Jones, Kent preparing for Induction Weekend

A week away from immortality, Andruw Jones and Jeff Kent weren’t sure if they were ready for the honor.

“To be honest with you, it’s just a little bit overwhelming because everybody was telling you, ‘Oh, you finally made it. You finally made it,’” said Jones explaining the feeling of being elected to the Hall of Fame on his ninth year on the BBWAA ballot. “You just never know. This is such an elite group. This is such a hard Hall of Fame to get in. We didn’t sign up to be a Hall of Famer. We played this game because we loved it. We played because we wanted to win a championship. Being consistent, you work on your craft, and you are good at it. You are good at your position. You are a great hitter. It’s a great honor.

“I talked with somebody earlier today when I was doing an event. It doesn’t matter the time. Now you’re in an elite group.”

Jones and Kent participated in media availabilities on Friday, July 17, in advance of the July 24-27 Induction Weekend in Cooperstown.

Jones, 49, and born on April 23, 1977, is the first Hall of Famer from the island country of Curaçao. In a 17-year big league career, the first dozen spent with Atlanta and the final five split between the Dodgers, Rangers, White Sox and Yankees, Jones finished with a .254 batting average, 1,933 hits, 434 homers, 1,204 runs and 1,289 RBI. A five-time All-Star, he captured 10 Gold Glove awards and a Silver Slugger Award in 2005, the season he led the National League with 51 homers and 128 RBI.

“There’s going to be so many guys up there that I idolized. So many guys that I looked up at, looked at how they played,” Jones said. “So, it’s going to be an awesome feeling. I can’t wait to be part of it.”

Kent, meanwhile, was a five-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger Award winner at second base.

“I still tear up talking about it and I’ve tried to figure out why. Is it because of the game? Is it because I finally got in? Is it because I wasn’t there, and now I’m in? You know that emotional roller coaster. Why are my emotions so attached to this? And I don’t know why. I think I’m better at it,” Kent said. “It’s complicated my life…I’m a boring guy. I chase grandkids and chase cows and ride motorcycles. Now I got to do baseball three or four times a year and give speeches and sign my ugly autograph and thank people. Every time I’m turning around, I’m thanking people, and all that’s awesome. Don’t get me wrong. That’s all awesome, but when I retired, I kind of went into my hole in Texas.”

Over the course of a 17-year career, Kent established himself as one of the most productive players at his position in the game’s history, with a dozen 20-plus homer seasons and eight seasons of 100-or-more runs driven in his career. His total of 377 home runs is the most ever by a second baseman, and his 1,518 RBI are the most of any second baseman whose career began in the Live Ball Era.

His six seasons in San Francisco included an MVP effort in 2000 in which he batted .334 with 33 homers, 125 runs batted in, and a 1.021 OPS, and an outstanding 2002 season that helped drive the Giants to the National League pennant.

In addition to the Giants, Kent also played for the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, Cleveland Indians, Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Class of 2026 will be inducted at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 26, on the grounds of Cooperstown’s Clark Sports Center.

“I’m nervous as hell because I can barely remember 10 of my own friends’ names, let alone 60 people that played before me, and I’m so truthful in that comment. I’m going to have to read up on faces and names,” Kent said.

On July 25 at the Awards Presentation, ESPN and FOX play-by-play voice Joe Buck will receive the Ford C. Frick Award for excellence in broadcasting, longtime Cleveland Plain Dealer writer Paul Hoynes will receive the BBWAA Career Excellence Award for meritorious contributions to baseball writing and Bill White will be honored with the Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award. Rick Monday will also be honored on the 50th anniversary of his rescue of the American flag at Dodger Stadium.

Bill Francis is the senior research and writing specialist at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum