[_ZENAS_]

Jeff Kent- 2461 hits, 377 HR..Not a chance!

Just to compare apples to apples here. We must consider that Kent was a second baseman. Since one of his contemporaries was recently enshrined (Roberto Alomar) why don't we consider the numbers.

Both Alomar and Kent played 17 seasons. While Alomar had 2724 hits and Kent only had 2461, both are respectable numbers and Kent did it in 600 fewer at bats and 900 fewer plate appearances. Alomar also wins slightly in average batting .300 for his career while Kent only hit .290 (I say "only" but .290 is certainly not going to keep him out of the hall). Alomar had 504 doubles, Kent had 560. Alomar only had 1134 RBI while Kent had a much better 1518. Alomar had far more stolen bases, but his 474 was certainly not why he got in.

Now the difference in the two begins to show their different styles. Alomar was more traditional as a second baseman in that defense was a priority. As such, he won 10 gold gloves. This was instrumental in his election to the hall. However, Kent was key in changing the role of the second baseman into a power hitter. Kent had 377 HR to Alomar's 210 (along with an OPS of .855 to Alomar's .815). This revolutionary hitter for a second baseman resulted in his being MVP in 2000 (Alomar was never league MVP). 377 HR for a second baseman in pretty legendary. In fact, his 351 HR as a national league second baseman are the most all time (with the AL record being only 246). Not only is he the all time leader in HR for a second baseman, he is the only second baseman to have 100 RBI in 6 consecutive seasons and the only second baseman to drive in 90 or more runs in 9 consecutive years.

I don't say this to disparage Alomar (he deserves his spot in the hall), nor to say Kent must get in. Rather I think you are a bit off if you claim Kent has no chance. He certainly does and the experts agree. Based upon the Hall of Fame Monitor (an attempt to statistically determine a player's comparative HoF potential used by many sources), Kent rates at 122 where it takes a 100 to be considered a likely HoFer. According to baseball-reference.com, the players most closely compared to Kent based on their analysis are: Jim Rice, Chipper Jones, Ryne Sandberg, Carlton Fisk, Billy Williams, and Ernie Banks to name a few. He may or may not get in, but he certainly has a chance. It would be hard to keep the all time home run king for second basemen out of the hall.