Why SF Giants players may still wear No. 21 even after Jeff Kent's jersey retirement

A few weeks ago, the SF Giants retired Jeff Kent's jersey number after he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. While No. 21 is now enshrined in Giants lore and will never be issued to another Giants player, we may see some Giants players wear No. 21 in the future on Roberto Clemente Day.

On September 15, MLB will celebrate the life and legacy of Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Roberto Clemente who was a phenomenal player and tragically perished in a plane crash at the age of 38. As part of that celebration, MLB allows some players to wear No. 21 as a tribute to Clemente since that is the number he wore.

MLB has gradually expanded who can wear the number over the years. All Pirates players can wear it, players from Puerto Rico can wear it, and winners or nominees for the Roberto Clemente Award. Giants fans may remember that when Heliot Ramos became the first right-handed hitter to hit a home run into McCovey Cove he was wearing No. 21 to honor Clemente because he is from Puerto Rico.

Ramos is no longer with the team after being traded to the New York Yankees and San Francisco's Roberto Clemente Award nominee last year was Ryan Walker and he seems like he will never make another appearance for the Giants again.

There are no Giants from Puerto Rico currently on the active roster so this season we may not see anyone wear No. 21, but it at least remains a possibility. Players will at least wear a patch with No. 21 on it.

Jersey number history is perfect for the nerds (like me)

It's always interesting to me which players were the last to wear a jersey number before it was retired. Some guys were so great like Buster Posey and Barry Bonds that their numbers were effectively retired once they stopped playing but others get worn by random players.

For instance, the last Giant to be issued No. 21 before it was retired was Andrew Knizner last season. Players like Dan Uggla, Eli Whiteside, and Jake Peavy wore No. 22 before the Giants retired it in honor of Will Clark.

Still, it is cool that Kent's number will never be issued to another Giant while at the same time some Giants players can honor Clemente in the future. That's the beauty of numbers in sports, fans can look at them and immediately associate them with different players. Giants die-hards think of Kent, San Francisco 49ers fans think of Frank Gore, and many will think of Clemente. Just one less number in the twenties that can be issued to a Giants player.

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