Could it be that personality, which was inversely proportional to skill, was the problem? Jeff Kent (55), considered the best second baseman in major league history, failed to enter the Hall of Fame through voting.
The Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) announced the results of this year’s Hall of Fame vote on the afternoon of the 24th (local time). Kent, who had been nominated for the Hall of Fame for 10 years and this was his last opportunity, only received 46.5% of the vote, falling short of the 75% baseline. Among the candidates, only Scott Rolen (48), who had a reputation as a third baseman with both offense and defense, succeeded in entering the Hall of Fame with 76.3% of the votes.
Kent was furious at the outcome of the vote. He was particularly displeased with baseball statistics officials. In the early 2000s, who stood on the center line in San Francisco with Barry Bonds, he sent a text message to the local newspaper San Francisco Chronicle, saying, “Statisticians who do not have the right to vote compare the players who performed best with other players who have already entered the Hall of Fame, and the actual voting is also affecting This is unfair,” he insisted. It is a story that he failed to enter the Hall of Fame because statistics officials, commonly referred to as ‘Sabermetry’, continued to reduce his value compared to other players.
Kent hit 377 home runs at second base in 17 seasons. The most among all-time second basemen. His 0.500 slugging percentage is second only to Rogers Hornsby (0.577), who is considered the best second baseman in history. He looks good enough to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. However, a closer look at the figures tells a different story. Kent’s career on-base percentage of .356 is only 79th among second basemen. The wRC+ (adjusted score creation ability), which can be called a kind of batting relative evaluation, is only 128. It’s a great record, but it’s true that it’s regrettable compared to the career most home run title. 카지노사이트
Kent showed regret throughout his career, even on defense. Unlike him, he is in contrast to Rolen, who has succeeded in entering the Hall of Fame. Rolen boasted the best third base defense of his time, enough to win eight Gold Glove Awards. The career OPS of Kent and Rolen is tied at 0.855, and in terms of wRC+, Kent is rather ahead of Rolen (123). However, in WAR, a comprehensive indicator, Kent (56.0) fell behind Rolen (69.9) due to the difference in defense power.
It is because of these factors that Kent generally receives a low rating compared to its superficial performance. His hitting statistics were more disappointing than expected, and his defensive power was disappointing to anyone. Sabermetry has driven this trend of undervaluation. Matt Snyder of CBS Sports in the United States previously warned that Kent’s entry into the Hall of Fame is not guaranteed. He was only 19th all-time second baseman based on WAR, and was said to be inferior to Dustin Pedroia and Ian Kinsler based on JAWS, a metric used to determine whether or not to enter the Hall of Fame. Since both Pedroia and Kinsler are evaluated as impossible to enter the Hall of Fame in reality, it is difficult to see that Kent should also enter the Hall of Fame. Kent’s complaints to baseball statisticians may have come out of this context.
But is this all? No matter what standard he puts it, his voice that he can not ignore the distinct achievement of being the most home run ever by a second baseman was not small. It was constantly pointed out that the problem was not his grades, but his personality, which had been at odds with many people throughout his career.
Kent played catch-up with Barry Bonds in the dugout in San Francisco. It went to the brink of a fist fight. Dodgers teammate Milton Bradley, outfielder, accused Kent of being “racist.” Of course, neither Bones nor Bradley were highly evaluated in terms of personality. It may be unfair to disparage Kent based on their friction.
But it wasn’t just them. Regarding Bradley’s claims of ‘racism’, Lance Berkman, who worked with Kent in Houston, said, “Kent doesn’t discriminate against anyone. Whether Latino, black or white, Kent is equally ignored.” Kent was at odds with the media as well as with the players. He had an altercation with Dodgers caster Vin Scully, who was called the ‘Voice of the Dodgers’. Journalists with Hall of Fame voting rights didn’t like him either.
Although it was eventually dropped in the polls, Kent’s path to the Hall of Fame was not completely blocked. He is left with the possibility of being bailed out by a Veterans Committee vote scheduled for 2025. Fred McGriff, who hit 493 homers in his career but failed in the press vote, was inducted into the Hall of Fame last year by the veterans committee vote.
