the “Classic Baseball Era,” which covers everything from before 1980. This year’s pool is littered with recent stars who should be household names for the majority of baseball fans. Bonds, Clemens, Kent, and Sheffield in particular fell off the BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot only in the past few years. This process is separate from the BBWAA ballot, where Carlos Beltran looks like the likeliest candidate to be inducted into Cooperstown this winter after garnering 70.3% of the vote in 2025.
The Hall of Fame tweaked the Era Committee eligibility rules earlier this year. Starting with this year’s class, any candidate who falls short of five votes will be ineligible for consideration during their era’s next cycle. Candidates who receive fewer than five votes multiple times will be made permanently ineligible for future consideration. The change is not retroactive, so it will not impact any previous candidates.
The last Contemporary Era players ballot saw the unanimous election of Fred McGriff in 2022. Half of the candidates from that pool (Bonds, Clemens, Mattingly, and Murphy) will get another shot this year. Curt Schilling, Rafael Palmeiro, and Albert Belle were dropped off the ballot. With many of the names mentioned in this post, the players would have been elected long ago just based on statistics, but connections to steroid use have complicated the process.
Bonds received 66% of the votes in his final BBWAA ballot in 2022. Clemens also came up short that year, getting 65.2% of the vote. Kent got 46.5% of the vote in 2023, his final year of eligibility. Sheffield fell off the ballot after 2024, when he received 63.9% of the vote. Delgado was a one-and-done in 2015 when he received just 3.8% of the vote. Valenzuela was only on the ballot two years, getting 6.2% of the vote in 2003 and then 3.8% in 2004. Mattingly’s last season on the writers’ ballot was 2015, though he has been considered by the Veterans Committee three times since. Murphy has also been considered by the Veterans Committee three previous times, with his last year on the writers’ ballot being 2013.
Jeff Kent Falls Off Hall Of Fame Ballot
Former second baseman Jeff Kent has been up for Hall of Fame consideration for a decade, with this year marking his last crack at induction via the Baseball Writers Association of America. Kent received 46.5% of the the vote during this cycle, well shy of the 75% needed for induction. He falls off the ballot and will no longer be considered by the BBWAA.
Kent hovered in the 25-50% vote share range for his final four seasons. He never seemed in danger of falling below the 5% threshold that cuts players from the ballot early but also didn’t get the kind of late momentum needed to vault him within striking range of induction. If he’s to be enshrined in Cooperstown, that’ll now have to come via the Era Committee. The Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee met this winter — enshrining Fred McGriff in the process — meaning the earliest Kent will be under consideration again is the 2025-26 offseason.
A right-handed hitter, Kent was one of the game’s better power bats over his 17-year MLB career. He played just under 2300 games for six different clubs, with his best seasons coming as a member of the Giants. Kent hit .297/.368/.535 during a six-year stretch in San Francisco spanning 1997-2002. He received MVP votes in five of those campaigns and won the award in 2000 thanks to a massive .334/.424/.596 showing with 33 longballs.
Kent finished his career with a .290/.356/.500 line in more than 9500 plate appearances. His 377 career homers are the most by any primary second baseman, while he collected 2461 hits, drove in 1518 runs and scored 1320 times. He was a five-time All-Star and secured four Silver Slugger awards while winning the aforementioned MVP. Strong as his offensive contributions were, Kent faced plenty of questions about his glove at the keystone. Those defensive concerns dissuaded enough voters to keep him from induction.
While Kent was the only player to “age” off the ballot this year, a number of first-time candidates unsurprisingly dropped out after not reaching the 5% threshold to last another season. Bronson Arroyo, R.A. Dickey, John Lackey, Mike Napoli, Huston Street, Matt Cain, Jacoby Ellsbury, Andre Ethier, J.J. Hardy, Jhonny Peralta, Jered Weaver and Jayson Werth each fall out of future consideration.
Among first-time candidates, just two topped the 5% mark to remain on the ballot for at least another year. Carlos Beltrán debuted at 46.5% and would seem to have a solid chance at induction at some point down the line. Francisco Rodríguez has a more uphill battle after starting off at 10.8% of the vote.
Reyes Open To Playing Other Positions
Jose Reyes told Constantino Viloria at the Spanish-language New York paper La Opinion that he is open-minded about his future with the Mets. As in past interviews, Reyes dismissed the possibility that he would play anywhere but with the Mets, the organization that scouted and signed him as a teenager in the Dominican Republic. The team holds an $11MM option on Reyes for 2011, which seems a no-brainer given the options on the free agent market.
However, Reyes added a new twist by telling Viloria that while he would prefer to stay at short, he "hasn't ruled out" changing positions. More specifically, Reyes mentions that "I played several games at second base for the Mets," referring to the 43 games he logged at the keystone in 2004.
Reyes' preferences aside, there is an argument to be made for bumping the 27-year-old one slot to the right. First of all, one of the team's top position prospects (along with Fernando Martinez and others) is 18-year-old shortstop Wilmer Flores, who has been showing promise at the lower levels of the Mets system—though some see his future outside of the infield. In any event, once the Mets are free of their commitment to Luis Castillo at the end of 2011 (or sooner by trade), there is no ready replacement within the upper levels of the system save Ruben Tejada, a natural shortstop like Reyes but without his speed or offensive ceiling.
In terms of offense, Reyes' .735 OPS this season compares little better to other second basemen than it would have back in 2004, when the likes of Jeff Kent and Alfonso Soriano were setting the power bar. For now, his production puts him firmly on the Orlando Hudson watershed line (.729 OPS), well below boppers like Cano/Pedroia/Kinsler/Utley but still above the slappy types like Schumaker/Theriot/Barmes.
However, after a few more months of an injured Castillo, Alex Cora and fliers like Tejada, Reyes' willingness to switch could resurface as a topic of discussion, especially as it may give the team the flexibility to either finally trade Castillo or package one of the shortstop prospects for pitching, as has been bandied recently.
Odds & Ends: Closers, Holliday, Kent
Links for Wednesday…
- Chat today, 2pm CST.
- Interesting diary entry from an anonymous pro scout over at Baseball America. Don't bug these guys at games.
- Digging for saves? RotoAuthority has the latest Closer Report.
- Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker looks at the Japanese free agents for the 2009-10 offseason.
- Jorge Arangure Jr. of ESPN wrote about Matt Holliday's future.
- Justin Murphy of Seamheads.com examines the three Jeff Kent trades.
- Curtis Granderson wrote an article for Yahoo about protecting his identity.
Jeff Kent Retires
According to MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick, Jeff Kent has retired after 17 seasons. Here’s a look at the career numbers. Kent finishes with a .290/.356/.500 line in 9537 plate appearances, racking up 377 home runs.
Henry Schulman’s reflection on Kent is a good read.
Dodgers Offer Arb Only To Manny, Lowe, Blake
The Dodgers’ numerous arb decisions are in, courtesy of MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick. Manny Ramirez, Derek Lowe, and Casey Blake get offers. Joe Beimel, Brad Penny, Jeff Kent, and Greg Maddux (all Type Bs) don’t. The only real surprise here is Beimel, who earned less than $2MM this year and seemed worth the risk.
Crasnick On Retirement Candidates
ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick looks at nine veteran players and estimates their chances of retiring. He assesses the situations of Jim Edmonds, Garret Anderson, Ken Griffey Jr., Cliff Floyd, Jeff Kent, Nomar Garciaparra, Luis Gonzalez, Frank Thomas, and Moises Alou.
Crasnick feels Edmonds, Anderson, Griffey, and Floyd are likely to play, while the rest are not. Of the long shots, Thomas seems most intent on playing in ’09.
Latest Dodgers Info
Alex Speier of WEEI has the latest Dodgers chatter, as GM Ned Colletti held court this evening. Ned wasn’t in a very revealing mood.
- Colletti reiterated that no offer has been made to Manny Ramirez. He hasn’t met with Scott Boras yet. Since the Dodgers have so many needs, Colletti would like to resolve the Manny situation quickly. In Jerry Crasnick’s survey of 15 executives, 10 chose the Dodgers as Manny’s destination. It’s unlikely that the Dodgers are able to sign Ramirez and C.C. Sabathia.
- Those other needs include shortstop, third base, the bullpen, and the rotation.
- Colletti was not sure whether Jeff Kent and/or Nomar Garciaparra will retire.
Dodgers Rumors: Manny, Furcal, Peavy
Dodgers GM Ned Colletti talked to the media yesterday; here’s the latest.
- Tony Jackson of the L.A. Daily News believes Colletti will pursue a competent backup catcher to allow more rest for Russell Martin. A decision is due on Gary Bennett‘s $900K option within seven days.
- So far this offseason, Colletti and Scott Boras have exchanged two voicemails. They’ll meet in person to discuss Manny Ramirez and other Boras clients (Derek Lowe, Greg Maddux, Andruw Jones, maybe Joe Crede) at next week’s GM meetings. Colletti will not put the other team needs on hold to deal with Manny.
- Colletti has had preliminary talks with the agents for Rafael Furcal, Casey Blake, and Nomar Garciaparra, while Jeff Kent is expected to retire.
- Colletti intends to acquire a top of the line starting pitcher, but Jake Peavy is unlikely (the Dodgers would have to pay extra due to the same-division factor). Free agents Lowe and C.C. Sabathia may be considered. The Dodgers have seven days to decide on Brad Penny‘s $9.25MM option versus the $2MM buyout.
- The Dodgers would love to have Takashi Saito back, but the situation with his elbow injury is unclear.
- Juan Pierre and Andruw Jones have expressed a desire to be traded through the media, but not formally to the Dodgers.