Jeff Kent
From The Met Wiki
Jeff Kent was an infielder for the Mets from 1992 to 1996. He compiled a .279 batting average in 498 games with the team. Kent had 67 home runs and 267 runs batted in as a member of the Mets.
Kent was acquired with Ryan Thompson in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays for David Cone on August 27, 1992. The following day, he had a double, a triple and three RBIs in a 12-1 Mets win over the Reds in the second game of a doubleheader at Shea Stadium. In the penultimate game of the season on October 2, Jeff had two singles and two doubles as the Mets defeated the Pirates, 6-3, at Shea.
In 1993, Kent was the Mets' primary second baseman. He appeared in 140 games and hit .270 for the season. Jeff also had 21 home runs and drove in 80 runs for the year. On July 18, he homered twice in the Mets' 12-6 win over the Giants at San Francisco. Kent had two homers (the second of which was a game-winner in the seventh inning) in a 4-3 Mets victory over the Marlins on July 27 at Shea. He hit a three-run homer in a 12-9 Mets triumph in 13 innings at Montreal on August 5. On September 29, Jeff drove in the winning run with a double in the 17th inning for a 1-0 Mets victory over the Cardinals at Shea.
Jeff got off to a good start in 1994. For the month of April, he batted .375 with 8 home runs and 26 runs batted in. On Opening Day, he had two singles, a double and a homer as the Mets defeated the Cubs, 12-8, at Chicago. His second homer of the game against the Cubs at Shea on April 14 gave the Mets a 10-9 win. Jeff also hit two homers in the Mets' 4-2 win over the Astros on April 17. Kent's slugging earned him the award for National League Player of the Week.
Kent was the Mets' leader in many categories in the strike-shortened '94 season. His .292 batting average, 121 hits and 68 RBIs were team highs for the year. Jeff also topped the team with 24 doubles and 5 triples.
In the 1995 season, Kent batted .278 in 125 games played. Although he spent two weeks on the disabled list, Jeff still hit 20 home runs and drove in 65 runs. On May 27, he had three hits, including a homer, in a 6-3 Mets win over the Giants at Shea. In an 8-7 loss in 11 innings at St. Louis on July 25, Kent had two singles, a double and a homer with three runs batted in. Jeff also had two singles and two doubles with two runs scored and two RBIs in the Mets' 8-4 win in Atlanta on September 20.
Kent played in 89 games as a Met in 1996. He hit .290 with 9 homers and 39 RBIs. He homered in the eighth inning to give the Mets a 2-1 win over the Rockies on June 24 at Shea. It was his last home run as a member of the team. Jeff was traded with Jose Vizcaino to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for Carlos Baerga and Alvaro Espinoza on July 29.
Kent played in the major leagues until 2008. After finishing the '96 season in Cleveland, he played six years with the San Francisco Giants, with whom he was named National League Most Valuable Player in 2000. Jeff also played two seasons with the Houston Astros and four years with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
