Jeff Kent inducted into the Hall of Fame, setting the record for most home runs by a second baseman in history.

The Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee recently revealed their voting results, with former standout second baseman Jeff Kent earning induction into the 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame class.

To be elected, candidates need a minimum of 12 votes (75%) from the 16-person committee. Kent received 14 votes, corresponding to an 87.5% vote share.

Other candidates’ vote totals were as follows: Carlos Delgado with 9 votes; Dale Murphy and Don Mattingly each with 6 votes; while Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Gary Sheffield, and Fernando Valenzuela all received fewer than 5 votes.

Kent’s career was distinguished by a rare attribute for a second baseman: exceptional power hitting. He amassed 377 home runs in total, with 351 hit while playing second base, making him the all-time home run leader at that position. Additionally, his 1,518 career RBIs rank among the highest ever recorded by a second baseman.

Kent showed steady performance early in his career, but his true breakthrough came after joining the San Francisco Giants in 1997. Alongside Barry Bonds, he formed the team’s most formidable middle lineup since Willie Mays and Willie McCovey. Over the next six seasons, he posted a .297 batting average, a .903 OPS, drove in over 100 runs each year, and in 2000, he edged out Bonds to win the National League MVP award.

Kent was a five-time All-Star and won four Silver Slugger awards, maintaining a high level of play well into his thirties. In the postseason, he also played a crucial role, hitting 9 home runs in 49 games with an OPS of 0.840.

The voting committee included seven Hall of Famers such as Fergie Jenkins and Jim Kaat; six MLB team executives; and three veteran media members and historians.