Jeff Kent, who Box-Toppers supported for the Hall of Fame for the 10 years he fell short on the baseball writers’ ballot, finally made the Hall of Fame Sunday.
Kent was elected to be enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Contemporary Era Players Committee.
Jeff Kent, Box-Toppers points by season
Here are Jeff Kent’s Box-Toppers points (BTP) by season. Also shown are Kent’s notable rankings in B-T points by season among National League batters and among NL second basemen. The “Rankings, awards” column also shows Kent’s notable rankings for postseason honors, such as for the NL Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) and also whether he was an All-Star (AS) or won the Silver Slugger (SS) Award that season.| Year | Team | BTP | Rankings, awards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Mets† | N/A* | |
| 1993 | Mets | N/A* | |
| 1994 | Mets | N/A* | |
| 1995 | Mets | 8.0 | NL 2B-2 |
| 1996 | Indians† | 2.5 | |
| 1997 | Giants | 11.2 | NL 2B-1, MVP-8 |
| 1998 | Giants | 10.0 | NL 2B-1, MVP 9 |
| 1999 | Giants | 6.5 | NL 2B-4, AS, MVP-26 |
| 2000 | Giants | 12.9 | NL bat-4, NL 2B-1, AS, MVP-1, SS |
| 2001 | Giants | 9.2 | NL 2B-1, AS, SS |
| 2002 | Giants | 10.9 | NL bat-6, NL 2B-1, MVP-6, SS |
| 2003 | Astros | 9.5 | NL 2B-2 |
| 2004 | Astros | 7.5 | NL 2B-1, AS, MVP-13 |
| 2005 | Dodgers | 9.5 | NL 2B-2, AS, MVP-19, SS |
| 2006 | Dodgers | 3.0 | |
| 2007 | Dodgers | 7.0 | NL 2B-4 |
| 2008 | Dodgers | 2.5 |
* Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995 after the start of Kent’s career. While there are not Box-Toppers statistics before 1995, we estimate Kent would have earned about 14.8 points over the three seasons from 1992-94.
Rankings, awards—This includes a combination of Kent’s notable Box-Toppers rankings and postseason honors, which come from Baseball-Reference.com. Rankings in bold indicate Kent finished first in that category.
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The second baseman who played from 1992 to 2008 for the Mets, Giants, Astros and Dodgers has 110.2 career Box-Toppers points since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began, which is most among all second basemen in that span.
Box-Toppers supported his candidacy each year he appeared on the Baseball Writers of America Hall of Fame ballot. But he was snubbed by baseball writers for the 10 years from 2014 to 2023 when he was on that ballot. He needed 75 percent support on those ballots, but never received more than 46.5 percent, his total in his final year, 2023.
Players are eligible to be included on the baseball writers’ Hall of Fame ballot if they played at least 10 years and have not been playing for five years. They are allowed to remain on that ballot for 10 years unless they receive less than 5 percent support (at which point they are dropped) or receive the 75 percent needed for induction.
Players who are not inducted by baseball writers can be considered for the Hall by special committees in subsequent years. Kent was the only player selected this year by the Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee, formerly the Veteran’s Committee. Players must be retired for at least 15 years and have contributed to the game since 1980. The 16-member committee is made up of Hall of Fame players, baesball executives and media members and/or historians.
Kent needed 12 votes from the panel for induction and received 14.
Kent’s career started in 1992, before the advent of Box-Toppers tracking. Estimates put his actual career total at 125 points. Still, his 110.2 career Box-Toppers points since 1995 rank 17th among all batters since tracking began.
He is the only second baseman in Box-Toppers tracking history with 100 or more career points. Second place is Robinson Cano (85.4) and third is Chase Utley (78.6), who is on this year’s baseball writers’ Hall of Fame ballot.
Kent’s season-by-season Box-Toppers biography.
Kent led NL second basemen in Box-Toppers points in six different seasons:
1997 with the Giants (11.2).
1998 with the Giants (10.0).
2000 with the Giants (12.9).
2001 with the Giants (9.2).
2002 with the Giants (10.9).
2004 with the Astros (7.5).
Kent was among the top five NL second basemen 11 times.
He ranked among the top 10 NL batters twice, both with the Giants:
2000 (12.9, ranked fourth).
2002 (10.9, ranked sixth).
Kent won the NL Most Valuable Player Award in 2000 with the Giants, when his 12.9 Box-Toppers points was fourth among NL batters. Finishing first among NL batters that season was Todd Helton of the Rockies, with 15.2 Box-Toppers points. Helton finished fifth in NL MVP voting that season.
Career Box-Toppers points, 2Bs (since 1995) 1—Jeff Kent 110.2* 2—Robinson Cano 85.4 3—Chase Utley 78.6 4—Ian Kinsler 71.6 5—Brandon Phillips 67.6 6—Jose Altuve #Astros 67.5 7—Bret Boone 65.7 *Kent’s career began in 1992 before B-T tracking began. www.box-toppers.com/blog/2025/12...
— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) Dec 8, 2025 at 7:41 AM
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Other players on Sunday’s ballot
There were seven other players on Sunday’s special Hall of Fame ballot, only four of whom played significant time in the Box-Toppers era since 1995. They are:
Carlos Delgado, who received nine votes, three short of induction. Delgado played from 1993 to 2009 for the Blue Jays, Mets and Marlins and earned 118.7 career Box-Toppers points (since 1995), fifth among all first basemen since 1995 and 12th among all batters in that span.
Dale Murphy, who received six votes, played from 1976 to 1993 for the Braves, Phillies and Rockies. He retired just before the 1995 advent of Box-Toppers.
Don Mattingly, who received six votes, played from 1982 to 1995 for the Yankees, earned 5.5 Box-Toppers points in his final year in 1995, the only year his career and Box-Toppers tracking overlapped.
Barry Bonds, who received five votes, played from 1986 to 2007 for the Giants and Pirates and earned 152.2 career Box-Toppers points from 1995 (when Box-Toppers tracking began) to the end of his career, which is 27th-most among all players in that span, fifth among all batters and second among all outfielders. (If his entire career were tracked, projections put his Box-Toppers point total at about 230.) Bonds though was not voted into the Hall during his 10 years on the writers’ ballot because of his suspected use of performance-enhancing drugs.
Roger Clemens, who received five votes, played from 1984 to 2007 for the Red Sox, Yankees, Astros and Blue Jays, and earned 164.8 career Box-Toppers points from 1995 onward, 19th among all players and 16th among all pitchers over that span. (If his entire career were tracked, projections put his Box-Toppers point total at about 320.) Clemens though was also not voted into the Hall during his 10 years on the writers’ ballot because of his suspected use of performance-enhancing drugs.
Gary Sheffield, who received five votes, played from 1988 to 2009 for the Marlins, Dodgers, Brewers, Yankees, Braves, Padres, Tigers and Mets and has 124.1 career points since 1995, 11th among all batters. He would have an estimated 155 career points if his entire career from 1988 were tracked. Sheffield though was also not voted into the Hall during his 10 years on the writers’ ballot because of his ties to performance-enhancing drug use.
Fernando Valenzuela, who received five votes, played from 1980 to 1997 for the Dodgers, Padres, Orioles, Phillies, Cardinals and Angels. Most of his career happened before the advent of Box-Toppers, but he earned 6.0 total Box-Toppers points over three seasons, 1995-97.
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Kent will be inducted to the Hall of Fame in ceremonies in July 2026 in Cooperstown, N.Y., along with other possible inductees. The baseball writers of the BBWAA will vote on possible Hall inductees in January.
About Box-Toppers
Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day. (No Box-Toppers points are awarded in postseason games.)
Box-Toppers votes for the Hall of Fame in the unofficial ballot by the Internet Baseball Writers of America (IBWAA), which is separate from the official vote by the BBWAA.
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