There was a decent chance two future Hall of Famers were playing each other Saturday night at Coors Field.
Of the two, Los Angeles second baseman Jeff Kent may be a greater cinch than Rockies first baseman . Although Helton’s first seven seasons rank among the best seven-year starts in history (.339 average, 251 homers), he may need another 200 homers and 1,200 hits to wipe away any pretense of a Coors Field stigma.
Kent, 37, already may be in. When the baseball writers elected Ryne Sandberg into the Hall of Fame this winter, the bar may have been lowered to where Kent now can step over it.
Sandberg got in largely because his .285 batting average, 282 home runs and 1,061 RBIs were among the best compiled by a second baseman. Kent is a second baseman who is a lifetime .290 hitter with 307 homers and 1,221 RBIs and plenty of career left to pile on those numbers.
When Sandberg was elected in December, did it occur to Kent that Cooperstown’s door may have swung open for him?
“No, I was proud of Ryne,” said Kent, the all-time leader with 283 homers while playing the second-base position. “I love the game, I’m passionate about the game I play. Am I concerned about the results every day? Yeah. But I don’t really collect them and make comparisons with others.”
Where Sandberg may have the edge is his 344 steals (Kent has 88) and nine Gold Gloves (Kent has none). But if Kent is superior to Sandberg in the all-important Triple Crown categories and Sandberg is in, how can voters not give the nod to Kent?
“I love motorcycles,” Kent said. “I have four kids at home. I’ve got a working ranch in Texas. The subject you’re talking about runs a little contrary to what I’m about. I enjoy playing the game still. The question you’re asking is past the game.”
Finish what you start
It’s officially a trend: Complete games are way up in 2005. Last season, pitchers recorded 15 complete games through the month of April. There have already been 21 complete games this season.
One of those complete games belongs to the Rockies’ .
“I think it’s a good trend,” Jennings said.
Credit the Florida Marlins and manager Jack McKeon, who visit Coors Field this week, for starting the pattern. They have five complete games.
“Basically, we’re trying to follow their blueprint, we’re just a couple years removed from it,” Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. “But we’re on the board.”
Footnotes
Rarely does an active pitcher throw a simulated game before a real game, but Rockies reliever Byung-Hyun Kim did Saturday. Although Kim has held opponents to a .133 batting average, his 11 walks in 9 1/3 innings explain his problems. … Expect third baseman (hamstring) to be activated Tuesday, but it might be Wednesday or Thursday before the Rockies believe outfielder Dustan Mohr (calf) is ready. … The Rockies signed right-hander Denny Stark to a minor-league contract.
