Jeff Kent Becomes First Ex-Cal Player Inducted Into Baseball Hall of Fame

Three other former Cal players were Major League stars, but none made it to the Hall of Fame

Jeff Kent during his Hall of Fame induction ceremony | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jeff Kent became the first former Cal player to be inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame during induction ceremonies in Cooperstown, New York, on Sunday.

Kent, Andruw Jones and Carlos Beltram were the only three players inducted to the Hall on Sunday.

Other former Cal stars who had standout Major League careers include Jackie Jensen, who was the American League MVP in 1958, Andy Messersmith, who twice won 20 games and finished second in the 1974 Cy Young voting, and Orval Overall, who had a career ERA of 2.25, and had a 1.58 ERA in eight World Series games for the Chicago Cubs from 1906 to 1910.

None of those three is in the Hall of Fame, though. Only the 57-year-old Kent has made it.

Kent played at Cal from 1987 to 1989, and he had his best Majopr League years while playing for the San Francisco Giants. He was named the National League MVP in 2000 when he batted .334 with 33 home runs and 125 RBIs as a Giants second baseman.

Kent holds the Major League record for home runs by a second baseman with 351, and he hit 26 other homers while playing other positions. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in December 2025 when he was named on 14 of 16 ballots of the contemporary baseball era committee.  A player needed 12 votes from that committee to be elected to the Hall.

Kent played shortstop while at Cal and was a starter at that position for three seasons from 1987 to 1989.

He was a second-team all-Pac-10 selection in 1988 when the Golden Bears reached the College World Series.

A broken wrist limited his final season at Cal in 1989, and he was not taken until the 20th round of the 1989 Major League Baseball draft, the 521sr player slected in that draft.

He ultimately became a five-time All-Star in a 17-year Major League career in which he played for six teams.

"It was part of the evolution of my game," Kent said in his acceptance speech. "Learning how to deal with changes, deal with different ballparks, being able to adjust, and being able to replace some of the best players in the game."

Kent batted behind Barry Bonds while with the Giants and his relationship with Bonds was a subject of articles.

Kent's induction speech: