Major League Baseball Past and Present: Barry Bonds & Jeff Kent Rivalry

From 1997 through 2002, Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent carried the San Francisco Giants. Both MVP winners, All-Stars, Silver Slugger winners, and arguably the best 3 and 4-hitting duos in the majors during that time. However, both those guys, despite playing well together, weren't friends, and both had different personalities, for that matter. Barry hit third, and Kent hit fourth in the order. Bonds, who would Walk over 100 times a year, played a massive role in Kent driving in runs.

Barry Bonds & Jeff Kent Yearly Stats: *Highlight means led the league

1997

Bonds: .291 AVG, 155 HITS, 40 HR, 101 RBI, .446 OBP, 123 RUNS (159 Games)

Kent: .250 AVG, 145 HITS, 29 HR, 121 RBI, .316 OBP, 90 RUNS (155 Games)

1998

Bonds: .303 AVG, 167 HITS, 37 HR, 122 RBI, .438 OBP, 120 RUNS (156 Games)

Kent: .297 AVG, 156 HITS, 31 HR, 128 RBI, .359 OBP, 94 RUNS (137 Games)

1999

Bonds: .262 AVG, 93 HITS, 34 HR, 83 RBI, .389 OBP, 91 RUNS (102 Games)

Kent: .290 AVG, 148 HITS, 23 HR, 101 RBI, .366 OBP, 86 RUNS (138 Games)

2000

Bonds: .306 AVG, 147 HITS, 49 HR, 106 RBI, .440 OBP, 129 RUNS (143 Games)

Kent: .334 AVG, 196 HITS, 33 HR, 125 RBI, .424 OBP, 114 RUNS (159 Games)

2001

Bonds: .328 AVG, 156 HITS, 73 HR, 137 RBI, .515 OBP, 129 RUNS (153 Games)

Kent: .298 AVG, 181 HITS, 22 HR, 106 RBI, .369 OBP, 84 RUNS (159 Games)

2002

Bonds: .370 AVG, 149 HITS, 46 HR, 110 RBI, .582 OBP, 117 RUNS (143 Games)

Kent: .313 AVG, 195 HITS, 37 HR, 108 RBI, .368 OBP, 102 RUNS (152 Games)

Why was there beef?

Clash in personalities and jealousy. Bonds was considered a primadonna player who rubbed fans, teammates, coaches, and the media the wrong way. It also didn't seem to bother him that the team struggled during his first four years. As long as he was putting up unreal numbers, everything's fine. Jeff Kent was a player the Giants traded away Matt Williams for to shake things up. Kent brought a blue-collar work ethic and wasn't necessarily the type who would play along with all the special treatment Bonds was receiving. Kent would tend to confront Bonds whenever he didn't appear to hustle on a grounder.

What drove Bonds crazy about Kent?

Despite not being the best of friends, they played well, and the Giants would improve, making the playoffs three times during those years and a World Series run in 2002. However, as the years went on, things would only tense between the two. When Jeff Kent arrived, he quickly became a fan favorite due to his play and by talking about fans' appreciation and his giving good blue-collar quotes to the media after games. While Bonds was still the team's best player statistically, many people, including manager Dusty Baker, viewed Kent as the team's MVP. In 2000, Kent won the MVP, beating out Bonds. The media was nicer to Kent than Bonds, mainly because Kent was more down-to-earth than Barry.

What drove Kent crazy about Bonds?

Despite winning the MVP in 2000, that was the time Barry Bonds supposedly started using PEDs, resulting in him putting up unreal numbers. Kent, who took great pride in busting his ass and not cheating for his success, probably wasn't fond of all the glory Bonds was receiving. If you look back on some post-game interviews between Bonds and Kent, they didn't say anything kind to the other. In 2002, cameras caught a video of Bonds and Kent getting physical in the dugout over an argument. By then, the feud between the two players was well-known publicly. San Francisco Chronicle beat reporter Ray Ratto said of the two, "The one who lives longer will attend the other's funeral, just to make sure he's dead."

End Result

The Giants would lose to the Angels in seven games of the 2002 World Series. After that, Kent left the Giants for Houston to be closer to his family. Both guys would go on to have more productive years. Bonds would finish his career with a home run record, almost 2,000 RBIs, and 3000 Hits. However, due to the suspicions of PEDs, it has yet to make the Hall of Fame. Kent would finish his career with the most home runs by any second baseman in MLB history and over 1,500 RBIs. He has yet to be inducted into the baseball hall of fame due to the analytical nerds who claimed he was a terrible defensive second baseman. Even though he got to San Francisco, he got better defensively. I don't think both of those guys have a problem with each other today. Despite clashes, they played well together. In 2012, the Giants celebrated a ten-year reunion of the 2002 team, and Bonds and Kent posed together for a picture.