Tagged As: MLB, Mets, Giants, Dodgers, Jeff Kent

When I was a kid I used to wake each morning in the summer, take out the sports section, and devour the box scores. I would read each game carefully, noting who was hot and who had gone cold. I delighted in imagining the pitching duels and cringed at the visions of a reliever coming in and getting lit up, ruining a stupendous seven-inning outing by the starter. I also noticed that certain position players did certain things. The corner infielders hit for power, the outfielders hit home runs or stole bases, the catchers struck out, and the middle infielders hit .260 with about five home runs a year. Then came Jeff Kent, and suddenly a second baseman could hit 20 home runs a year.

Jeff Kent became the first middle infielder associated with power in the ‘90s. It was a breakthrough and though he was not the only guy breaking that powerless stereotype, he became the proof that baseball had become a power game in the late ‘90s. His numbers with the New York Mets were impressive, but it was after he moved over to the San Francisco Giants in 1997 that his numbers became awe-inspiring for shortstops and second baseman everywhere.

Yesterday, Jeff Kent, the five-time All Star and the four time Silver Slugger winner, retired. Perhaps, as the league begins to move closer to numbers that seem much less inflated by steroids and small ball parks, it is time. As the power and run numbers return to a state normalcy and believability, Kent’s era as a prolific bat have gone and it is right that he retire.

His time in the locker room was never a relaxed time. He was always fighting with players and managers. He even had the guts to stand up to Barry “Tiny ‘Roid Balls” Bonds. He always seemed to look comfortable at the plate, but his last few seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers found him spending more and more time on the disabled list.

Was emotional at the press conference? Yes, but who would not be emotional when leaving the game that has been his or her life since little league. Call him a poser from So Cal or a rough and tumble athlete, nobody can deny he was a baseball player. The next biggest question is will his numbers, when picked over, take him beyond the first ballot and into the Hall of Fame?

Now, he can watch games like the rest of us, with MLB tickets. Hopefully he can find some peace and continue to enjoy the game that has been so good to him.

Courtesy of the AP and posted on YouTube