National baseball Hall of Fame is littered with players who finished a long and distinguished career by donning a Dodgers uniform, their performance decreasing as they aged. Greg Maddux, Rickey Henderson, Juan Marichal and Eddie Murray are some of those that come to mind.
An exception was Jeff Kentwho received 14 of a possible 16 votes from the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee on Sunday, the only player among eight on the ballot with enough to be inducted into Cooperstown.
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With unmatched power as a second baseman and a relentless approach to his craft, Kent was a Dodger over the final four seasons of his 17-year career, statistically solidifying his Hall of Fame credentials while also serving as a brooding leader on a roster filled with young stars such as Matt Kemp, Russell Martin, Andre Ethier and James Loney.
“It’s a moment of satisfaction for the things I’ve done well in my career, the things I’ve always stuck to,” he told MLB Network. “The hard work, the reward 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 became emotional during a press conference at the 2005 MLB Winter Meetings when it was announced that he signed a two-year, $17 million contract with the Dodgers.
“This is my third time trying to play for the Dodgers,” he said at the time. “I want to be part of a team with the potential to win because I’m running out of time. This team has that mentality.”
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The Dodgers never won a World Series during Kent’s tenure, but he quickly became a veteran leader, making himself available to the media after tough losses to shield younger players from view.
He said what was on his mind, sometimes incorrectly, once suggesting that the legendary Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully “talks too much.”
Perhaps that’s why Kent earned the Hall of Fame title from a list of candidates that included all-time home run leader Barry Bonds, 354-game winner Roger Clemens, 509-homer slugger Gary Sheffield, 1980s stars Don Mattingly and Dale Murphy, and Dodgers Icon, Fernando Valenzuela was unexpected.
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Even Kent was surprised.
“The emotions are overwhelming, unbelievable,” Kent said. “I didn’t even expect it. To me, there were so many quality guys that the committee had to debate and vote on. I’m grateful that they considered me and tried to put me in.”
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Valenzuela, Bonds, Clemens and Sheffield each received fewer than five votes, meaning they will not be eligible the next time their era is considered in 2031. They will be eligible for re-nomination at that time, but will not be eligible if they fall short by five votes again.
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All applicants had already been rejected by the Baseball Writers Assn. of America. Seventy-five percent of the vote is needed for induction, and Kent never received even 50% in his 10 years on the BBWAA ballot that ended in 2023.
“Time had passed, and you leave it alone, and I left it alone,” Kent said. “I loved the game and everything I gave, I left on the field. Today, these last days, I was completely unprepared. Emotionally unstable.”
Kent was named the National League’s Most Valuable Player in 2000 with the San Francisco Giants, the team with which his career is most associated. He batted a career-best .334 with 33 home runs and 125 RBIs during that season and drove in over 100 runs in each of his six seasons behind Bonds.
He said he plans to enter the Hall of Fame wearing a Giants cap.
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“The turning point in my career happened with Dusty Baker, the manager I worked with in San Francisco,” said Kent, who played in college in California. “He motivated me to perform at my peak.”
Kent finished with 377 career home runs, 351 as a second baseman, the most ever for that position. He is also the only second baseman to have more than 100 RBIs in eight seasons.
As a Dodger, he hit 75 home runs and hit .290 in over 2,000 plate appearances. His last manager with the Dodgers was Joe Torre, who described Kent’s impact on the franchise.
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“He is one of those players whose actions are supposed to make it clear what he thinks,” » said Torre. “It’s the old trick of the pros.”
This story was originally published in Los Angeles Times.
