Jeff Kent Joins Hall Of Fame 2026 Class In Veterans Committee Vote
New Hall of Famer Jeff Kent formed a solid right-left punch with Barry Bonds when both played for the Giants. (Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images)
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On a ballot top-heavy with award winners, Jeff Kent was a surprise choice – and the only one – when the Contemporary Players Committee voted for the Baseball Hall of Fame Sunday.
Formerly known as the Veterans Committee, the Contemporary Players Committee is one of three rotating panels that votes annually on personalities overlooked by the Baseball Writers Association of America in its balloting process.
Delgado Finishes Second
Meeting during the first day of the 2025 winter meetings in Orlando, FL, the 16-member committee gave Kent 14 votes, Carlos Delgado 9, and Don Mattingly and Dale Murphy 6 each.
Seven-time MVP Barry Bonds and seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens, both suspected of using performance-enhancing substances, lost their next shot at the ballot three years from now by not exceeding five votes.
So did Gary Sheffield, who hit 509 home runs, and the late Fernando Valenzuela, a pitcher who once won a Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Award in the same season.
Kent, the Most Valuable Player of the National League in 2000, was a five-time All-Star with a .290 lifetime average. He also hit more home runs (377) than any second baseman in baseball history.
Jeff Kent hit 377 home runs, more than any other second baseman. (Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images)
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A right-handed batter, he spent most of his time at second base but also played first and third during his 17-year career.
Not known for his defensive prowess but powerful at the plate, Kent spent most of his career with the San Francisco Giants but also played for the New York Mets, Cleveland Indians, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Toronto Blue Jays.
World Series Winner
A Top MVP finisher four times, Kent helped the Giants win the 2012 World Series and reached the playoffs with the Giants in three other seasons. He and Bonds formed a powerful right-left punch in the heart of the San Francisco batting order.
The eight candidates considered this year were chosen by the Baseball Hall of Fame’s Historical Overview Committee from players who made their biggest impact since 1980.
A second panel, consisting of historians, Hall of Famers, and writers, did the actual voting.
A year from now, another committee off-shoot will consider managers, executives and umpires. A third panel, the Classic Baseball Era Committee, will vote on Class of 2008 candidates.
When the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee reconvenes to consider candidates for the Class of 2029, anyone who did not receive at least five votes will be ineligible for the ballot.
By winning election, Kent will be entitled to add the letters “HOF” to anything he signs. That alone will spark a huge increase in the value of his cards, jerseys, caps, and other memorabilia.
Kent will be inducted to the Hall of Fame at Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, NY along with anyone elected by the Baseball Writers Association of America next month. Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones, outfielders who finished first and second last year but did not receive the required 75 per cent of the vote, are the favorites for that election.