Washington, Dec. 7 — Former Major League Baseball player Jeff Kent, the all-time home run leader for a second baseman, was elected today to the Hall of Fame in 2026.
According to the vote by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee announced on Sunday night, the former star (born in Bellflower, California, on March 7, 1968) received 14 votes (87.5 percent).
Candidates needed 12 votes (75 percent) from the 16-member panel to be inducted.
The other candidates were Carlos Delgado, who holds the record as the top Puerto Rican home run hitter in the Major Leagues and played 17 seasons (nine votes, 56.3 percent); former center fielder Dale Murphy (six, 37.5); and former Yankees first baseman Don Mattingly (six, 37.5).
Meanwhile, 22-season left fielder Barry Bonds, former pitcher Roger Clemens, Gary Sheffield—one of the most feared hitters in baseball—and Mexican Fernando Valenzuela, who established himself as one of the most outstanding Latinos in Major League history, each received fewer than five votes.
Kent will be officially inducted into the Hall in Cooperstown, New York, on July 26 next year, along with the player chosen by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, whose vote will be announced on January 20.
The outstanding athlete, who debuted on April 12, 1992, built much of his career on a rare trait for a second baseman: offensive production.
He hit 351 of his 377 home runs and his 1,518 runs batted in place him near the top of the historical list for his position.
He won the National League Most Valuable Player award in 2000 with the San Francisco Giants, was invited to the All-Star Game five times, and earned the Silver Slugger award four seasons.
