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Jeff Kent during his playing days. AP Photo/Danny Moloshok
Ole chappy himself Jeff Kent will have a press conference at Dodger Stadium Thursday to announce his retirement from baseball.
The 40 year-old second baseman hit 331 home runs as a second baseman, the most of any player in that position, and won the NL MVP in 2000 when he was with the San Francisco Giants. The five time All Star also hit 537 career doubles, 27th on the all time doubles list.
After playing at Cal, he was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays and came up to the team in 1992. After stints at the New York Mets and Cleveland Indians, he made a significant impact after being traded to the San Francisco Giants in 1997 eventually playing in the World Series in 2002 batting behind Barry Bonds. After two seasons with the Houston Astros after the World Series run, Kent signed as a free agent with the Dodgers in 2005 making it to the playoffs in the 2006 and 2008 seasons.
Much has been made of his caustic personality which led to his departure from the Blue Jays, Mets and Giants. He had much publicized feuds with Barry Bonds and Milton Bradley, and within the Dodger clubhouse was not the most popular player.
But despite his foibles, his career and contributions to the Dodgers should be celebrated.
