The Contemporary Era Baseball Players Committee announced its voting results on Sunday, resulting in one new Hall of Famer for the class of 2026. Jeff Kent was the only player on the ballot to cross the 75% threshold for induction, meaning he will enter the Baseball Hall of Fame next summer. Several other notable names were on the ballot, including Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Don Mattingly, but no one else could get the necessary 12 votes from the 16-member committee.
Jeff Kent Elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
Kent, now 57, was primarily a second baseman during his career, but also played significant innings at first base and third base. A 20th-round draft pick in 1989, he debuted with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1992 before they traded him to the New York Mets for David Cone. Kent spent parts of five seasons in Queens before getting traded twice between 1996 and 1997, first to the Cleveland Indians, then to the San Francisco Giants.
Welcome Jeff Kent to the Hall of Fame Class of 2026!
He has been elected by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee. pic.twitter.com/Un2lzhPtgH
— MLB (@MLB) December 8, 2025
He enjoyed the greatest success of his career by the bay, playing in San Fran from 1997 to 2002. Kent made the All-Star Game three straight years from 1999 to 2001, and was the National League Most Valuable Player in 2000. That year, he slashed .334/.424/.596 with 33 home runs, 125 RBI, and 41 doubles. This was enough to beat out teammate Barry Bonds for the league’s top hardware.
After the Giants, Kent spent two years with the Houston Astros and four with the Los Angeles Dodgers, retiring after the 2008 season. For his career, he had a slash line of .290/.356/.500 with 377 homers (the most in MLB history by a primary second baseman) and 1,518 RBI.
Of the other players on the ballot, Carlos Delgado came closest to induction with nine out of 16 votes, while Mattingly and Dale Murphy each received six votes. Bonds, Clemens, and Fernando Valenzuela each received fewer than five votes, making them ineligible for the next Contemporary Era ballot in 2029. If they fail to receive five votes the next time they appear on a future ballot, they will be permanently ineligible.
Main Photo Credit: Donald Miralle/Getty Images
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