It was with the Toronto Blue Jays that Jeff Kent first came on the radar. He had some pop even back then with his bat when the Blue Jays were giving him some play at 3B. The Mets did the unthinkable and traded the player who meant so much to the team in David Cone. It was believed the center piece of that trade was Ryan Thompson who Peter Gammons seemed very high on. The other player was Jeff Kent who I atleast knew something about in his recent callup to the majors with Jays.
The Mets moved Kent immediately to 2B and Thompson came over soon enough and was thought to be Al Harazin’s CF for the next decade. Its funny how things play out. Over the next few years with the Mets, Kent showed decent power for a second baseman and after making the position change to a middle infielder, it was where he wanted to remain. He was a gritty hard nosed player. Though, he never was known for his personality.
The Mets never waited to see what Kent the player would evolve to. Nor did the Indians who used him for just the one season when they traded for him in a playoff run. It was his time beginning with the Giants that Jeff Kent took his game to the next level and became the player we will remember him as. He became one of the most feared hitters in the game, packaged in a middle infielders body. He did it right way we believe even though he played in the steroid era. He went on to become the 2B baseman that we all compare the new wave of elite second baseman to. A name Chase Utley comes to mind.
Jeff Kent performed at an elite level for 10 or so years which brings me to my conviction that Jeff Kent is a Hall Of Fame player. His entire career was not Hall of Fame material, like an Albert Pujols thus far. But, he has enough of a resume to make a case that he belongs in the Hall. His so called motorcycle accident, and his refusal to socialize with other players are factors, but they have nothing to do with what Jeff Kent did on the field.
