Jeff Kent

Kent is a five-time All-Star, and his 560 career doubles put him in 30th on the all-time doubles list.

Jeffrey Franklin Kent (born March 7, 1968) is an American former professional baseball second baseman.

Kent played college baseball at UC Berkeley, and in 1988 he played collegiate summer baseball with the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League.

Kent attended the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley), where he played college baseball for the Golden Bears before being selected in the 20th round of the 1989 MLB draft by the Blue Jays.

Born in Bellflower, California, Kent graduated from Edison High School in Huntington Beach, California, where he was dismissed from the baseball team after clashing with his coach over a position change.

Kent was selected in the 20th round of the 1989 MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays.

In the World Series for the first time since 1989, the Giants would nearly clinch the championship (failing to hold a 5–0, 7th-inning lead) in the sixth game, before falling to the Anaheim Angels in seven games.

Despite the team's success that season, Kent's relationship with the Giants had soured.

The Giants front office had lost confidence in Kent after an incident during spring training left him with a broken wrist.

Kent had initially claimed that he had broken his wrist after slipping and falling while washing his truck; ensuing media reports indicated that, in reality, Kent had crashed his motorcycle while performing wheelies and other stunts, in direct violation of his contract.

He played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1992–2008 for the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, Cleveland Indians, San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros, and Los Angeles Dodgers.

After three seasons in the minor leagues, Kent was invited to spring training with the Blue Jays in 1992 and made the opening day roster.

Kent was traded to the Mets on August 27, 1992, for pitcher David Cone, as Toronto bolstered their pitching rotation for a successful World Series run; Kent earned a World Series ring despite the trade.

Kent's time with the Mets was marked with some success and some failure.

Although he batted well, particularly for a second baseman, the Mets were among the worst teams in the National League.

Furthermore, he acquired a very poor reputation in the clubhouse, where he was known for a quick temper and isolationism.

He refused to participate in his hazing ritual with the Mets, feeling he had left his rookie status back in Toronto.

During the 1992 season, he started the only game of his career at shortstop in order to allow Willie Randolph to play his final career game at second base.

In a deal made prior to the 1996 trade deadline, the Mets sent Kent and José Vizcaíno to the Cleveland Indians for Álvaro Espinoza and Carlos Baerga.

The following offseason, Kent was again traded, this time to the San Francisco Giants along with José Vizcaíno and Julián Tavárez.

The San Francisco trade was initially very unpopular, as it sent Matt Williams, a longtime Giant and a fan-favorite, to the Indians.

Brian Sabean, in his first year as general manager of the Giants, was so widely criticized for the move that he famously defended himself to the media by saying, "I am not an idiot."

He drove in 90 or more runs from 1997 to 2005.

Kent's career took off in San Francisco, starting in 1997.

Immediately inserted in the line-up behind superstar Barry Bonds, and with the confidence of manager Dusty Baker, Kent finally rose to his full potential, hitting .250 with 29 home runs and 121 RBI.

He was consistently among the top RBI hitters in the league over his next five seasons with the Giants, amassing 689 RBI over six years.

He also won the 1998 Willie Mac Award for his spirit and leadership.

Kent won the National League Most Valuable Player award in 2000 with the San Francisco Giants, and is the all-time leader in home runs among second basemen.

Kent's contributions were recognized in 2000 (33 home runs, 125 RBI, .334 batting average, and a .986 fielding percentage) with the National League MVP Award, beating out teammate and perennial MVP candidate Barry Bonds.

Despite the fact that Bonds overshadowed Kent in almost every offensive category, it was Kent's clutch hitting in RBI spots that won many games for the Giants that year, and ultimately won him the award.

The Giants finished first in the NL West at 97–65, but lost to the Mets in the National League Division Series 3–1.

In 2002, Kent had another stellar year for a second baseman (37 home runs, 108 RBI, .313 batting average, and a .978 fielding percentage).

The combination of Kent and MVP-winner Bonds propelled the Giants to a 95–66 record, good enough for the NL Wild Card.

The Giants would beat the Atlanta Braves in the National League Division Series 3–2 and the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Championship Series 4–1.

In addition, growing tension that had been developing between Kent and Bonds for years finally boiled over: a midseason fight in the Giants dugout was widely reported in 2002 and caught on television.

The feud between the two was so bad that, at the end of the season, San Francisco Chronicle beat reporter Ray Ratto said of the two, "The one who lives longer will attend the other's funeral, just to make sure he's dead."

The departure of manager Dusty Baker also factored into Kent's eventual decision to leave the Giants.

He made his debut on April 12 against the Baltimore Orioles and recorded his first career hit in his first career at-bat, a double in the 6th inning against José Mesa.

He hit his first home run on April 14 against New York Yankees pitcher Lee Guetterman.

He saw limited at-bats early in the season; however, an injury to starting third baseman Kelly Gruber granted Kent a more regular role in the line-up.