Overview
- Kent was the only honoree from an eight-player slate, appearing on 14 of 16 ballots and clearing the 12-vote threshold for election.
- Carlos Delgado received nine votes, with Don Mattingly and Dale Murphy at six apiece, leaving each short of the required 75 percent.
- The low-vote totals trigger a 2025 rule that makes those candidates ineligible for the 2028 Contemporary players ballot, with the earliest reconsideration in 2031 and possible permanent exclusion if sub‑five votes recur.
- The 16-member panel of Hall of Famers, team executives and media met at MLB’s Winter Meetings in Orlando under the Contemporary Baseball Era process that requires 75 percent support.
- Kent will be inducted in Cooperstown on July 26, 2026, alongside any BBWAA electees, with writers’ results scheduled for Jan. 20.