Jeff Kent will always be a San Francisco Giant to Bay Area fans. The Baseball Hall of Fame agreed.
MLB.com revealed the cap selections for the three players that will be inducted in July. Kent, as hoped, will be featured with a Giants hat on his plaque. Carlos Beltrán, who played part of one season with the Giants, will go in wearing a New York Mets hat. Andruw Jones will go in wearing an Atlanta Braves hat.
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The Baseball Hall of Fame selects which cap a player wears, with input from the player. The selectors wish to pick the team that each player made the most impact with. Some players, such as Giants legend Willie Mays, make it easy. He played all but two of his 23 years with the franchise.
Kent — who broke in with the Toronto Blue Jays and played for six different teams — made the Hall’s job a bit harder.
Why Jeff Kent Will Wear a Giants Cap
San Francisco Giants former player Jeff Kent. | Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images
The Hall was clearly swayed by Kent’s production and honors with the Giants, where he played the prime of his career, posted his best numbers and received the most accolades.
Kent played six of his 17 MLB seasons with the Giants, where he was a three-time All-Star, a three-time National League Silver Slugger and the 2000 National League MVP. That season he slashed .334/.424/.596 with 33 home runs and 125 RBI. He and Barry Bonds fueled the Giants run to the 2002 World Series, which ended with a loss to the Los Angeles Angels. He slashed .297/.368/.535 with 175 home runs and 689 RBI.
Kent’s career ended with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2008. His 377 home runs were the most for any everyday second baseman and he had a career slash of .290/.356/.500. He also played for the Cleveland Guardians, the New York Mets and the Houston Astros.
After his induction ceremony, San Francisco will honor Kent on Aug. 29 and retire his No. 21 jersey at Oracle Park. He will join other Giants legends who have had their numbers retired including Bill Terry (3), Mel Ott (4), Carl Hubbell (11), Monte Irvin (20), Will Clark (22), Willie Mays (24), Barry Bonds (25), Juan Marichal (27), Orlando Cepeda (30), Gaylord Perry (36) and Willie McCovey (44). Two additional Giants — pitcher Christy Mathewson and manager John McGraw — didn’t wear numbers but are retired.
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