News broke on Sunday evening that former MVP and five-time All-Star Jeff Kent has officially been selected into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Kent also earned four Silver Slugger awards throughout his career and sits atop the All-Time rankings for most home runs ever hit by a second baseman.
Kent played in 17 seasons for a total of six different teams. Most notably was the San Francisco Giants, where he won his MVP award with a 7.2 WAR season in 2000. That year, Kent hit 33 home runs, to go along with 125 RBI's, 196 hits and a.334 batting average.
A bit of a late bloomer in his career, Kent didn't debut in the major leagues until age 24 and didn't make his first All-Star team until age 31.
When speaking on receiving the recognition, Kent expressed shock and gratitude. “I’ve used all my cry rags already. The emotions are overwhelming. Unbelievable. Didn’t even expect it for me,” said Kent. “There are so many quality guys … a lot of guys that the committee had to argue through and vote for. Grateful that they considered me and gave it a shot for putting me in."
For his career, Kent finished with 55.4 WAR, 2,461 hits, 377 home runs, 1,518 RBI's and a.290 batting average.
Kent's former teammate in San Francisco, Barry Bonds was once again not selected. Bonds, Roger Clemens, Gary Sheffield and Fernando Valenzuela all received less than five votes, making them ineligible for election again until 2031.
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