| Jeff Kent | |
|---|---|
 Kent with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2008 | |
| Second baseman | |
| Born: (1968-03-07)March 7, 1968 (age 57) Bellflower, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 12, 1992, for the Toronto Blue Jays | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 27, 2008, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .290 |
| Hits | 2,461 |
| Home runs | 377 |
| Runs batted in | 1,518 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Jeffrey Franklin Kent (born March 7, 1968) is an American former professionalbaseballsecond baseman. He played 17 seasons inMajor League Baseball (MLB) from 1992 to 2008 for theToronto Blue Jays,New York Mets,Cleveland Indians,San Francisco Giants,Houston Astros, andLos Angeles Dodgers.
Kent won theNational LeagueMost Valuable Player award in 2000 with the San Francisco Giants, and is the all-time leader inhome runs among second basemen.[1] Hedrove in 90 or moreruns from 1997 to 2005.[1][2] Kent is a five-time All-Star, and his 560 careerdoubles put him in 30th on the all-time doubles list.[1][3]
Kent attended theUniversity of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley), where he playedcollege baseball for theGolden Bears before being selected in the 20th round of the1989 MLB draft by the Blue Jays.
Jeffrey Franklin Kent was born on March 7, 1968, inBellflower, California. Kent graduated fromEdison High School inHuntington Beach, California, where he was an All-Orange County selection as a junior shortstop at Edison.
He was dismissed from the baseball team after clashing with his coach about leadership, which culminated with Kent being told to switch to second base that he did not like; Kent was soon told to turn in his uniform, which he did.
Afterwards, he played with American Legion and Connie Mack League baseball and earned a college scholarship.[4]
Kent playedcollege baseball atUC Berkeley from 1987 to 1989. In 1988 he played bothcollegiate summer baseball with theCotuit Kettleers of theCape Cod Baseball League and theCollege World Series.[5][6] A broken wrist in the midst of his junior season saw him miss the rest of the year and scared off scouts.
Kent was selected in the 20th round of the1989 MLB Draft by theToronto Blue Jays.
After three seasons in the minor leagues, Kent was invited tospring training with the Blue Jays in 1992. He was to play in AAA with Syracuse but was called up afterDerek Bell suffered a broken wrist in the 2nd game of the year. He made his debut on April 12 against theBaltimore Orioles and recorded his first career hit in his first career at-bat, a double in the 6th inning againstJosé Mesa.[7] He hit his first home run on April 14 againstNew York YankeespitcherLee Guetterman. He saw limitedat-bats early in the season; however, an injury to startingthird basemanKelly Gruber granted Kent a more regular role in the line-up.
Kent was traded to the Mets on August 27, 1992, for pitcherDavid Cone, as Toronto bolstered their pitching rotation for a successfulWorld Series run; Kent earned aWorld Series ring despite the trade.[8] Kent's time with the Mets was marked with some success and some failure. Although he batted well, particularly for a second baseman, the Mets were among the worst teams in theNational League. Furthermore, he acquired a very poor reputation in the clubhouse, where he was known for a quick temper and isolationism. He refused to participate in his hazing ritual with the Mets, feeling he had left his rookie status back in Toronto.[9] During the 1992 season, he started the only game of his career atshortstop in order to allowWillie Randolph to play his final career game at second base.
In a deal made prior to the 1996 trade deadline, the Mets sent Kent andJosé Vizcaíno to theCleveland Indians forÁlvaro Espinoza andCarlos Baerga. The following offseason, Kent was again traded, this time to theSan Francisco Giants along with José Vizcaíno andJulián Tavárez. The San Francisco trade was initially very unpopular, as it sentMatt Williams, a longtime Giant and a fan-favorite, to the Indians.Brian Sabean, in his first year asgeneral manager of the Giants, was so widely criticized for the move that he famously defended himself to the media by saying, "I am not an idiot."[10]
Kent's career took off in San Francisco, starting in 1997. Immediately inserted in the line-up behind superstarBarry Bonds, and with the confidence of managerDusty Baker, Kent finally rose to his full potential, hitting .250 with 29 home runs and 121RBI.[11] He was consistently among the top RBI hitters in the league over his next five seasons with the Giants, amassing 689 RBI over six years. He also won the 1998Willie Mac Award for his spirit and leadership. Kent's contributions were recognized in 2000 (33 home runs, 125 RBI, .334batting average, and a .986fielding percentage)[11] with the National LeagueMVP Award, beating out teammate and perennial MVP candidate Barry Bonds. Despite the fact that Bonds overshadowed Kent in almost every offensive category, it was Kent's clutch hitting in RBI spots that won many games for the Giants that year, and ultimately won him the award. The Giants finished first in the NL West at 97–65, but lost to the Mets in theNational League Division Series 3–1.[12]
In 2002, Kent had another stellar year for a second baseman (37 home runs, 108 RBI, .313 batting average, and a .978 fielding percentage).[11] The combination of Kent and MVP-winner Bonds propelled the Giants to a 95–66 record, good enough for the NL Wild Card. The Giants would beat theAtlanta Braves in theNational League Division Series 3–2 and theSt. Louis Cardinals in theNational League Championship Series 4–1. In the World Series for the first time since 1989, the Giants would nearly clinch the championship (failing to hold a 5–0, 7th-inning lead) in the sixth game, before falling to theAnaheim Angels in seven games.[13] Despite the team's success that season, Kent's relationship with the Giants had soured. The Giants front office had lost confidence in Kent after an incident during spring training left him with a broken wrist. Kent had initially claimed that he had broken his wrist after slipping and falling while washing his truck; ensuing media reports indicated that, in reality, Kent had crashed his motorcycle while performingwheelies and other stunts, in direct violation of his contract.[14]
In addition, growing tension that had been developing between Kent and Bonds for years finally boiled over: a midseason fight in the Giants dugout was widely reported in 2002 and caught on television.[15] The feud between the two was so bad that, at the end of the season, San Francisco Chronicle beat reporterRay Ratto said of the two, "The one who lives longer will attend the other's funeral, just to make sure he's dead."[16] The departure of manager Dusty Baker also factored into Kent's eventual decision to leave the Giants.[citation needed]
During the 2002 offseason, Kent signed a two-year, $19.9 million deal with theHouston Astros, citing his desire to be closer to his family's Texas ranch.Kent turned one of the outs and collected anassist during atriple play on August 19,2004, againstPhiladelphia, whenTodd Pratt grounded out with the bases loaded in the fifth inning. Kent forcedMarlon Byrd out at second base before throwing Pratt out at first base. It was Houston's first triple play turned in 13 years.[17]
From May 14 to June 11, he collected a hit in 25 straight games, which set a new franchise record;Willy Taveras topped his mark in 2006.[18] On October 2, 2004, he hit his 288th home run as a second baseman, surpassingRyne Sandberg as the all-time home run leader at that position. In Game 5 of the2004 National League Championship Series, Kent hit a three-runwalk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth to break a scoreless tie and put Houston ahead of theSt. Louis Cardinals three games to two in the series. However, the Cardinals would win Games 6 and 7 inSt. Louis to capture the pennant.
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On December 14, 2004, he signed a $21 million contract for three years with his hometown Los Angeles Dodgers. Kent started at second base for theNational League in the2005 Major League Baseball All-Star Game atComerica Park, his fifth career All-Star selection and fourth career All-Star start. Kent became the first player in the history of theDodgers–Giants rivalry to make and start the Midsummer Classic for both clubs.Joc Pederson has since joined this list. Kent had a good 2005 season, leading the Dodgers in batting average,on-base percentage,slugging, runs,hits, doubles, home runs and RBI (.289, .377, .512, 100, 160, 36, 29, and 105 respectively).[19] While missing games early on in the 2006 season because of an oblique injury, he came back late in the season and helped the Dodgers reach the postseason.[20] After the 2005 season, Kent signed an extension that would take him to the 2008 season.[21] His last major league at-bat took place on October 15, 2008, in game five of the 2008NLCS, in which he struck out looking againstCole Hamels to end the 7th inning.[22] Following 2008, Kent announced his retirement from baseball on January 22, 2009.[23]
In 2,298 games over 17 seasons, Kent posted a .290batting average (2461-for-8498) with 1320runs, 560doubles, 47triples, 377home runs, 1518RBI, 94stolen bases, 801bases on balls, .356on-base percentage and .500slugging percentage. He finished his career with a .978fielding percentage. In 49 postseason games, he hit .276 (47-for-170) with 25 runs, 11 doubles, 9 home runs, 23 RBI and 13 walks.[11] Kent hit 351 home runs as a second baseman, the most in MLB history in either league; he is one of only two second baseman to hit 300 home runs at the position of second base.[24]
Kent and his wife Dana reside nearAustin, Texas, where they raise their four children, a daughter and three sons.[25] He also owns the 4,000-acre (1,600 ha) "Diamond K" cattle ranch nearTilden, Texas.[26] In 2008, Kent purchased the Lakecliff Country Club inSpicewood, Texas.[27] Kent also owns Kent Powersports, a chain of motorcycle and ATV dealerships.[28]
Kent appeared as a contestant on the Summer 2009 television seriesSuperstars, where he was teamed with actressAli Landry in a series of sports competitions. They finished in fifth place in the competition.[29] In 2012, Kent participated inSurvivor: Philippines, the 25th season of the AmericanCBS competitivereality television seriesSurvivor. He was the ninth contestant voted off, which placed him tenth and made him the second member of the jury, giving him a right to vote for the eventual winner at the Final Tribal Council.[30] When he was voted off, Kent claimed that the million dollar prize was "six hundred grand by the timeObama takes it".[31]
He has been an advocate for Major League Baseball using blood tests forHGH.[32] Since 2011, Kent has served as a spring training instructor for the San Francisco Giants.[33] He also coaches his sons' Little League teams, and in 2014 he became a volunteer assistant forSouthwestern University's baseball team.[34] In 2011, Kent donated $100,000 and raised awareness to help reinstate theCal baseball program, which was being cut for cost-saving purposes.[35] In 2014, Kent announced the creation of the Jeff Kent Women Driven Scholarship Endowment to provide a full scholarship each year to one female student-athlete at UC Berkeley in perpetuity.[28][36]
In 2008, Kent donated tothe campaign to ban same-sex marriage in California.[37]
Eligible for theNational Baseball Hall of Fame for the first time in2014,Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) voters gave Kent just 15.2% of their votes in his first year, well short of the 75% required for induction. Among 17 returnees to the ballot in 2015, Kent was one of only three who saw a decrease in support, dropping to 14.0%.[38] His support increased in subsequent elections, reaching 32.7% in2022, his ninth appearance on the ballot. In 2023, his tenth and final appearance on the BBWAA ballot, he received 46.5%, falling short of the necessary threshold. Kent's underperformance relative to his offensive prowess has been attributed to poor defense, the tainted era he played in, and his reputation as a negative presence in the locker room.[39][40]
Kent and his wife, Dana, are members ofthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His daughter, Lauren, and his eldest son, Hunter, both attendedBrigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah. Lauren graduated from BYU in December 2017, and Hunter played on the practice squad for the Cougars, before taking leave to serve a two-year mission inMexico.[41]
Kent's son, Colton, played his prep baseball atLake Travis High School, in Austin, Texas. Colton signed to play college baseball atBYU, but transferred to theCollege of Southern Idaho[42] (CSI) after a year at BYU.[43]
Kent's other son, Kaeden, played college baseball atTexas A&M University. He was drafted by theNew York Yankees in the third round of the2025 MLB draft and currently plays for the High-AHudson Valley Renegades.[44][45]
In 2012, Kent appeared on Survivor: Philippines, the 25th season ofSurvivor. He was voted out on the 8th episode. During his exit interview, he said, "I’ve probably made $60 million playing baseball, but I really wanted this million. It’s not even a million. It’s $600,000 once Obama gets his share, but this really sucks!"[46]
· Baseball Almanac, orRetrosheet| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | National League Player of the Month August 1998 June 2000 June 2002 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Houston Astros longesthitting streak 2004—2006 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Hitting for the cycle May 3, 1999 | Succeeded by |
