Jeff Kent avoids joining Barry Bonds Hall of Fame debate after earning own nod originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Former Giants star second baseman Jeff Kent finally earned a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday after being elected by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee.
However, his longtime teammate in San Francisco, Barry Bonds, again failed to garner enough support to make it to Cooperstown.
Now that Kent is set to be enshrined in the Hall, what does he think of Bonds’ controversial case to have the same honor? The 2000 NL MVP was asked that very question shortly after Sunday’s announcement.
“Barry was a good teammate of mine,” Kent told reporters. “He was a guy that I motivated and pushed — we knocked heads a little bit. He was a guy that motivated me, at times in frustration, in love at times. …
“I don’t think I ever saw a better player play the game overall. Everything that he did, every phase of the game, maybe other than throwing, I don’t know if Barry had such a great arm. But every phase of the game, Barry was one of the best players I ever saw play the game. Amazing. So for me, I’ve always said that.
“I’ve always avoided the specific answer you’re looking for because I don’t have one. I don’t. I’m not a voter, but I can say that he was a teammate that helped me. I believe I helped him. I believe he was one of the best baseball players I ever saw. You know, if you’re talking about moral code and all that, I’m not a voter, and I’m trying to stay away from all of that the best I can because I really don’t have an opinion.
“I’ve left it. It doesn’t matter to me anymore. And I know he’s been argued amongst a lot of baseball elites about if he ought to be in or not, and, you know, keep having that argument. And, you know, you argue through it, and if he’s not, he’s not, and if he is, he is. And it’s not going to matter to me one way or the other.”
Bonds’ Hall of Fame debate long has been a topic among baseball media and fans, and Sunday’s setback certainly reignited that discussion online. But Kent still opted not to take a side even after his own election.
Nevertheless, it’s understandable that Kent doesn’t feel the need to add much to the conversation; after all, he likely is asked about Bonds all the time, and the two have a rather complicated history between them.
Bonds now will have to wait until 2031 to be reconsidered for the Hall of Fame, so the debate will have to continue for a few more years before there’s any resolution.
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