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Jeff Kent to retire
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Jeff Kent
Photo: Icon SMI
Jeff Kent announces his retirement today. Kent starts his Hall of Fame clock, and presents good credentials for his induction:
Kent's 351 career home runs as a second baseman are 74 more than Ryne Sandberg's total.
Kent spent 17 years in the majors -- the last four with the Dodgers -- tying for 20th on baseball's all-time list with 560 doubles, while ranking 47th with 1,518 RBI and 62nd with 377 home runs.
When Kent's name first came up as a Hall of Famer, I was a bit surprised. A reason for that is Jeff's early career was good, but not overly impressive. Through seasonal age 29, the 1997 season, Kent's career OBA came in at .327 with a .450 slugging percentage. That was good for a second baseman, but not Hall of Fame numbers. Coming out of his peaks years, he didn't look like someone destined for enshrinement. The last eleven seasons were a different story, however.
The next year, 1998, saw about a 30 point jump over Kent's career OBA and an 80 point jump in his slugging percentage. He maintained that high level of performance for most of the rest of his career, with an OBA of .370 over his last 11 seasons and a .520 slugging percentage. For a second baseman, those should get the attention of voters.
This is a highly unusual career. There have been players who hit better in their 30s than their 20s, but most crossed that decade at a point where the game changed; think of Paul O'Neill turning 30 just as offense explodes in the majors. Kent's career pretty much covers the entire offensive explosion that started in 1993. I suppose this insulates Kent from charges of PED use:
Kent was known for his intense approach to the game and he endorsed improved testing, criticizing players who used performance-enhancing drugs.
So what happened? This article suggests it was maturity.
Kent--the oldest kid, the cop's son, the ultimate problem-solver--went to work on solving what was perhaps his most difficult problem: remaining calm. And once he conquered calm, the RBI just started coming.
"Jeff learned to control his temper," Baker says. "When the bases were loaded, Jeff tried to get all of them in with one swing. He changed his approach. He doesn't frustrate himself as much as he used to at the plate."
Kent is the first to admit that. In describing his emotional makeup in crucial plate appearances, Kent offers an answer that might seem surprising, given his intensity.
"I don't care," says Kent. "I don't care if I strand a runner. It doesn't phase me."
Meaning: Kent won't tear up a clubhouse anymore. He cares, but not so much now that he becomes unglued, making the poor, innocent water cooler a victim. "I wasn't as mature (in New York) as I am now," he says.
The other interesting thing about Kent's career stems from his similarity scores. He matches Hall of Famers, but Hall of Fame catchers. His top five comparisons are five of the great offensive catchers. Fisk, Berra and Bench are in the Hall of Fame and Ivan Rodriguez made a good case for himself. The only second baseman on the list, Ryne Sandberg, is ninth.
In a way, Kent doesn't fit the mold of a Hall of Fame second baseman. Hornsby, Morgan and Sandberg were as slick with their gloves as their bats. Kent was a good second baseman, but not an outstanding fielder like the three above.
Kent also wasn't afraid to take on his teammates. I don't make too much of that, as sometimes the large egos of great ballplayers do collide. However, Kent won't get points for lying about a motorcycle accident, or dissing Vin Scully.
Jeff was never boring. We'll see how his positives and negatives sit with the Hall voters. He may end up like Jim Rice, waiting for the sports writers of his day to get diluted by writers who just see the numbers.
