January 23, 200917 yr Jeff Kent was a very good player, however, the Hall of Fame is for the elite--not the very good. A 2B who went .290/377/1500 is not a HOFer? A 2b who had a .500 SLG% not HOFer?
January 23, 200917 yr I think Kent will make the hall. I always thought he was one of the most overrated players in baseball. He was a nice hitter, but he got more credit for his offense because he played second base. . So what position is .290/377/1500 not worthy of credit?
January 23, 200917 yr So what position is .290/377/1500 not worthy of credit? .279/438/1591 with a league MVP and a Rookie of the Year award has been kept out of the hall, so let's not pretend like Kent's numbers are so staggeringly good that his inclusion is an absolute must. If Kent was a right fielder, his chances would be slimmer than they are currently. When folks reference Kent, they always bring up the position he played. I'm fine with that, but I think that because of this he is overrated. I believe the same thing will get Edgar Martinez into the hall. The fact that these guys were two of the best offensive players at their position (Edgar was a DH, so his offense matters a bunch) will help their chances. Jeff Kent was a below average defensive player at a position where that matters. His offensive numbers are good, but not all time great unless you take his position into account. I guess in my mind, if you throw out these 4 names: Andre Dawson (his stats are the ones mentioned) Dale Murphy Roger Maris Jeff Kent and asked me who is least deserving of those guys for the hall, I would say Kent. The other 3 are not in and if Kent were an outfielder, he would have to line up behind those guys before his admission into the hall IMO. His position will be the catalyst for his election into the hall, which I think Kent will get into.
January 24, 200917 yr Hard to leave him out, by just looking at stats. Sometimes I agree and others, think no but part of my decision is just not liking Kent. He seemed to not be liked by many teammates and his lack of media appearances, didn't give fans insight into getting to know Kent the person.
January 24, 200917 yr Author .279/438/1591 with a league MVP and a Rookie of the Year award has been kept out of the hall, so let's not pretend like Kent's numbers are so staggeringly good that his inclusion is an absolute must. If Kent was a right fielder, his chances would be slimmer than they are currently. When folks reference Kent, they always bring up the position he played. I'm fine with that, but I think that because of this he is overrated. I believe the same thing will get Edgar Martinez into the hall. The fact that these guys were two of the best offensive players at their position (Edgar was a DH, so his offense matters a bunch) will help their chances. Jeff Kent was a below average defensive player at a position where that matters. His offensive numbers are good, but not all time great unless you take his position into account. I guess in my mind, if you throw out these 4 names: Andre Dawson (his stats are the ones mentioned) Dale Murphy Roger Maris Jeff Kent and asked me who is least deserving of those guys for the hall, I would say Kent. The other 3 are not in and if Kent were an outfielder, he would have to line up behind those guys before his admission into the hall IMO. His position will be the catalyst for his election into the hall, which I think Kent will get into. You're argument is well taken, however he did play second base. Asking what you would do if he was a right fielder does not come into play here. I mean, Ozzie Smith as an excellent fielding center fielder w/ little bat, would be out. Compare him to Ryne Sandberg, who was a first ballot hall of famer. They are identical, and the fielding isn't as far off as you would suspect. Also, Dawson should be in.
January 24, 200917 yr You're argument is well taken, however he did play second base. Asking what you would do if he was a right fielder does not come into play here. I mean, Ozzie Smith as an excellent fielding center fielder w/ little bat, would be out. Compare him to Ryne Sandberg, who was a first ballot hall of famer. They are identical, and the fielding isn't as far off as you would suspect. Also, Dawson should be in. I don't want to take away the position he played. My argument is that Jeff Kent is overrated because his offense is great compared to guys that played second base, but not overwhelming when you look at raw offensive numbers compared to every position player. I think Kent will make the hall. He will make it because of those numbers as a second baseman, not on offensive prowess alone. He is not the player Ryne Sandberg was, IMO. Ryno was a .285/282/1061 guy, so his offensive number are short of Kent. What makes him better than Kent are the 9 gold gloves at the same position, which is a positon where players are judged by their defensive abilities over their offensive abilities in many occassions. He was a signifigcantly better defensive player; throw in the fact the Sandberg also has an MVP and I think Sandberg is better. Again, if we are letting Kent into the hall based on his offensive prowess, then lets look at guys who were offensivly dominant in their era and compare. I think he gets more credit for being a great offensive player than he deserves, but that is 100% my opinion so I know there will be disagreement. I respectfully disagree with you on this one, Mexitucky.
January 24, 200917 yr The name Jeff Kent just isn't synonomous with HOF for me. Well Jim Rice wasn't either. I think the bar has been lowered slightly, so yeah he may get in eventually.
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.