Jeff Kent, Hall of Famer?

It has long been speculated that Jeff Kent is a sure Hall of Famer, the latest example being last week when he, Maddux, and Manny all appeared in the same game, bringing the total number of Cooperstown-bound men to three.

The primary reason cited for Kent’s enshrinement is that his career numbers are so good for a second baseman. His 560 doubles, 376 homers, and career .290 average place among the top 5 second basemen of all time, alongside Joe Morgan, Rogers Hornsby, and Ryne Sandberg. There are precious few second basemen in the Hall of Fame, which is how Bill Mazeroski got there.

But the thing about all the aforementioned Cooperstown denizens is that they were good second basemen. Kent is not. He is an average fielder at best, with limited range. Were he a first baseman (a position he played a bit while with the Giants), his numbers would pale beside those of Gehrig, Greenberg, Foxx, and Killebrew. The player whose stats Kent’s most closely resemble is Orlando Cepeda, who hit 379 homers during the dead ball era. Kent hit his 376 in the steroid era, when dollhouse ballparks, crappy pitching, and a lower mound allowed homers to leave the park in record numbers.

So is Kent a Hall of Famer or not?