""That was the turning point of my career," Kent said on Monday at MLB's Winter Meetings about joining the Giants. "When I got to San Francisco, (manager) Dusty Baker lit a fire under me to be better - not to achieve the normal standard but to achieve more. Dusty was a guy that really understood how to get the best out of his players and I think he knew I had more to give.""
"The second baseman posted a slash line of .297/.368/.535 with 175 home runs and 689 RBIs as a Giant, winning 2000 NL MVP, earning three All-Star appearances and capturing three Silver Sluggers. In 2002, Kent helped lead San Francisco to the World Series and hit two home runs in Game 5, though the Giants fell to the Anaheim Angels in seven games."
Jeff Kent was traded from Cleveland to the San Francisco Giants in November 1996 at age 29 in a deal that sent Matt Williams to Cleveland. The move sparked heavy criticism in the Bay Area but became the turning point of his career. Under manager Dusty Baker, Kent developed into one of the game’s top power-hitting second basemen. He hit .297/.368/.535 with 175 home runs and 689 RBIs in six seasons as a Giant, won the 2000 NL MVP, earned three All-Star selections and three Silver Sluggers, and homered twice in Game 5 of the 2002 World Series. He will enter the Hall of Fame as a Giant, joining Willie Mays and others.
Read at The Mercury News
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]