The National Baseball Hall of Fame’s induction class of 2026 began with a highly surprising turn, as the shrine’s Contemporary Era Committee elected former slugging infielder Jeff Kent.
The all-time home run leader among second basemen prevailed Sunday among a stacked, eight-player ballot that included Don Mattingly, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and the late Fernando Valenzuela. Mattingly and Valenzuela had been widely seen as strong candidates to kick off the Hall of Fame’s next induction class, but Kent’s often-overlooked career received an important look in this second-chance process.
Kent hit 351 of his 377 home runs as a second baseman and was the National League’s Most Valuable Player in 2000, but he frequently existed in the shadow of more accomplished teammates such as Bonds or Clemens. During his 10 years on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot, Kent never received more than 46.5% of the vote—well below the needed 75% threshold.
Going before the 16-person Contemporary Era Committee—made up of other Hall of Famers, several baseball team owners and executives, and a trio of media representatives—Kent received 14 votes, two more than necessary for induction.
Former slugger Carlos Delgado came in second with nine votes, three fewer than necessary, while Mattingly and Dale Murphy each received six votes. Bonds, Clemens, Valenzuela, and Gary Sheffield each received fewer than five votes and won’t be eligible for reconsideration until 2031. The presence on the ballot of players of Bonds and Clemens, who have been linked to performance-enhancing drugs, had given this Hall of Fame vote additional layers of prominence and complexity.
Before the vote, U.S. President Donald Trump again weighed in on social media in support of Clemens. Trump said that Clemens should “sue the hell out of Major League Baseball” if he wasn’t elected. While MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and several team owners are on the Hall of Fame’s board of directors, the shrine remains a separate organization from the league.
Kent will be joined in the 2026 induction class by those chosen in the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot. Those results will be unveiled on Jan. 20, and returning candidate Carlos Beltrán is seen as the strongest possibility there.
Attendance at the induction ceremony in late July in Cooperstown, N.Y., as well as at the Hall of Fame during the peak summer months, depends significantly on the star power of the induction class in each given year. A lower-profile 2026 class, while heavily accomplished on the field, could suggest a somewhat quieter year for visitation.
