Draft and minor leagues Kent was selected in the 20th round of the
1989 draft by the
Toronto Blue Jays, and was assigned to the
St. Catharines Blue Jays of the
New York–Penn League. He moved up to the
Dunedin Blue Jays of the
Florida State League in 1990, and the
Knoxville Blue Jays of the
Southern League in 1991.
Toronto Blue Jays (1992) Kent was invited to
spring training with the Blue Jays in 1992; he was intended to be sent to
AAA with the
Syracuse Chiefs, but was called up after
Derek Bell suffered a broken wrist in the second game of the year. He made his debut on April 12 in a 3-1 win over the
Baltimore Orioles, entering in the 5th inning at third base, and recorded his first career
hit in his first
at bat, a double leading off the 6th inning against
José Mesa. He hit his first home run two days later in a 12-6 win over the
New York Yankees off pitcher
Lee Guetterman. He saw limited at bats early in the season, not getting a hit between April 25 and May 27; however, an injury to starting third baseman
Kelly Gruber granted Kent a more regular role in the lineup.
New York Mets (1992–1996) Kent was traded to the
New York Mets on August 27, 1992, for pitcher
David Cone, as Toronto bolstered their pitching rotation for a successful
World Series run; he was awarded a
World Series ring despite the trade. His time with the Mets was marked with some success and some failure. Although he batted well, particularly for a second baseman, the Mets were among the worst teams in the
National League, never posting a winning record in his five seasons, and finishing with the worst record in the major leagues in 1993. He also struggled in the field, leading NL second basemen in
errors in 1993 and 1994. Furthermore, he acquired a poor reputation in the clubhouse, where he was known for a quick temper and isolationism. He refused to participate in his hazing ritual with the Mets, feeling he had left his rookie status back in Toronto. On October 4, 1992, the last day of the season, he started the only game of his career at shortstop to allow
Willie Randolph, a longtime star for the crosstown Yankees, to play his final career game at second base.
Cleveland Indians (1996) In a deal made on July 29 before the 1996 trade deadline, the Mets sent Kent and
José Vizcaíno to the
Cleveland Indians for
Álvaro Espinoza and
Carlos Baerga. He hit .265 in 39 games, helping the Indians to the best record in the major leagues, but the team was upset in the
American League Division Series by the Orioles, with Kent picking up just one hit in four games.
San Francisco Giants (1997–2002) After the 1996 season, Kent was again traded, this time to the
San Francisco Giants along with José Vizcaíno and
Julián Tavárez. The San Francisco trade was initially very unpopular, because it sent
Matt Williams, a longtime Giant and a fan favorite, to the Indians. (Kent eventually finished his major league career with 377 home runs, one behind Williams.)
Brian Sabean, in his first year as
general manager of the Giants, was so widely criticized for the move that he famously defended himself to the media by saying, "I am not an idiot." Approaching his 29th birthday, Kent had less than 600 hits in the major leagues, with only 78 home runs and 318 RBI. But Kent's career took off in San Francisco, starting in 1997. Immediately inserted in the line-up behind superstar
Barry Bonds, and with the confidence of manager
Dusty Baker, Kent finally rose to his full potential, hitting .250 with 29 home runs and 121 RBI. The Giants won their first division title in eight years, but were swept in the
Division Series by the
Florida Marlins, with a pair of home runs by Kent providing the only Giants runs in a 6-2 loss in the finale. He was consistently among the top RBI hitters in the league over his next five seasons with the Giants, amassing 689 RBI over six years; he also won the 1998
Willie Mac Award for his spirit and leadership. On Opening Day in 1998 he had a career-high five hits in a 9-4, 13-inning road win against the Astros, including a three-run home run and an RBI double in the final frame. On July 24 he drove in a career-high seven runs with two home runs including a
grand slam in a 12-2 win over the
Cincinnati Reds. On May 3, 1999, playing atypically at
first base, he again collected five hits,
hitting for the cycle in a road game against the
Pittsburgh Pirates, though Pittsburgh scored three runs with two out in the ninth inning to win 9-8. On June 12 he had another five hits including a three-run home run in a 15-11 road win over the
Seattle Mariners; shortly afterward, he was named to the
All-Star team for the first time, and played the All-Star Game's second half, although he grounded into a double play to end the contest. On June 4, 2000 he had a pair of home runs and a pair of doubles for a career-high 12 total bases as the Giants walloped their cross-bay rival
Oakland Athletics 18-2 in a road game. Kent's contributions were recognized that year (33 home runs, 125 RBI, .334 batting average, and a .986
fielding percentage) On May 1, 2001 he again had seven RBI in an 11-6 road win over the Pirates, with a three-run home run and two RBI doubles, one with the bases loaded. On May 13 he hit his 200th home run in a 6-3 win over the Mets. He ended the season with 390 assists at second base, leading the league for the only time in his career, edging the Astros'
Craig Biggio by one assist. In 2002, Kent had another stellar year for a second baseman (37 home runs, 108 RBI, .313 batting average), leading the NL with 81 extra-base hits, and also leading the league in double plays for the only time with a career-high 113. Despite the team's success that season, Kent's relationship with the Giants had soured. The Giants front office had lost confidence in him after an incident during spring training left him with a broken wrist. Kent had initially claimed that he had broken his wrist after slipping and falling while washing his truck; ensuing media reports indicated that, in reality, he had crashed his motorcycle while performing
wheelies and other stunts, in direct violation of his contract. In addition, the growing tension between Kent and Bonds, which had been developing for years, finally boiled over: a midseason fight in the Giants dugout was widely reported in 2002 and caught on television. The feud between the two was so bad that, at the end of the season,
San Francisco Chronicle beat reporter
Ray Ratto said of the two, "The one who lives longer will attend the other's funeral, just to make sure he's dead." The departure of manager Dusty Baker also factored into Kent's eventual decision to leave the Giants.
Houston Astros (2003–2004) During the 2002 offseason, Kent signed a two-year, $19.9 million deal with the
Houston Astros, citing his desire to be closer to his family's Texas ranch. Kent turned one of the outs and collected an assist during a
triple play on August 19,
2004, against the
Philadelphia Phillies, when
Todd Pratt grounded out with the bases loaded in the fifth inning. Kent forced
Marlon Byrd out at second base before throwing Pratt out at first base; it was Houston's first triple play in 13 years. From May 14 to June 11, he collected a hit in 25
straight games, the longest streak in the league that season, and set a new franchise record;
Willy Taveras topped his mark in 2006. On September 29, 2004, he hit his 300th home run in a 6-4 win over the Cardinals. Three days later, he hit a pair of home runs in a 9-3 win over the
Colorado Rockies to give him 278 as a second baseman, surpassing
Ryne Sandberg as the all-time leader at that position. In Game 5 of the
NL Championship Series, Kent hit a three-run
walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth to break a scoreless tie and put Houston ahead of the
St. Louis Cardinals three games to two in the series. However, the Cardinals would win Games 6 and 7 in St. Louis to capture the pennant.
Los Angeles Dodgers (2005–2008) On December 14, 2004, Kent signed a $21 million contract for three years with his hometown
Los Angeles Dodgers. On July 8, 2005 he picked up his 2,000th career hit, an RBI
single off
Roger Clemens in a 3-2 road loss to the Astros. Four days later, he started at second base for the National League in the
All-Star Game at
Comerica Park, his fifth career All-Star selection and fourth All-Star start. Kent became the first player in the history of the
Dodgers–Giants rivalry to make and start the Midsummer Classic for both clubs. (
Joc Pederson has since done the same.) Kent had a good 2005 season, leading the Dodgers in batting average,
on-base percentage, slugging percentage, runs, hits, doubles, home runs and RBI (.289, .377, .512, 100, 160, 36, 29, and 105 respectively). After the 2005 season, Kent signed an extension that would take him to the 2008 season. But he was clearly slowing down; he made two trips to the
disabled list in the 2006 season because of a hand sprain and an oblique injury, but came back late in the season and helped the Dodgers reach the postseason. On September 27 he hit his 500th double to drive in the last run in a 6-4 road win over the Rockies. The Dodgers were swept by the Mets in the
Division Series, though Kent banged out eight hits in three games, with four including a home run and a double in the final game. He batted .302 in 2007, but also led the league in errors for the fourth time. On July 19, 2008, he picked up his 1,500th RBI with a 9th-inning home run in a 3-2 road loss to the
Arizona Diamondbacks, joining
Nap Lajoie and
Rogers Hornsby to become the third second baseman to reach the milestone. Four days later, he became the twelfth player in major league history to play 2,000 games at second base, in a 5-3 road loss to the Rockies. He ended his final season with a road series against the Giants on the last weekend of the campaign, getting his last home run in a 6-5, 10-inning loss, and his last hit in a 2-1 win. He finished his career on October 15 in Game 5 of the
2008 NLCS, when he
struck out looking against
Cole Hamels to end the 7th inning, going hitless in 9 at bats in the postseason. Kent announced his retirement from baseball on January 22, 2009.
Career statistics In 2,298 games over 17 seasons, Kent posted a .290
batting average (2,461-for-8,498) with 1320
runs, 560
doubles, 47
triples, 377
home runs, 1518
RBI, 94
stolen bases, 801
walks, a .356
on-base percentage and a .500
slugging percentage. He finished his career with a .978
fielding percentage. In 49 postseason games, he hit .276 (47-for-170) with 25 runs, 11 doubles, 9 home runs, 23 RBI, and 13 walks. ==Post-playing career==