Kent belongs in Hall of Fame
Posted: Friday, January 23, 2009 1:32 PM
Jeff Kent has retired after 17 seasons and he is a Hall of Famer. This is not to predict he will be elected to baseball’s shrine (regular readers of this blog know my feeling about the composition of the Hall of Fame electorate so one of my last acts would be to presume anything about their voting).
But simply put my view is that Kent meets the measure to make it to Cooperstown.
Against his peers he put up eight 100-RBI seasons, six in a row and six times he finished in the top 10 in the NL in RBIs. He had two seasons in which he hit over .300 and two top-10 finishes in batting average. Multiple times he ranked in the top 10 in runs, hits, extra-base hits, doubles and total bases. There were four top-10 results in the MVP voting and he won the award in 2000. And he is the game’s all-time leader in home runs as a second baseman.
An interesting comparison is Kent to the next great second baseman to reach the Hall of Fame ballot: Roberto Alomar.
Hits: Kent 2,461, Alomar 2,724.
Batting average: Kent, .290, Alomar .300.
Home runs: Kent, 377, Alomar 210.
RBI: Kent 1,518, Alomar 1,134.
Stolen bases: Kent 94, Alomar 474.
Runs: Kent 1,320, Alomar 1,508.
Gold Gloves: Kent 0, Alomar 10.
Top 10 in MVP voting: Kent 4, Alomar 5.
MVP Awards: Kent 1, Alomar 0.
These two were different types of players as borne out in the numbers. Kent was power and run production, Alomar was speed and defense. What struck me in this comparison, though, was how close Kent came to Alomar in many categories, particularly batting average, runs and hits (the latter two helped by Kent’s longevity but that’s regarded by many Hall of Fame voters as a plus). It is well known that Kent excels in every measure of his career totals against other second baseman, exceeding Ryne Sandberg’s home run total by over 70.
At the bottom of Kent’s page at baseball-reference.com are two more measures -- both developed by Bill James. They are strictly objective, based on season stats. Kent’s Hall of Fame Standards and Hall of Fame Monitor (consult the site for further explanation) are worthy of inclusion. So the numbers favor Kent. Let me address other areas.
Defense: Kent never won a Gold Glove. There is no dispute on that front. But Kent was never a defensive liability in his prime. What he lacked in range (particularly to his backhand) he compensated for with a fearless stance in turning double plays. He was victimized by a hard slide from Alex Rodriguez, who knocked Kent out of 25 games in 1998. But Kent would not change his ways. He simply yielded to no runner. And he owned a terrific arm that was a benefit on relay throws.
Respect: It was the word Kent used in his announcement. And it is the first word that comes to my mind when I reflect on his career. He played the game properly, respecting its history and dignity, and cared about little else. The friction between Kent and Barry Bonds was rooted in Kent’s belief that Bonds disrespected the game with his sluggish approach to running out ground balls and chasing fly balls in the gap.
Kent was tough, never allowing others to see weakness and it cost him in personal relationships. But I don’t believe that Kent cared. Any friendship was secondary, in every way, to the game. That means his eventual induction ceremony may be lightly attended but should have no bearing on his candidacy. The bottom line is Kent played the game as hard as any player I covered in 22 seasons.
Steroids/performance enhancing drugs: I truly believe that no player of this era can be totally without suspicion. But Kent comes as close as anyone. Personal knowledge does come into play here and my time around Kent was riddled with hearing of his disgust at the actions of many in the game. Whatever unease with Bonds that wasn’t caused by Bonds’ lackluster play had its origins in Kent’s visceral disdain for enhancement. So while Kent’s position changed to emphasize offense during his era, he is no more related to Bill Mazeroski than Derek Jeter is to Luis Aparicio. Kent cannot be blamed for the change. Rather he should be recognized for his career numbers against second basemen of all eras as well as his sterling numbers against all position players of his era.
Personal statement: In 22 years of covering baseball Kent is the most complex and complicated personality I encountered. One full season passed when we said nothing to each other beyond hello. And I have no doubt Kent was fine with that arrangement. He is bright, speaks well and can be charming when motivated. Sadly in my view, he rarely felt the need. I reference this so it is clear that my opinion on Kent is based on roughly 700 games as a Giants broadcaster and is not colored by those five years of indifferent personal relations).
In matters such as this one, I am so grateful for my friend Bruce Jenkins, who has taught me that players must be compared to their peers rather than between eras. Too much has changed, from ballparks to playing surfaces to the composition of the ball to the composition of the players, for different eras to have relevance.
While I can’t predict if and when Kent will be elected to the Hall of Fame, the case seems clear that in comparison to his peers, Kent is worthy. The five-year clock to ballot eligibility has started ticking but my sense is that Kent isn’t waiting with baited breath to know his fate.
