The National Baseball Hall of Fame is filled with players who finished long, distinguished careers wearing a Dodgers uniform, and their performance declined as their age increased. Greg Maddux, Rickey Henderson, Juan Marichal and Eddie Murray are among those that come to mind.
One exception was Jeff Kent, who on Sunday received 14 of a possible 16 votes from the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee, the only player among eight on the ballot with enough for induction to Cooperstown.
With unparalleled power as a second baseman and a relentless focus on his craft, Kent was a Dodger for the final four seasons of his 17-year career, statistically solidifying his Hall of Fame credentials while also serving as a curmudgeonly leader on a roster packed with young stars like Matt Kemp, Russell Martin, Andre Ethier and James Loney.
“It's a moment of satisfaction for the things I did well in my career, the things I consistently maintained,” he told MLB Network. “The hard work, the gratification of playing the game the right way. I love the game.”
The son of a motorcycle police officer and a product of Huntington Beach Edison High, Kent was excited during a press conference at the 2005 MLB Winter Meetings when it was announced that he had signed a two-year, $17 million contract with the Dodgers.
“This is the third time I've tried to get to the Dodgers,” he said at the time. “I want to be on a team with the potential to win because I'm running out of time. This team has that mentality.”
The Dodgers never won a World Series during Kent's tenure, but he quickly assumed the role of a veteran leader, making himself available to the media after tough losses to shield younger players from the glare.
He said what was on his mind, sometimes to the extreme, once suggesting that legendary Dodgers announcer Vin Scully “talks too much.”
Maybe that's why Kent receiving the Hall of Fame nod from a list of candidates that included all-time home run leader Barry Bonds, 354-game winner Roger Clemens, 509-homer slugger Gary Sheffield, '80s stars Don Mattingly and Dale Murphy, and Dodgers icon Fernando Valenzuela was unexpected.
Even Kent was surprised.
“The emotions are overwhelming, unbelievable,” Kent said. “I wasn't even expecting it. To me, there were so many quality guys that the committee had to discuss and vote on. I'm grateful that they considered me and gave me the opportunity to include me.”
Valenzuela, Bonds, Clemens and Sheffield each received fewer than five votes, meaning they will be ineligible the next time their era is considered in 2031. They can be nominated once again at that time, but will be ineligible for consideration if they again fall short of five votes.
All candidates had already been rejected by the Baseball Writers Association. of America. Seventy-five percent of the vote is needed for induction, and Kent never received even 50% during his 10 years on the BBWAA ballot that ended in 2023.
“Time had passed and you left him alone, and I left him alone,” Kent said. “I loved the game, and everything I gave to the game I left there on the field. At this moment today, for the last few days, I was completely unprepared. Emotionally unstable.”
Kent was named National League Most Valuable Player in 2000 with the San Francisco Giants, the team with which his career is most associated. He hit a career-best .334 with 33 home runs and 125 RBI that season and drove in more than 100 runs in each of his six seasons batting behind Bonds.
He said he plans to enter the Hall of Fame wearing a Giants cap.
“The turning point in my career was with Dusty Baker, the coach I was with in San Francisco,” said Kent, who played college ball in California. “He motivated me to get the most out of myself.”
Kent finished with 377 career home runs, 351 as a second baseman, the most ever at the position. He is also the only second baseman to accumulate more than 100 RBIs in eight seasons.
As a Dodger, he hit 75 home runs and batted .290 in more than 2,000 plate appearances. His last manager with the Dodgers was Joe Torre, who described Kent's impact on the franchise.
“He's one of those players whose actions are supposed to make you understand what he's thinking,” Torre said. “It's the old professional thing.”
