The moments that paved the way for Kent to reach Cooperstown

Jeff Kent’s prickly personality made him one of the more polarizing figures of his era.

He was traded twice in the same year, clashed with teammate Barry Bonds during an infamous dugout scuffle and strained his relationship with the Giants after he broke his wrist during a Spring Training motorcycle accident in 2002. (He still maintains he slipped and fell while washing his truck.)

While not exactly beloved, Kent certainly earned plenty of respect through his hard-nosed play and his run-producing prowess. The 2000 National League MVP and a five-time All-Star, Kent hit 351 of his 377 career home runs as a second baseman, making him the all-time leader at the position.

Ahead of his Hall of Fame induction on July 26 in Cooperstown, N.Y., let’s take a look back at the top moments from Kent’s 17-year career:

1. Bursting onto the scene
April 12, 1992

A 20th-round Draft pick of the Blue Jays in 1989, Kent was set to open the 1992 campaign at Triple-A Syracuse, but he ended up earning his first big league callup after outfielder Derek Bell suffered a broken wrist in Toronto’s second game of the season. Kent made his Major League debut for Toronto on April 12 and got off to a fast start, smoking a double to left-center field in his first big league at-bat at SkyDome.

2. On the move
1992, 1996

Kent appeared in only 65 games for the Blue Jays, as he and Ryan Thompson were traded to the Mets in exchange for ace right-hander David Cone on Aug. 27, 1992. Kent received a World Series ring after Cone helped Toronto clinch its first championship title that year, though it was a bittersweet outcome for the rookie infielder.

Kent hit .279 over parts of five seasons in New York, but he found himself involved in another trade on July 29, 1996, when he and Jose Vizcaino were sent to Cleveland in exchange for Carlos Baerga and Alvaro Espinoza. Kent’s tenure in Cleveland lasted less than four months, as he played in a mere 39 games before he was dealt for the third time in his career.

On Nov. 13, 1996, Kent was shipped to the Giants as part of Cleveland’s blockbuster trade for All-Star third baseman Matt Williams. The deal drew heavy criticism in San Francisco, where first-year general manager Brian Sabean famously defended the unpopular move by saying, “I am not an idiot.” Kent ended up proving Sabean right by producing the most prolific stretch of his career over his next six seasons with the Giants.

3. Powering up
Oct. 3, 1997

Kent made the most of his fresh start in San Francisco, where he teamed up with Bonds to give the Giants their best power-hitting tandem since the days of Willie Mays and Willie McCovey. He launched 29 home runs in his first year to fuel a major turnaround for the Giants, who finished last in the National League West in ‘96 before rising to win the division crown in ‘97. San Francisco was swept by the eventual World Series champion Marlins in the NL Division Series, though Kent showed fight by homering twice off Alex Fernandez in the decisive Game 3.

4. Downing the Dodgers
Sept. 19, 1998

Kent hit 13 grand slams in his career, including one that helped key an 18-4 rout of the rival Dodgers in San Francisco. Bill Mueller gave the Giants an early lead with a third-inning grand slam before Kent broke the game open by delivering the club’s second slam of the game in the fourth. It was the first time the Giants hit multiple grand slams in a game since April 26, 1970, when McCovey and Dick Dietz accomplished the feat against Montreal.

5. Hitting for the cycle
May 3, 1999

Kent enjoyed one of his most memorable offensive performances at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, where he went 5-for-5 with five RBIs and became the first Giant to hit for the cycle since Robby Thompson in 1991. Kent singled in the first, belted a three-run homer in the third, tripled in the fifth and doubled in the seventh to complete the rare achievement.

6. M-V-P!
2000 campaign

It didn’t take long for Kent to feel at home at the Giants’ new waterfront ballpark, which opened its doors in 2000. He batted a career-high .334 with a 1.021 OPS, 33 homers and 125 RBIs over 159 games during that inaugural season, edging his teammate Bonds for NL MVP honors. Kent became the first second baseman to win the award since Ryne Sandberg in 1984.

7. World Series pop
Oct. 24, 2002

Kent crushed three homers during the 2002 World Series, two of which came during the Giants’ 16-4 rout of the Angels in Game 5. The lopsided win put San Francisco on the brink of a championship, but the Angels rallied to win the next two games and clinch the title, providing a heartbreaking end to Kent’s six-year run in San Francisco.

8. Surpassing Ryno
Oct. 2, 2004

Kent signed with the Astros ahead of the 2003 season and enjoyed two productive years in Houston. He reached a significant milestone at the tail end of his tenure in Texas, going deep twice against the Rockies on the penultimate day of the regular season to record 278 career home runs as a second baseman and pass Sandberg as the all-time leader at the position.

9. NLCS walk-off
Oct. 18, 2004

Kent’s biggest hit as an Astro came during the 2004 NL Championship Series, when he hit a three-run, walk-off shot in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat the Cardinals in Game 5 at then-Minute Maid Park. Kent’s game-winning blast put the Astros within one win of the World Series, though they ultimately fell short after St. Louis came back to win the series in seven games.

10. Cooperstown-bound
Dec. 7, 2025

Despite his offensive excellence, Kent didn’t garner enough support to gain election to the Hall of Fame via the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot. He topped out at 46.5% in his 10th and final year of eligibility -- well below the 75% threshold for induction -- which left his case in the hands of the Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee. But two years after falling off the BBWAA ballot, Kent finally got his long-awaited call to Cooperstown. He received 14 votes from the 16-member panel during his first appearance on the Contemporary Era ballot, clearing the 12 needed for election.