Giants Legend Jeff Kent Now Knows His Baseball Hall of Fame Teammates

The San Francisco Giants legend will be inducted with two of his contemporaries during July’s induction in Cooperstown.

Hall of Fame inductee Jeff Kent poses for a picture along with Hall of Fame President Josh Rawitch and Chairman of the Board Jane Forbes Clark during the 2025 MLB Winter Meetings at Signia by Hilton Hotel. | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Jeff Kent has known that he would be a part of the Baseball Hall of Fame class of 2026 for more than a month. On Tuesday he found out who his fellow Hall of Fame inductees would be.

Both are contemporaries of Kent, though their careers ended after his did in 2008. Center fielders Andruw Jones and Carlos Beltran were elected on more than 75% of the ballots cast by members of the Baseball Writers Association of America and will go with Kent during July’s ceremony. The Baseball Hall of Fame made the announcement.

Kent was elected in December as part of the modern era ballot, which is for players that didn’t get into the Hall through the BBWAA process. Kent was the only player that received the votes necessary for induction.

Jeff Kent’s Hall of Fame Teammates

San Francisco Giants former player Jeff Kent signs autographs for fans prior to the game against the Chicago Cubs at Hohokam Park. | Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

Beltran has a tie to the Giants, albeit a brief one. He played for the franchise for part of the 2011 season. San Francisco traded pitcher Zach Wheeler to the New York Mets to acquire Beltran for a postseason run. Wheeler is now one of the best pitchers in baseball and plays for Philadelphia.

Beltran played 20 MLB seasons and slashed .279/.350/.486 with 435 home runs and 1,587 RBI. He won a World Series ring with the Houston Astros in 2017, was a nine-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glove winner and two-time Silver Slugger. He also won the Roberto Clemente award and was the 1999 American League rookie of the year with the Kansas City Royals.

Jones never played for the Giants, but he was a thorn in the franchise’s side with the Atlanta Braves from 1996-2007. He played 17 MLB seasons and slashed .254/.337/.486 with 434 home runs and 1,289 RBI. He was a five-time All-Star, 10-time Gold Glove winner, a Silver Slugger and a Major League player of the year.

Kent played six of his 17 MLB seasons with the Giants, where he was a three-time All-Star, a three-time National League Silver Slugger and the 2000 National League MVP. That season he slashed .334/.424/.596 with 33 home runs and 125 RBI. He and Barry Bonds fueled the Giants run to the 2002 World Series, which ended with a loss to the Los Angeles Angels. He slashed .297/.368/.535 with 175 home runs and 689 RBI.

Kent’s career ended with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2008. His 377 home runs were the most for any everyday second baseman and he had a career slash of .290/.356/.500.

Last week, San Francisco announced that it would retire his No. 21 jersey during a ceremony on Aug. 29 at Oracle Park.

Kent will join other Giants legends who have had their numbers retired including Bill Terry (3), Mel Ott (4), Carl Hubbell (11), Monte Irvin (20), Will Clark (22), Willie Mays (24), Barry Bonds (25), Juan Marichal (27), Orlando Cepeda (30), Gaylord Perry (36) and Willie McCovey (44).

Pitcher Christy Mathewson and manager John McGraw, who didn’t wear numbers, are also retired. In addition, Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 is retired by all MLB teams.