Kent calls it a career after 17 great seasons

I'll bet not many people thought they'd ever see a picture of Jeff Kent doing that.

After spending 17 seasons in Major League Baseball, Kent has decided to hang up his cleats for good. The decision was not a big surprise, as last season appeared to be all his body could finally handle.

First, let's discuss the Hall of Fame debate that keeps being brought up. In mind mind, it's a no brainer - the guy belongs in. He finished with 351 home runs as a 2nd baseman, which is 74 more than the 2nd place finisher, Ryne Sandberg, who's in the Hall.

For his career, he finishes with a .290 AVG, 560 2B, 377 HR, 1522 RBI. He also won the 2000 NL MVP, has been an All Star 5 times, and won 4 Silver Slugger awards.

Oh ya, and he didn't need steroids, HGH, or any of that other garbage to get the job done.

I know I might be a little biased, but come on now. He absolutely should be in the Hall! I know his personality was brash and hard to deal with for most of his career, but he played his butt of everyday he was in the lineup. He didn't have the greatest range for a 2nd baseman, but he'd dive after balls all over and make great plays despite his limitations. Don't let his personality overshadow his results.

As for his career with the Dodgers, he was often the lone power threat in the lineup. His best year was his first in 2005, where he hit .289 with 29 HR and 105 RBI. Last season was a bit of a letdown for him, as injuries were taking their toll. By the time the playoffs rolled around, he was relegated to backup duty to Blake DeWitt. As a pinch-hitter, he was 0-9 with 4 K's, including a K in what turned out to be his last at-bat of his career.

I must say that he made the right decision with this. As much as I liked him, it was obvious that he was just worn out by the end of last year. I think Joe Torre added him to the postseason roster more out of an appreciation for his career, and not because he was healthy enough to do so. He deserves a proper press conference and send off, and he got it.

What I'll miss about Kent is his ability to leave it all on the field and to not take any crap from players dogging it and underachieving. I don't care if the media didn't like him, he was a winner and showed up each day to prove that. And for that, I should be making the hour-and-a-half trip to Cooperstown a few years from now to pay my respects to his great career.

Kent out for now with knee surgery

Jeff Kent has decided to undergo minor knee surgery, which will sideline him for the time being. However, the early word is that he will be able to return in time for the end of the season. The surgery will take place on Tuesday.

You know, Kent's season was really starting to turn around when Manny Ramirez came aboard. He was hitting in the #3 hole, was seeing plenty of pitches to hit, and was really starting to come through again. All was looking good.

And then he decided to run his mouth about Vin Scully, and he has looked dreadful since then. For those of you that have forgotten, Kent took exception to Scully claiming that having Manny protect him has really upped his production. In fact, he said that Scully "talks to much" and went on to claim that Scully is never around the players and shouldn't say things like that. Needless to say, those comments made him look like a total jackass, or an even bigger one than normal.

With Kent down, Chin-lung Hu was recalled. Hu has a very solid glove, but is lost at the plate, compiling a meager .159 AVG in 49 games earlier this year. Basically, he's another version of Angel Berroa, accept he's actually a worse hitter if you can believe that.

The State of Jeff Kent

Another year, another season where this might be Jeff Kent's last. At 40-years-old and entering his 16th season as a Major Leaguer, he certainly has seen his fair share of ups and downs. He came close to winning a ring with San Francisco in 2002, and is starving to finally get one.

While there's no disputing his will to win, the stigma of being a "locker room cancer" continues to follow him. It's hard to forget last September when the Dodgers were down and just about out. As he lashed out at his team, he appeared to be singling out the youngsters when he said,

"We have some good kids, so don't get me wrong. But it's hard to translate experience, and I don't know why they don't get it."

He continued on by saying,

"It's just a lot of things. It's professionalism, it's knowing how to manufacture runs, it's knowing how to keep your emotions in it."

Fast-forward 6 months later, and now it's a different tune being sung. He now said that it was all a misunderstanding, and he wasn't singling anybody in particular out. He just wanted to win.

"Gentlemen, my frustration doesn't lie with anybody, they lie with wins and loses," said Kent, who turns 40 next month. "You don't win and anybody that's not frustrated, they shouldn't be playing the game. My frustration was not with a player or management, and therein lies the frustration."

Ok, I can certainly agree with him that everybody should want to win. Kent signifies that more than anybody. But, it's hard to believe that his "frustration doesn't lie with anybody." It sure didn't seem that way at the time. I can't blame Matt Kemp and James Loney for taking exception to that.

But, that was then, and this is now. Now, the Dodgers are a much better team. While they still lack punch to a degree, signing Andruw Jones won't make it nearly as bad as it was last year. The back end of the rotation is also stronger. Then again, getting rid of Brett Tomko and Mark Hendrickson will make any team better.

I still love watching Kent's hustle and desire no matter what the score is. I know his range has been decreased according to the "experts" that somehow measure that type of stuff, but he gives it his all. At the end of the day, despite the negative vibe he can give off, I'd still want him on my team.

MLB.com preview: Middle Infielders

The 3rd part of the season preview is up, and it takes a look at 2nd base and shortstop. A grand total of 6 All-Star appearances makes up the duo of 2B Jeff Kent and SS Rafael Furcal. Both seem to be coming back this year with something to prove.

For Kent, it's that his 40-year-old, battle tested body can hold up the rigors of another long season, and that he can not be a cancer in the locker room. For Furcal, it's that he can be the all-around threat at the plate that he was in 2006, and not the guy that struggled in 2007 because of nagging ankle and back injuries. They form a solid double-play duo. As long as they stay somewhat healthy, they can still wreak plenty of havoc from both sides.

Next week: Outfielders

Jeff Kent to return in 2008

Jeff Kent has exercised his option for 2008, and he will return to the Dodgers next season to play 2nd base. He had originally said he was going to take time off to evaluate whether he wants to play next season, most likely as a ploy to see what direction the Dodgers were going to head in. I guess he's happy with what's going on. Oh, and that $9 million paycheck might just help a tad bit as well.

Kent played in 136 games last year, hitting .302 with 20 HR and 79 RBI. Not too shabby numbers for a 39-year-old. Even more impressive was his .324 AVG in September, being one of the few guys to actually play well that month.

The internal option for a replacement had Kent decided not to come back was Tony Abreu. He played in 59 games last season, hitting .271, but with a small .309 OBP. Those number could be a bit misleading, considering that when he was at Triple A Las Vegas last year for 54 games, he hit .355/.399. In 2006 at Double A Jacksonville, it was .289/.343. So, he's shown in the minors that when given enough at-bats, he can get on base. He's also a swith hitter than can play multiple infield positions.

Regardless of Abreu's potential, he'll be in the utility role this year now that Kent is back. Kent is still a legit #3 hitter, or they can drop him down behind Andruw Jones. Either way, he will be 40 next season, so let's hope the old injury bug won't be hitting him. Still, it's a risk worth taking since he still plays very hard each game and can be an All-Star at 2nd.