San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Kent’s singular, powerful argument for Hall
Editor’s note: Through the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Wednesday in Cooperstown, N.Y., the Sporting Green will present some of its writers’ arguments for which person, given the chance, they immediately would induct.
Baseball’s connection with its history remains stronger than any other sport, an enduring part of its charm.
Shohei Ohtani’s dual-threat feats stir Babe Ruth nostalgia. Fernando Tatis Jr. summons the legend of great shortstops, maybe a young Ernie Banks or strapping Cal Ripken Jr. And Mike Trout (when healthy) invites natural comparisons to Mickey Mantle.
These ties to the past, similarly, are a central element of the perpetual Hall of Fame debate — and the reason former Giants second baseman Jeff Kent, the most productive power hitter ever at his position, belongs in Cooperstown.
First, some background: I’m a longtime voter and ardent “Small Hall” proponent. Baseball’s Hall of Fame is the most prestigious in sports precisely because it’s extraordinarily difficult to gain entrance. That’s the way it should be, absolutely. This isn’t the Hall of Above Average.
So, typically, it requires little persuasion for me to skip over a prospective Hall of Famer on the ballot. But Kent’s candidacy hinges on one simple, indisputable, compelling fact: He hit more home runs than any second baseman in majorleague history.
More than Rogers Hornsby. More than Joe Morgan. More than Ryne Sandberg. More than Robinson Cano. More than every other second baseman to wear a major-league uniform.
Cooperstown candidates make their case by comparing favorably to top players of their generation, or top players at their position throughout the game’s long history. On that count, Kent deserves more than the token Hall of Fame consideration he has received in recent years — barely more than 32% of the vote last year.
Some numbers worth considering: Kent hit an all-time-best 351 of his 377 career home runs while playing second base. The only other positional leaders not in the Hall are shadowed by steroid allegations (Barry Bonds in left field) or an admission (Mark McGwire at first base). Among players who played at least two-thirds of their career games at second base, only Kent, Cano (334) and Hornsby (301) eclipsed the 300-homer barrier. Sandberg hit 282. Morgan hit 268. Kent smacked 20 or more home runs in 12 different seasons. In a nine-year stretch from 1997 through 2005, he hit 22-plus homers every season and collected 100-plus RBIs all but once. (He had 93 with the Astros in 2003.) Put another way: Kent had eight seasons of 20 or more homers and 100 or more RBIs. Only one other second baseman (Hornsby, with five) had more than four such seasons. Kent ranks second all-time among second basemen in slugging percentage (.500), third in RBIs (1,518) and fourth in doubles (560).
Kent was not a defensive standout, which gives pause to some voters. Defense often gets overlooked in Hall of Fame conversations, and it shouldn’t be. Kent made 22 errors with the Mets in 1993, early in his career. He was no Roberto Alomar.
But Kent turned himself into a solid defensive player at an important up-the-middle position. He started nearly 2,000 major-league games at second base. He was good enough on defense and historically good on offense — a five-time AllStar, four-time Silver Slugger winner and National League MVP in 2000.
Kent’s sometimes prickly personality and nomadic baseball journey — from the Blue Jays to the Mets, Indians, Giants, Astros and Dodgers — probably color the way he’s remembered. So does his memorable dugout fight with Bonds.
And, of course, there’s the broken wrist in a spring-training motorcycle accident — which became big news because Kent claimed the injury occurred when he slipped while washing his truck.
All of this serves as background noise, really. He hit more career home runs than any second baseman to play the game. That’s Hall-worthy on its own.