Baseball Hall of Fame debate: Jeff Kent â the best power-hitting 2B ever â on the outside looking in History will show that Jeff Kent may have been the greatest power-hitting second baseman ever. NEW YORK â Itâs Tuesday evening in Texas. Power at 2B? I just have to do an old fashioned pro and con list, and figure this out. > Jeff Kent Statistics and History. MLB . Revisiting the Hall of Fame Case for Jeff Kent New, 22 comments The former Astros second baseman has struggled on the last few ballots, but thereâs reason to think that might be turning around Robinson Canó is a great player but HOF material??? Baseball Hall of Fame countdown: Jeff Kent's power at second base was unparalleled. This yearâs ballot is, to put it nicely, underwhelming. If you go by raw WAR, there might be 30 or 40 better players above him who won't get in, and a few of them are second basemen. A decade earlier, in 1992, when Kent was a rookie with the Toronto Blue Jays, he played behind future Hall of Fame second baseman Roberto Alomar and started at third base part of the season. All WAR figures refer to the Baseball-Reference version unless otherwise indicated. A look at how former Dodgers Gary Sheffield, Jeff Kent, Manny Ramirez, Andruw Jones, Bobby Abreu, Dan Haren, and Shane Victorino did on the 2021 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot. This is Kentâs eighth year on the ballot, and barring a dramatic turn in voting, Kent looks ⦠But, even if Shaughnessy is furious with the process, players like Scott Rolen and Todd Helton could use his support. Jeff Kent in the hall would just be an insult to the legendary snubs of Cooperstown: Ron Santo, Andre Dawson, Gil Hodges, and Pete Rose. I respect that. In his six previous years on the ballot, Jeff Kent has seen his voting percentage remain remarkably consistent, hovering between 14% and 18%. History will show that Jeff Kent may have been the greatest power-hitting second baseman ever. Former Major Leaguer Jeff Kent was working on his ranch when he was informed that he fell short of being elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.In his eighth year of eligibility, Kent garnered 32.4 percent of the ballot, up from 27.5 percent in 2020. Kent isn't a clear, unambiguous Hall of Famer. Jeff Kent retired, and by the end of this article, I don't know whether or not I'll believe he should be in the Hall of Fame. Why??? Baseball Hall of Fame debate: Jeff Kent â the best power-hitting 2B ever â on the outside looking in. However, both get little Hall of Fame love. usatoday.com - History will show that Jeff Kent may have been the greatest power-hitting second baseman ever. Yet apparently, not up to the Baseball Hall of Fame standards set by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Though I am not yet part of the Baseball Writers Association of America I want to indulge in voting for this yearâs Hall of Fame class. All-Time Leader in Home Runs by a Second Basemen 1,500 RBI's 1 MVP 560 Doubles (7 more than Tony Gwynn) He still has a long way to go to gain enshrinement. Drafted by the Blue Jays in 1989, he passed through the hands of three teams ⦠Kentâs Hall of Fame case isâ¦somewhat interesting? Jeff Kent has more HR's! New, 20 comments. Steve Gardner. Going from his now 27.5% to induction in two years is entirely unprecedented. Return to Top; MLB Players. Eligible for the National Baseball Hall of Fame for the first time in 2014, Kent's chances were felt to be low because of poor defense and the tainted era he played in. Video Play Button Videos you might like MLB Hall of Fame voting is underway and San Francisco Giants second baseman Jeff Kent has seen an early uptick in support. Based upon his receiving just 18.1% of the vote last year, it does not seem like Jeff Kent will get anywhere close to the 75% threshold for Hall of Fame induction. For a tentative schedule, and a chance to fill out a Hall of Fame ballot for our crowdsourcing project, see here. Pro Jeff Kent and the Hall of Fame Entering his eighth year on the ballot, second baseman Jeff Kent has a long, long road ahead of him to reach the National Baseball Hall of Fame. USA TODAY. The Hall of Fame voting results were released Tuesday and Kent received 32.4 percent, not even close to the 75 percent needed for enshrinement. Full Site Menu. Jeff Kent had a Hall of Fame bat but not much else Jeff Kent has the offensive numbers for the Hall of Fame, but context and the remainder of his game make his case a suspect one. Unfortunately, it does not appear as if he is going to get the push he needs to get anywhere close to that 75% in any of the subsequent three years meaning ⦠... CLOSE . Indeed, Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) voters gave Kent just 15.2% of their votes in his first year, well short of the 75% required for induction. Where does Jeff Kent fall in the discussion of greatest second basemen in baseball history? Jeff Kent, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, received just 15.2 percent approval from voters when the 2014 baseball Hall of Fame class was announced Wednesday, missing the cut in his first year of eligibility.. Kent, a second baseman who retired in 2009, had a successful career with a ⦠Thursday is for quietly grousing about Jeff Kent, who wasnât the best hitter we will ever see. It is Jeff Kentâs seventh time on the ballot. He was a key component of some very strong teams. At least Vizquel is trending in the right direction, receiving 42.8% of the vote last year, up from 36.9% from his first year. Having looked at the issue a few different ways, Iâm pretty confident that 1) Kent is, in fact, a Hall of Fame-caliber player, and 2) Kent is probably the 13th greatest second baseman in baseball history. In the late 1990s, Jeff Kent went from being a castoff, to being a star hitter. Originally a 20th-round draft pick by the Toronto Blue ⦠That's true: Kent had 377, where as Cano sits at 334. Yet apparently, not up to the Baseball Hall of Fame standards set by the Baseball Writers Association of America. However, since hitting the Hall of Fame ballot in 2014, Kent has yet ⦠The Jeff Kent Hall of Fame Discussion. Kentâs Giants lost the 2002 World Series to the Angels in seven games. Either way, where does he now rank among the greatest second basemen of all time? The shame in that is Kent had what should have amounted to a Hall of Fame career. Jeff Kent and Billy Wagner: These two players are the best example of what I was talking about. Is Jeff Kent a Hall of Famer? Baseball Hall of Fame countdown: Jeff Kentâs power at second base was unparalleled. His voting has trended upward in recent years, going from 14.5% in 2018 to 18.1% in 2019 and 27.5% in 2020, which is by far the ⦠He was certainly one of them, though, and Iâm pretty sure heâs a clear Hall of Famer. Here are my new inductees: Barry Bonds (Best player of his generation and perhaps in the top five of best players ever) Jeff Kent (MVP winner, All time Home Run leader among ⦠Most homers by a second baseman (377), 2000 NL MVP, participated on the reality show Survivor. PROS. Jeff Kent took a long time to find a home. He was on 27.5% of the writers ballots last year. Ann Killion: Jeff Kent, Andruw Jones, Omar Vizquel. Iâm talking about Jeff Kent. His vote totals: 16.7, 15.2, 14.0, 16.6, 16.7 and 18.1, so he took a nice jump last year. âThat was a tough pill to swallow,â he remembered. Posted on : 01/07/2020. â Smash Mouth (@smashmouth) November 18, 2020. Once again, Jeff Kent gained in the Hall of Fame vote, and once again, he is far short of the trajectory he needs to make it to the Hall of Fame.