Sporting the Hall of Fame’s traditional cream-colored jersey and matching cap, Jeff Kent addressed a crowd at the Winter Meetings with a playful question directed at Buster Posey, the Giants’ president of baseball operations. Kent, newly elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on December 7, humorously inquired whether he could don a different team’s cap when acting as a guest instructor during spring training.
“Posey, is it okay if I wear a Yankees hat at spring training?” Kent quipped. This jest from the former San Francisco star, who shone from 1997 to 2002, was a nod to his son, Kaeden, who is now part of the Yankees’ organization. The Yankees selected Kaeden Kent, a Texas A&M standout, in the third round of this year’s draft. The 22-year-old infielder, skilled at shortstop and experienced at both second and third base, wrapped up his first professional season with High-A Hudson Valley hitting .186, along with two home runs and 17 RBIs.
When asked for his thoughts on his son’s abilities, Jeff Kent responded with characteristic wit, “He can’t be as good as me.” He then took the moment to humorously adjust expectations for Kaeden’s budding career.
“He always believed he could surpass me because he’d say, ‘Dad, you’re not in the Hall of Fame,’” Jeff shared with a smile. But with his recent Hall of Fame induction through the Contemporary Baseball Era ballot, Jeff recounted telling his son, “Good luck” after receiving his induction call.
Discussing his son’s development, Jeff emphasized the value of hitting to the opposite field, a skill he personally struggled with early in his career. Known for his powerful bat, with 377 home runs—the most by any player who spent at least two-thirds of their games at second base—Jeff cautioned Kaeden against focusing on power hitting during his amateur days, even if it meant sacrificing some prospect rankings.
As for that scouting report, Jeff said that he’s always stressed the importance of going the other way at the plate — something he “failed at early in my career” — to his son. Jeff, whose 377 home runs are the most ever from someone who played at least two-thirds of their games at second base, did not want Kaeden to hit for power growing up, even if that hurt his standing as an amateur prospect.
Kaeden, considered the 12th-best prospect in the Yankees’ system by MLB.com, totaled just five home runs over his first two seasons at Texas A&M before crushing 13 this year.
“One of the knocks that he had before he got drafted by the Yankees, he didn’t have a lot of power,” Jeff said. “And he was talked about out of high school, too, a lot of doubles, but no power. I was in the background trying not to be his agent — I was saying, ‘There’s a reason he doesn’t have power. Trust me, trust me. He’ll have power.’ But the other thing is he can go the other way, go with the ball. He’s a little stubborn right now because he wants to be a big leaguer because he’s with the Yankees.
“That would be the scouting report. He can take the ball, keep his hands inside the ball, and go to all fields. And he’s not intimidated. He’s got a little prick [to him] like me, but he’s a lot like his mother sitting right here, too. So there’s some good in him, not just all the bad.”
During a recent appearance on the YES Network’s “Yankees Hot Stove,” Kaeden called his father’s scouting report “accurate,” including the part about him being stubborn.
Asked about previously poking fun at his dad for not being in Cooperstown, Kaeden added that he will have to brainstorm new ways to take shots at him. He seems to enjoy busting his father’s chops, as he’s already joked that he won’t be attending Jeff’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony on July 26, as he’ll be busy playing for one of the Yankees’ affiliates.
In all seriousness, Kaeden is hoping to get the day off.
“That’s super special,” he said, “and I can’t say how proud I am of him.”
With Kaeden now following in Hall of Fame footsteps, he didn’t want to put a timeline on when he may make his major league debut. That’s still years away, so Kaeden would rather focus on the present.
“You can’t really think too far ahead in this game, cause it will bite you in the butt,” he said. “You can’t be wishing for something far away.
“Hopefully, if I keep stacking those days, then it’ll all pay off for me in the future.”
