Jeff Kent
Born: 3/7/1968 in Bellflower, CA, USA
MLB Debut: 1992-04-12 | Final Game: 2008-09-27
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 185 lbs
Full name: Jeffrey Franklin Kent
Biography
Jeff Kent was a prominent American baseball player who enjoyed a successful career from 1992 to 2008, establishing himself as one of the most prolific second basemen of his era. Born in 1968, Kent played in a total of 2,298 games, amassing 2,461 hits and hitting 377 home runs. His offensive prowess was highlighted by his impressive 1,518 RBIs and a career batting average of .290, making him a significant contributor to his teams throughout his career. Known for his power-hitting and ability to drive in runs, Kent became a cornerstone player, particularly during his time with the San Francisco Giants, where he was a key member of the lineup.
Kent's achievements were recognized with five All-Star selections, underscoring his status among the elite players of his time. His career spanned the late 1990s and early 2000s, a period marked by an increase in offensive production across Major League Baseball, often associated with the steroid era. Kentโs legacy is further solidified by his reputation as one of the best-hitting second basemen in history, and he remains the all-time leader in home runs for players at that position. After retiring, Kent's impact on the game continued to be felt, and he is often remembered for both his on-field accomplishments and his competitive spirit.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2298 | 8498 | 1320 | 2461 | 560 | 47 | 377 | 1518 | 94 | 801 | 1522 | 0.290 | 0.356 | 0.500 | 0.855 | 22136.4 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | NYN | NL | 37 | 113 | 16 | 27 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 0 | 7 | 29 | 0.239 | -41.1 |
| 1992 | TOR | AL | 65 | 192 | 36 | 46 | 13 | 1 | 8 | 35 | 2 | 20 | 47 | 0.240 | -41.1 |
| 1993 | NYN | NL | 140 | 496 | 65 | 134 | 24 | 0 | 21 | 80 | 4 | 30 | 88 | 0.270 | 317.0 |
| 1994 | NYN | NL | 107 | 415 | 53 | 121 | 24 | 5 | 14 | 68 | 1 | 23 | 84 | 0.292 | 504.2 |
| 1995 | NYN | NL | 125 | 472 | 65 | 131 | 22 | 3 | 20 | 65 | 3 | 29 | 89 | 0.278 | 354.9 |
| 1996 | CLE | AL | 39 | 102 | 16 | 27 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 16 | 2 | 10 | 22 | 0.265 | -69.7 |
| 1996 | NYN | NL | 89 | 335 | 45 | 97 | 20 | 1 | 9 | 39 | 4 | 21 | 56 | 0.290 | -69.7 |
| 1997 | SFG | NL | 155 | 580 | 90 | 145 | 38 | 2 | 29 | 121 | 11 | 48 | 133 | 0.250 | 328.0 |
| 1998 | SFG | NL | 137 | 526 | 94 | 156 | 37 | 3 | 31 | 128 | 9 | 48 | 110 | 0.297 | 2132.7 |
| 1999 | SFG | NL | 138 | 511 | 86 | 148 | 40 | 2 | 23 | 101 | 13 | 61 | 112 | 0.290 | 1311.6 |
| 2000 | SFG | NL | 159 | 587 | 114 | 196 | 41 | 7 | 33 | 125 | 12 | 90 | 107 | 0.334 | 4113.7 |
| 2001 | SFG | NL | 159 | 607 | 84 | 181 | 49 | 6 | 22 | 106 | 7 | 65 | 96 | 0.298 | 1957.1 |
| 2002 | SFG | NL | 152 | 623 | 102 | 195 | 42 | 2 | 37 | 108 | 5 | 52 | 101 | 0.313 | 3116.2 |
| 2003 | HOU | NL | 130 | 505 | 77 | 150 | 39 | 1 | 22 | 93 | 6 | 39 | 85 | 0.297 | 1367.2 |
| 2004 | HOU | NL | 145 | 540 | 96 | 156 | 34 | 8 | 27 | 107 | 7 | 49 | 96 | 0.289 | 1530.1 |
| 2005 | LAD | NL | 149 | 553 | 100 | 160 | 36 | 0 | 29 | 105 | 6 | 72 | 85 | 0.289 | 2292.6 |
| 2006 | LAD | NL | 115 | 407 | 61 | 119 | 27 | 3 | 14 | 68 | 1 | 55 | 69 | 0.292 | 1145.4 |
| 2007 | LAD | NL | 136 | 494 | 78 | 149 | 36 | 1 | 20 | 79 | 1 | 57 | 61 | 0.302 | 1621.9 |
| 2008 | LAD | NL | 121 | 440 | 42 | 123 | 23 | 1 | 12 | 59 | 0 | 25 | 52 | 0.280 | -71.2 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49 | 170 | 25 | 47 | 11 | 0 | 9 | 23 | 13 | 37 | 0.276 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | NLDS1 | LAN | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
| 2008 | NLCS | LAN | 5 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.000 |
| 2006 | NLDS1 | LAN | 3 | 13 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0.615 |
| 2004 | NLDS2 | HOU | 5 | 22 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0.227 |
| 2004 | NLCS | HOU | 7 | 25 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 0.240 |
| 2002 | WS | SFN | 7 | 29 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 0.276 |
| 2002 | NLDS1 | SFN | 5 | 19 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 0.263 |
| 2002 | NLCS | SFN | 5 | 19 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0.263 |
| 2000 | NLDS2 | SFN | 4 | 16 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0.375 |
| 1997 | NLDS1 | SFN | 3 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0.300 |
| 1996 | ALDS1 | CLE | 4 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.125 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 117 | 79 | 677 | 39 | 7 | 72 |
| 2B | 2034 | 1986 | 4016 | 5575 | 194 | 1261 |
| 3B | 157 | 149 | 120 | 299 | 34 | 29 |
| SS | 3 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | NYN | 2B | 34 | 30 | 60 | 84 | 3 | 18 |
| 1992 | NYN | 3B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| 1992 | NYN | SS | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1992 | TOR | 1B | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1992 | TOR | 2B | 17 | 9 | 24 | 37 | 1 | 1 |
| 1992 | TOR | 3B | 49 | 43 | 33 | 74 | 10 | 3 |
| 1993 | NYN | 2B | 127 | 124 | 250 | 311 | 18 | 68 |
| 1993 | NYN | 3B | 12 | 12 | 9 | 28 | 3 | 5 |
| 1993 | NYN | SS | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1994 | NYN | 2B | 107 | 107 | 222 | 337 | 14 | 76 |
| 1995 | NYN | 2B | 122 | 122 | 245 | 353 | 10 | 69 |
| 1996 | CLE | 1B | 20 | 12 | 112 | 9 | 1 | 13 |
| 1996 | CLE | 2B | 9 | 7 | 11 | 30 | 0 | 2 |
| 1996 | CLE | 3B | 6 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| 1996 | NYN | 3B | 89 | 89 | 75 | 184 | 21 | 19 |
| 1997 | SFN | 1B | 13 | 8 | 80 | 4 | 0 | 6 |
| 1997 | SFN | 2B | 148 | 143 | 325 | 425 | 16 | 104 |
| 1998 | SFN | 1B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | SFN | 2B | 134 | 134 | 278 | 404 | 20 | 87 |
| 1999 | SFN | 1B | 1 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 1999 | SFN | 2B | 133 | 132 | 279 | 326 | 10 | 90 |
| 2000 | SFN | 1B | 16 | 11 | 73 | 0 | 2 | 10 |
| 2000 | SFN | 2B | 150 | 146 | 302 | 394 | 10 | 96 |
| 2001 | SFN | 1B | 30 | 22 | 193 | 14 | 2 | 19 |
| 2001 | SFN | 2B | 140 | 134 | 269 | 390 | 9 | 91 |
| 2002 | SFN | 1B | 9 | 9 | 55 | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| 2002 | SFN | 2B | 149 | 142 | 293 | 411 | 16 | 113 |
| 2003 | HOU | 2B | 128 | 127 | 278 | 354 | 11 | 83 |
| 2004 | HOU | 2B | 139 | 138 | 276 | 374 | 7 | 74 |
| 2005 | LAN | 1B | 14 | 10 | 92 | 6 | 2 | 9 |
| 2005 | LAN | 2B | 140 | 138 | 284 | 424 | 16 | 87 |
| 2006 | LAN | 1B | 9 | 5 | 52 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 2006 | LAN | 2B | 108 | 107 | 217 | 314 | 8 | 73 |
| 2007 | LAN | 2B | 133 | 132 | 235 | 328 | 14 | 76 |
| 2008 | LAN | 1B | 1 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | LAN | 2B | 116 | 114 | 168 | 279 | 11 | 53 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 116 |
| Second Base | 2034 |
| Third Base | 158 |
| Shortstop | 3 |
| Designated Hitter | 7 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Silver Slugger | 2B |
| 2005 | TSN All-Star | 2B |
| 2002 | Player of the Month | June |
| 2002 | Player of the Week | Week of 2002-06-29 |
| 2002 | Silver Slugger | 2B |
| 2002 | TSN All-Star | 2B |
| 2001 | Silver Slugger | 2B |
| 2000 | Most Valuable Player | |
| 2000 | Player of the Month | June |
| 2000 | Silver Slugger | 2B |
| 2000 | TSN All-Star | 2B |
| 1998 | Player of the Month | August |
| 1994 | Player of the Week | Week of 1994-04-16 |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | LAN | NL | $9,000,000 |
| 2007 | LAN | NL | $9,814,117 |
| 2006 | LAN | NL | $9,400,000 |
| 2005 | LAN | NL | $7,350,000 |
| 2004 | HOU | NL | $10,000,000 |
| 2003 | HOU | NL | $7,500,000 |
| 2002 | SFN | NL | $6,000,000 |
| 2001 | SFN | NL | $6,000,000 |
| 2000 | SFN | NL | $6,000,000 |
| 1999 | SFN | NL | $5,750,000 |
| 1998 | SFN | NL | $3,400,000 |
| 1997 | SFN | NL | $2,625,000 |
| 1996 | NYN | NL | $1,960,000 |
| 1995 | NYN | NL | $710,000 |
| 1994 | NYN | NL | $437,500 |
| 1993 | NYN | NL | $195,000 |
| 1992 | TOR | AL | $109,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $86,250,617 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of California - Berkeley | Berkeley | CA | 1987, 1988, 1989 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 19th | 18.0 | 448 | 0 |
| 2004 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 13th | 18.0 | 448 | 0 |
| 2002 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 6th | 135.0 | 448 | 0 |
| 2000 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 1st | 392.0 | 448 | 22 |
| 1999 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 26th | 2.0 | 448 | 0 |
| 1998 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 9th | 56.0 | 448 | 0 |
| 1997 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 8th | 80.0 | 392 | 0 |