Former All-Star, ex-Mets infielder whines about Hall of Fame snub

Tuesday night, it was revealed that Scott Rolen was the only candidate on the BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot to reach the necessary 75% of votes.
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Scott Rolen has been elected to the Hall of Fame as the only member in the class of 2023.

And some people won’t get a shot again. That’s the case for former infielder Jeff Kent, who failed to get the minimum 75% of votes in his 10th appearance on the ballot. And he’s not happy about it.

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Per the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser:

“The voting over the years has been too much of a head-scratching embarrassment,” Kent said via text. “Baseball is losing a couple generations of great players that were the best in their era because a couple non-voting stat folks keep comparing those players to players already voted in from generations past and are influencing the votes. It’s unfair to the best players in their own era and those already voted in, in my opinion. Steroids clouded the whole system, too, and with the reduction of eligibility years, to clear the ballot deck, I got caught up in it all, I guess.”

Kent appeared on 46.5% of the ballots cast, getting 181 votes.

Kent played 17 major league seasons across six organizations: Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, Cleveland Guardians, San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros, and Los Angeles Dodgers.

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The five-time All-Star was with the Mets from 1992 to 1996 and slashed .279/.327/.453. His career slash line was .290/.356/.500 with a .855 OPS.

Former New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez will stay on the ballot after acquiring 139 votes (35.7%). So will southpaw Andy Pettitte, who got 66 votes (17%). Former Mets and Yankees outfielder Carlos Beltran, who appeared on the ballot for the first time, received 181 votes (46.5%).

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Bridget Hyland may be reached at bhyland@njadvancemedia.com.

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