Part Three of this series. Part One is here and Part Two appeared here.
In 1992, the Mets made a very unpopular trade, sending fan favorite and proven performer David Cone to Toronto in a deal that included second baseman Jeff Kent. It was the start of a miserable relationship that lasted parts of five seasons. “Jeff Can’t” was one of his nicer nicknames and he was booed unmercifully by the Shea faithful (including me). Many of us where giddy when Kent was unloaded on Cleveland for the seemingly -ebullient Carlos Baerga in mid-1996. Boy where we wrong. Traded by the Tribe to San Francisco the following year, Kent would blossom into one of the best hitting second basemen ever. He would belt 245 more homeruns, win four silver slugger awards as the top offensive second baseman, garner several All-Star nods and win the NL MVP in 2000. He later moved on to the Dodgers and in 2005 had the best season of any Dodger second baseman since Jackie Robinson. A noted “bad guy” during his Met tenure, the San Francisco press gave him the prestigious Willie Mac award one season for hustle and leadership. He currently holds the all-time record for home runs as a second baseman and will likely be elected to the Hall of Fame.
Exactly what did Kent in during his Met tenure is no mystery.