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Jeff Kent Elected to Hall of Fame as Committee Denies Valenzuela Next-Cycle Consideration

A March rule disqualifying sub‑five vote getters from the next cycle postpones any further review of the late Dodgers icon until 2031.

Overview

  • Kent received 14 of 16 votes from the Contemporary Era Committee, surpassing the 75% threshold required for election.
  • Carlos Delgado drew 9 votes, while Don Mattingly and Dale Murphy received 6 each, leaving them short of induction.
  • Fernando Valenzuela, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Gary Sheffield each received fewer than five votes, triggering the new rule’s exclusion from the next triennial ballot.
  • The 16-member panel of Hall of Famers, executives and historians allows each voter to select up to three candidates, with election set for July 26 alongside any BBWAA honorees.
  • Valenzuela’s case, celebrated for its cultural resonance as much as his 1981 Cy Young and Rookie of the Year accolades, would have produced the Hall’s first Mexican inductee if elected.