There are now 90 former American Legion Baseball players enshrined in Cooperstown.
The 90th American Legion Baseball player to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame “never dreamed of being here on this stage.”
“There were more important things in my life than baseball,” Jeff Kent said during his induction speech July 26 in Cooperstown, N.Y. “One of them was a pickup truck.
“When I was 16 years old, I was racing motorcycles and driving my great-grandparents’ old Plymouth Volaré. And my dad knew motorcycles weren’t taking me anywhere, so he made me a bet. He knew that if I were to earn a college scholarship, he would buy me a pickup truck. … I quit racing, and focused on school and baseball, and won that baseball scholarship because I got that truck. That truck is still with me, it sits in my garage as a reminder … the simpler things can change the entire direction of your life,” Kent said.
Kent, who played American Legion Baseball in Bellflower, Calif., was officially inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame along with Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones on Sunday as the Class of 2026.
Speaking to a crowd of family, friends, baseball fans and fellow Hall of Famers, Kent said, “This day isn’t about me, it’s about baseball. It’s a celebration of baseball, and I just happen to be a part of it.”
Kent played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball with the Blue Jays, Mets, Indians, Giants, Astros and Dodgers. Of his 377 career home runs, 351 came as a second baseman, the most ever at that position. The 2000 National League Most Valuable Player was a four-time Silver Slugger Award winner and a five-time All-Star selection.
“This game gave me more than a career, it gave me lessons that I carried beyond the field,” Kent said. “Discipline, accountability and work ethic, and I always believed how you play this game matters. Integrity matters. Competing while respecting your teammates and your opponents and the game itself matters. And I’m grateful to everyone who appreciated that I tried to play the game the right way.”
Legion Baseball alumni in the Hall of Fame
Bob Feller (Adel/Des Moines, Iowa; 1962)
Ted Williams (San Diego, Calif.; 1966)
Joe Medwick (Carteret, N.J.; 1968)
Stan Musial (Donora, Pa.; 1969)
Roy Campanella (Post 366, Philadelphia, Pa.; 1969)
Lou Boudreau (Harvey, Ill.; 1970)
Yogi Berra (Post 245, St. Louis, Mo.; 1972)
Early Wynn (Hartford, Ala.; 1972)
Warren Spahn (Buffalo, N.Y.; 1973)
Ralph Kiner (Alhambra, Calif.; 1975)
Robin Roberts (Springfield, Ill.; 1976)
Bob Lemon (Long Beach, Calif.; 1976)
Eddie Mathews (Santa Barbara, Calif.; 1978)
Al Kaline (Baltimore, Md.; 1980)
Bob Gibson (Omaha, Neb.; 1981)
Frank Robinson (Post 237, Pleasanton, Calif.; 1982)
George Kell (Swifton, Ark.; 1983)
Brooks Robinson (Post 1, North Little Rock, Ark.; 1983)
Don Drysdale (Van Nuys, Calif.; 1984)
Harmon Killebrew (Payette, Idaho; 1984)
Pee Wee Reese (Louisville, Ky.; 1984)
Hoyt Wilhelm (Davidson-Mecklenburg County, N.C.; 1985)
Bobby Doerr (Post 162, Los Angeles, Calif.; 1986)
Catfish Hunter (Post 102, Ahsokie, N.C.; 1987)
Willie Stargell (Alameda, Calif.; 1988)
Johnny Bench (Anadarko, Okla.; 1989)
Carl Yastrzemski (Bridgehampton, N.Y.; 1989)
Joe Morgan (Post 471, Oakland, Calif.; 1990)
Jim Palmer (Scottsdale, Ariz.; 1990)
Gaylord Perry (Williamston, N.C.; 1991)
Rollie Fingers (Post 73, Upland, Calif.; 1992)
Hal Newhouser (Detroit, Mich.; 1992)
Tom Seaver (Fresno, Calif.; 1992)
Reggie Jackson (Cheltenham, Pa.; 1993)
Steve Carlton (Miami, Fla.; 1994)
Richie Ashburn (Tilden, Neb.; 1995)
Jim Bunning (Cincinnati, Ohio; 1996)
Earl Weaver (St. Louis, Mo.; 1996)
Phil Niekro (Bridgeport, Ohio; 1997)
Nellie Fox (St. Thomas, Pa.; 1997)
George Brett (El Segundo, Calif.; 1999)
Robin Yount (Los Angeles, Calif.; 1999)
Sparky Anderson (Post 715, Los Angeles, Calif.; 2000)
Carlton Fisk (Claremont, N.H./Post 37, Bellows Falls, Vt.; 2000)
Dave Winfield (Post 606, St. Paul, Minn.; 2001)
Gary Carter (Fullerton, Calif.; 2003)
Eddie Murray (Los Angeles, Calif.; 2003)
Paul Molitor (Post 606, St. Paul, Minn.; 2004)
Ryne Sandberg (Spokane, Wash.; 2005)
Wade Boggs (Tampa, Fla.; 2005)
Bruce Sutter (Mount Joy, Pa.; 2006)
Tony Gwynn (Post 27, Long Beach, Calif.; 2007)
Dick Williams (Pasadena, Calif.; 2008)
Joe Gordon (Portland, Ore.; 2009)
Jim Rice (Anderson, S.C.; 2009)
Whitey Herzog (New Athens, Ill.; 2010)
Doug Harvey (San Diego, Calif.; 2010)
Roberto Alomar (Post Salinas, Puerto Rico; 2011)
Bert Blyleven (Garden Grove, Calif.; 2011)
Pat Gillick (Chico, Calif.; 2011)
Ron Santo (Seattle, Wash.; 2012)
Barry Larkin (Cincinnati, Ohio; 2012)
Bobby Cox (Selma, Calif.; 2014)
Tom Glavine (Billerica, Mass.; 2014)
Tony LaRussa (West Tampa, Fla.; 2014)
Greg Maddux (Post 8, Las Vegas, Nev.; 2014)
Joe Torre (Brooklyn, N.Y.; 2014)
Mike Piazza (Phoenixville, Pa.; 2016)
Jeff Bagwell (Post 75, Middletown, Conn.; 2017)
Tim Raines (Post 53, Sanford, Fla.; 2017)
Iván Rodríguez (Post Vega Baja, Puerto Rico; 2017)
John Schuerholz (Baltimore, Md.; 2017)
Trevor Hoffman (Anaheim, Calif.; 2018)
Chipper Jones (Post 6, Deland, Fla.; 2018)
Jack Morris (Christie de Parcq-St. Paul, Minn.; 2018)
Jim Thome (Post 979, Bartonville, Ill.; 2018)
Alan Trammell (San Diego, Calif.; 2018)
Harold Baines (Post 60, Talbot, Md.; 2019)
Roy Halladay (Post 178, Lakewood, Colo.; 2019)
Mike Mussina (Post 104, Montoursville, Pa.; 2019)
Lee Smith (Natchitoches, La.; 2019)
Ted Simmons (Southfield, Mich.; 2020)
Gil Hodges (Post 25, Princeton, Ind.; 2022)
Fred McGriff (Post 248, Tampa, Fla.; 2023)
Scott Rolen (Post 147, Jasper, Ind.; 2023)
Jim Leyland (Post 183, Pemberville, Ohio; 2024)
Joe Mauer (Post 606, St. Paul, Minn.; 2024)
Dick Allen (Post 749, Wampum, Pa.; 2025)
CC Sabathia (Post 550, Vallejo, Calif.; 2025)
Jeff Kent (Bellflower, Calif.; 2026)
- Baseball