SF Giants Hall of Famer Jeff Kent throws his support behind two-time NL MVP for induction

Last weekend, former SF Giants second baseman Jeff Kent was elected to the Hall of Fame. Since then, he has thrown his support behind two-time NL MVP Dale Murphy for eventual induction into the Hall of Fame as well.

SF Giants Hall of Famer Jeff Kent throws his support behind two-time NL MVP for induction

Since the news of his election, Kent has been on a media tour to discuss his candidacy, as well as his thoughts on the current state of baseball and the Hall of Fame. It has provided a rare opportunity for him to open up as a person.

As a player, Kent was more guarded and rarely opened up about his feelings. In fact, he was often viewed as surly by the media. That certainly did not help his case during his 10 turns on the BBWAA ballot, where he never appeared on more than 46.5 percent of the ballots. That mark came in his final turn in 2023.

The power-hitting infielder has been asked a lot about Barry Bonds' case for the Hall of Fame in recent days. He has praised Bonds' impact on the game and how it made him a better player, but he has not directly responded to whether Bonds deserves to be elected to the Hall of Fame.

I just do not think Kent is all that interested in having his name connected to that debate, and is more than happy to let others do so. However, if you followed his career as a player and the things that he said about playing with integrity, you might be able to draw your own conclusions about this one.

Kent joined A.J. Pierzynski on the Foul Territory Podcast and maintained his stance about not getting involved in the Bonds debate. However, he did voice his support for Dale Murphy's Hall of Fame case.

"Baseball has lost, even with [Dale] Murph and [Don] Mattingly. Murph ought to be here. Baseball has lost a generation of great players that ought to be in the Hall of Fame... I watched those guys, and thought they were that great and ought to be there... The museum has lost some of those players. "

Jeff Kent

Both Murphy and Mattingly appeared alongside Kent on the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee ballot, but they received six votes apiece. That is enough to keep them on the ballot for the next vote in 2028, but they fell shy of the 75-percent needed for induction.

In recent years, this committee has served as a nice checks and balances against the BBWAA voting process. It has refined the bar needed for the Hall of Fame in a good way. In the past, longevity and counting stats were prevailing factors.

Baseball has changed, and players are not playing 20 or more seasons anymore like in the past. This committee is helping to refine that bar and Murphy has a solid case.

He appeared in 18 seasons, and his peak included two NL MVP Awards in the mid-1980's with the Atlanta Braves. Across baseball history, there are only about 20 players who have won multiple MVP Awards, and many of them are in the Hall of Fame or are in line for the Hall of Fame.

That puts Murphy in rare company. Overall, he registered an .815 OPS with 2,111 hits, including 350 doubles and 398 home runs, with 1,266 RBI. That type of production puts him among the best offensive outfielders in baseball history. Kent was a bat-first infielder, and count him as among those who want to see Murphy in the Hall of Fame.