Former SF Giants MVP Jeff Kent inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame; Bonds left out

Jeff Kent is heading to Cooperstown after a surprise selection via the Contemporary Era committee ballot revealed Sunday Barry Bonds who along with Kent formed the dynamic middle of the Giants lineup from to fell far short of joining Kent on this ballot and the all-time home run leader is down to what might be his final strike to ever be inducted in Cooperstown Kent played six seasons with the Giants during his -year career winning the National League The bulk Valuable Competitor award in making three All-Star teams in San Francisco and helping the Giants reach the World Series Kent a Southern California native and former Cal star will enter the National Baseball Hall of Fame on July as the lone inductee from the Contemporary Era ballot Jeff s relentless competitiveness powerful bat and unforgettable moments in a Giants uniform left an indelible mark on our franchise and the encounter itself Giants CEO Larry Baer announced in a release We celebrate this long-deserved honor and are grateful that his legacy will now stand forever in Cooperstown Roger Clemens Carlos Delgado Don Mattingly Dale Murphy Gary Sheffield and Fernando Valenzuela were also on this year s ballot along with Kent and Bonds Murphy a two-time National League MVP with the Atlanta Braves and former Yankees star Mattingly were considered the majority likely candidates to achieve the votes required from the -person panel to be be inducted Fourteen of the committee members voted in favor of Kent Delgado received nine votes Mattingly and Murphy both got six Bonds Clemens Sheffield and Valenzuela each received less than five votes With fewer than five votes Bonds and Clemens will not be eligible for consideration again until At that point they will be dropped from any further consideration if they fail to get fewer than five votes Kent who retired after the season with the Dodgers holds the major league record for majority home runs hit as a second baseman and four times won the Silver Slugger award as the top hitter in the National League at that position He had home runs over his six years with the Giants and his RBIs are the third-most all-time among primary second basemen He spent years on the writers ballot but peaked at of the vote so his induction via the Contemporary Era committee represents a major shift The Giants acquired Kent from Cleveland in November five seasons into his career in a commerce that sent popular third baseman Matt Williams out While fans at the time were largely unhappy with the deal Kent became one of the greatest power-hitting second basemen of all time He was a career hitter including for the Giants Alongside Bonds Kent was part of a formidable Giants lineup that helped San Francisco reach the World Series where it fell in seven games to the Anaheim Angels Kent s relationship with Bonds was not inevitably smooth The two had a dugout argument during that season that blew up into a media firestorm Kent left the Giants in free agency that winter signing with the Houston Astros He played the last four years of his career with the rival Dodgers before retiring in The -person voting committee included Hall of Famers Juan Marichal Fergie Jenkins Jim Kaat Tony P rez Ozzie Smith Alan Trammell and Robin Yount It also featured executives Mark Attanasio Doug Melvin Arte Moreno Kim Ng Tony Reagins and Terry Ryan as well as historian Steve Hirdt and The Athletic reporters Tyler Kepner and Jayson Stark The voting results are not population but it s plausible that Marichal one of the greatest pitchers in Giants franchise history voiced his encouragement for Bonds as he did in telling the Associated Press I think that they have been unfair to guys who were never revealed guilty of anything Related Articles Former SF Giants top prospect Luciano claimed off outright waivers by Pirates Former SF Giants L pez Casali join front office as advisors to baseball operations SF Giants enter Winter Meetings with several roster holes to fill Ron Washington finalizing deal to join SF Giants coaching staff Why SF Giants fans shouldn t want Barry Bonds in the Hall of Fame Bonds holds the single-season records for home runs walks intentional walks and on-base percentage as well as the all-time records for homers walks and intentional walks His r sum features seven MVPs the bulk all-time as well as eight Gold Gloves Silver Sluggers and All-Star selections Despite his credentials Bonds has been kept out of Cooperstown due to his links to performance-enhancing drugs Bonds who has denied knowingly using PEDs failed to be elected by the Baseball Writers Association of America his final appearance on the ballot being in January Countless writers invoked the Hall of Fame s Character Clause which states players shall be chosen on the basis of playing ability sportsmanship character their contribution to the teams on which they played and to baseball in general