Baseball Musings
Baseball Musings
January 22, 2009
Kent to Retire
Jeff Kent

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.


Posted by David Pinto at 07:47 AM | Players | TrackBack (0)
Comments

I talked about Kent on OnTheBlack.com today. He is, in my opinion the best hitting 2b of all time and a HOF lock.

Posted by: Kerel Cooper at January 22, 2009 08:53 AM

The Rice comparison may be a good one. I thnk Kent gets in but only after a long probation.

Posted by: Casey Abell at January 22, 2009 09:28 AM

Since when is it against the law to dislike Vin Scully? I realize everybody loves the doddering old man out of a time machine, but not me.

He is a distraction from the baseball being played on the field, over-narrating at times and other times devolving into inane anecdotes and virtually ignoring the game for minutes at a time. It's about the game, not the announcer.

Posted by: Matt Davis at January 22, 2009 10:20 AM

He was a better hitter than Hornsby and Lajoie? He also was a mediocre at best 2B.

Posted by: bandit at January 22, 2009 10:23 AM

Okay Matt, that seals it. No Hall of Fame for you.

Posted by: Capybara at January 22, 2009 12:02 PM

Not sure Hornsby was considered "slick" with the glove. Is there much evidence of that? Maybe you meant Eddie Collins?

Posted by: Jay at January 22, 2009 12:18 PM

Matt, I'm with you on the Vin Scully thing. However, I did have a fondness for Phil Rizzuto, so I may not be the best ally.

Posted by: rbj at January 22, 2009 02:31 PM

Kent retiring was yet another occasion for Colin Cowherd to make an idiot out of himself today with his babbling about what makes a Hall of Famer. God, I wish Fire Joe Morgan was still around to eviscerate the twit.

Posted by: M. Scott Eiland at January 22, 2009 11:21 PM

Hornsby has always been considered below average defensively. It's always been the only rationale why someone will occasionaly try to make him other than the best 2B. He actually started out as a SS, but apparently lost interest. Odd personality indeed.

Posted by: BobDD at January 24, 2009 01:22 AM
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