RONALD Blum
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Jeff Kent was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday by a modern-era committee, Mexico's Fernando Valenzuela failed to get the necessary votes and steroid-tainted stars Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens were once again sidelined.
Kent appeared on 14 of 16 ballots, two more than the 12 required for the 75% minimum.
Puerto Rican Carlos Delgado received nine votes, followed by Don Mattingly and Dale Murphy with six votes each.
Bonds, Clemens, Gary Sheffield and Mexico's Fernando Valenzuela each received less than five votes.
Kent will be inducted into the hall in Cooperstown, New York, on July 26 along with whoever is selected by the Baseball Writers Association of America, with voting announced on January 20.
A five-time All-Star second baseman, he hit.
His 351 home runs as a second baseman are the most for a player at that position.
Kent received 15.2% in his first appearance on the BBWAA ballot in 2014 and a high of 46.5% in his last of ten appearances on the ballot in 2023.
In 2022, the Hall restructured its veterans committees for the third time in 12 years, creating groups to consider the modern era, beginning in 1980, as well as the classical era. In the modern era of baseball, there are separate tickets for players as well as tickets for managers, executives and umpires.
Each committee meets once every three years. Modern managers, executives and referees will be considered in December 2026, classical era candidates in December 2027, and modern era players again in December 2028.
Under a change announced by the House last March, candidates who receive fewer than five votes are ineligible to vote on that committee for the next three-year cycle. A candidate who is eliminated later reappears on the ballot and again receives fewer than five votes will be excluded from further participation on the ballot.
Bonds and Clemens failed to be elected in 2022 in their 10th and final appearance on the BBWAA ballot, with Bonds receiving 260 of 394 votes (66%) and Clemens receiving 257 (65.2%). Sheffield received 63.9% of the vote in the last BBWAA poll in 2024, with 246 votes and 43 behind.
Bonds has denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs, and Clemens says he never used PEDs. Sheffield said he was unaware that the substances he used during training before the 2002 season contained steroids.
A seven-time National League outfielder and 14-time All-Star, Bonds set a career home run record with 762 and a season high with 73 in 2001.
The winner of seven Cy Young Awards, Clemens had a record of 354–184 with a 3.12 ERA and 4,672 strikeouts, third behind Nolan Ryan (5,714) and Randy Johnson (4,875).
The December 2027 vote is the first opportunity for Pete Rose to appear on the Hall ballot since Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred decided in May that Rose's permanent suspension ended with his death in September 2024. The Hall prohibits anyone from the permanently ineligible list from appearing on the ballot.
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