Orlando, FL— The 2026 National Baseball Hall of Fame Class for the Contemporary Era Player Ballot had players that were connected in the international landscape, heading into the 2025 Major League Baseball Winter Meetings at the Signia by Hilton and Waldorf Astoria in Orlando, Fla. All players that are voted in had to have been 75% from the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
A Giant honor.@JuanMarichal27 is the first Hall of Famer to welcome Jeff Kent into the fraternity! pic.twitter.com/8cJUTMGbWY
— National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ⚾ (@baseballhall) December 8, 2025
For the Contemporary Era Player Ballot, players have to be voted with 12 votes from a 16-member committee to decide the election.
Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Carlos Delgado, Jeff Kent, Don Mattingly, Dale Murphy, Gary Sheffield, and Fernando Valenzuela were the listed former players who were on the Contemporary Era Player Ballot for the 2026 Induction Class.
Welcome to Cooperstown, Jeff Kent!https://t.co/zsVeL7hhV8 pic.twitter.com/I5O5J3eNMt
— National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ⚾ (@baseballhall) December 8, 2025
Kent was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame from the Contemporary Era Ballot Committee on December 7.
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Kent had the most votes with 14, Delgado had nine, and Mattingly and Murphy each had six.
The players who had fewer than five votes were Bonds, Clemens, Sheffield, and Valenzuela.
The full results of the Hall of Fame's 2025 Contemporary Baseball Era ballot voting. pic.twitter.com/iqrcGI9zxM
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) December 8, 2025
According to Baseball Quotes, by receiving fewer than five votes, Bonds, Clemens, Sheffield, and Valenzuela will be ineligible for the next voting cycle in 2028.
The results of the Contemporary Baseball Era Ballot.
By receiving less than 5 votes, Barry Bonds, Rodger Clemens, Gary Sheffield and Fernando Valenzuela will be in-eligible for the next voting cycle in 2028 pic.twitter.com/BuOncVUNJM
— Baseball Quotes (@BaseballQuotes1) December 8, 2025
Hall of Famers:
Fergie Jenkins
Jim Kaat
Juan Marichal
Tony Pérez
Ozzie Smith
Alan Trammell
Robin Yount
Front Office:
Mark Attanasio
Doug Melvin
Arte Moreno
Kim Ng
Tony Reagins
Terry Ryan
Media:
Tyler Kepner
Jayson Stark
Historian:
Steven Hirdt
Valenzuela, from Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, and Delgado, from Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, were the only international-born players who were on the Contemporary Era Player Ballot for the 2026 Induction Class.
United States–born players included Bonds (Riverside, Calif.), Clemens (Dayton, Ohio), Murphy (Portland, Ore.), Sheffield (Tampa, Fla.), Kent (Bellflower, Calif.), and Mattingly (Evansville, Ind.).
Jeff Kent — the all-time home run leader among second basemen — is officially Cooperstown-bound after receiving 14 votes from the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee. For a player who spent a decade stalled on the BBWAA ballot, never surpassing 46.5%, Sunday’s vote brought long-awaited validation.
Kent, now 57, hit 377 home runs over 17 MLB seasons, with 351 of them coming at second base — a positional record that has stood untouched for years. His six seasons in San Francisco (1997–2002) remain one of the most productive stretches by a second baseman in MLB history.
Speaking after the announcement, Kent admitted he was overwhelmed:
“I loved the game, and everything I gave to the game I left there on the field.
This moment today… I was absolutely unprepared. Emotionally unstable.”
New York Mets players, from left, John Franco, Ryan Thompson, Bobby Bonilla and Jeff Kent participate in a 20-minute run as part of their training drills on Thursday, April 6, 1995. The Mets are at spring training complex in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Friday for the mandatory reporting day for all players on the team. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
When asked again about Barry Bonds, Kent remained neutral, as he has for years:
“Barry was one of the best players I ever saw play the game…
I’ve avoided giving a specific answer because I don’t have one. I’m not a voter.”
World Baseball Network caught up with ESPN/MLB Network analyst Eduardo Pérez immediately after the vote.
“They got the Kent one right. You look at the numbers — over 355 home runs from the second base position, over 370 overall.
He was a model of consistency. For that, I believe they got it right.”
Pérez also noted the quality of the committee’s voting pattern:
“It’s unfortunate all of them can’t get in, but at least one of them did.
Delgado getting nine votes, Mattingly and Murphy getting six — I think they were on par.”
The announcement triggered one of the largest r/baseball threads of the year. It grew so quickly that moderators activated “Players Only” mode.
Here’s what fans had to say:
“Surprised that’s it.”
“That whole ballot, and only Kent??”
Many users noted the statistical bump Kent enjoyed hitting behind Barry Bonds.
“Kent cleanup + Bonds batting third = the best pitches he ever saw.”
“He was third fiddle to Bonds. Let’s be serious.”
Kent’s reputation resurfaced throughout the thread.
“He’d have gone in sooner if he wasn’t such an asshole to writers.”
“Friends? I don’t think his parents even liked him.”
Fans pointed out that while Bonds and Clemens dropped below five votes, Kent — who had his best years in his 30s — faced no suspicion.
“His OPS jumps in his 30s during BALCO… but he gets a free pass?”
International fans voiced frustration:
“Carlos Delgado snubbed AGAIN 😭.”
“The guy from Survivor?”
“Barry Bonds just dropped to his knees at his local Wal-Mart.”
In short, the thread was a perfect modern baseball snapshot: analytics debates, PED arguments, memes, and existential angst over the Hall of Fame.
Jeff Kent on the “fun” in baseball, and how he still feels like there’s still unfinished business. #WinterMeetings pic.twitter.com/knMpPQOzI5
— ONNJSports (@ONNJSports) December 8, 2025
Kent’s election represents several key developments:
For years, Kent’s candidacy sat in BBWAA limbo.
The committee — made up of Hall of Famers, executives, and historians — was far more receptive.
Second base has few power hitters in its historical ranks. Kent’s unmatched production finally proved decisive.
Bonds, Clemens, Sheffield, and Valenzuela falling below five votes is a seismic development:
They are not eligible in 2028.
Their final chance arrives in 2031.
If they fall below five votes again, they are done under current rules.
The Puerto Rican slugger’s nine votes suggest he enters 2028 with real momentum.
Jeff Kent will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on July 26, 2026, in Cooperstown, New York.
For a player who spent years hovering below 50% on the BBWAA ballot — battling narrative, personality perceptions, and the shadow of the Bonds era — the committee’s verdict was definitive.
Kent’s plaque will reflect his power, his longevity, and his complicated but undeniable place in baseball history.
Part Two of World Baseball Network’s live coverage from Orlando will break down the Bonds/Clemens fallout, Delgado’s path forward, and the international implications of the 2026 Hall of Fame cycle.
Photo: Hall of Famer Jeff Kent, shown smiling as he prepares to take the field during Houston’s 7–4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on May 29, 2003, at Busch Stadium. Kent sparked an eighth-inning rally and added a two-run double in the ninth. (AP Photo/Kyle Ericson)
