Jeff Kent Helped Astros Chase Postseason Berths During Two Years in Houston

Jeff Kent wasn't with the Houston Astros long, but when he was there he was impactful.

Jan 22, 2009; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Jeff Kent at press conference to announce his retirement at Dodger Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Jeff Kent came to Houston before the 2003 season to help Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio chase a title. An impactful two years in Houston helped him join them in Cooperstown, N.Y.

The Contemporary Baseball Era committee for the National Baseball Hall of Fame elected Kent as part of the Class of 2026. He was the only player on the ballot to get the votes needed to get in. He's the second former Astro to be inducted in as many years. Closer Billy Wagner was inducted last year. Bagwell, Biggio and Wagner made significant impacts and played longer in Houston.

Kent played in the majors from 1992 until his retirement at the end of 2008 where he played for six different ballclubs. His time in Houston was the tail end of the prime of his career.

Jeff Kent's Time in Houston

One of the best offensive second basemen in MLB history is now Cooperstown bound.

Jeff Kent is a Hall of Famer! pic.twitter.com/pLoG4evjDY

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) December 8, 2025

Kent's only two seasons with the Astros were in 2003 and 2004. in both seasons slugged over .500 with an OPS of .860 or better. As one of the best second baseman in history he helped lead the Astros to a 90+ win season and an NLCS appearance.

*Note* These stats are looking at an average between the two years he was with the organization.

• 138 Games Played
• .293 Batting Average
• .350 On-Base Percentage
• .520 Slugging Percentage
• .870 OPS
• 100 RBI
• 25 Home Runs
• 5 Triples
• 37 Doubles
• 153 Hits
• 272 Total Bases

In Kent's first year with the ballclub they finished 87-75 and second in the NL Central but missed the postseason.

The following season Houston finished second in the division again but took down the Atlanta Braves in a five-game NL Division Series before falling in a heartbreaking seven-game loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS. Ironically, without Kent, the Astros reached the World Series in 2005.

Even though it wasn't the outcome that anyone in the organization was after Kent helped lead the team to their first shot at a pennant since 1986 as the Astros hadn't made it passed the divisional round since that legendary series with the New York Mets.

Second baseman Jeff Kent was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Contemporary Baseball Era committee. He will be inducted in July. Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Don Mattingly, Dale Murphy and three others did not receive sufficient votes.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 8, 2025

His entire career

Kent might not have ever won a World Series ring but he tallied up quite a list of accomplishments by the time he left the majors.

• MLB Record for Most Career Home Runs by a Second Baseman (377)
• 5x All-Star (once with the Astros in 2024)
• 4x Silver Slugger Award Winner
• 2000 NL MVP
• 8 Seasons with 100+ RBI

The Toronto Blue Jays started his time in professional baseball when they drafted him back in 1989 before his eventual debut with the Jays three years later. However the Jays parted with him at the trade deadline and sent him to the New York Mets where he would spend the next 3.5 seasons.

Ken't spent the bulk of his time in the majors with the San Francisco Giants before his pair of seasons with the Astros. He then went from the Houston back to California to join the Los Angeles Dodgers before announcing his retirement after four years with the club.

By the time his career in the majors was over he had played nearly 2,300 games where he batted .290 to complement a .500 slugging percentage and .856 OPS.