COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. (WKTV) - Jeff Kent made his first trip to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown this past weekend for the inaugural Baseball Hall of Fame Classic.

It's hard to imagine it will be his last trip.

Kent, who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball, retired after last season as the most offensively prolific second baseman in history.  His 377 home runs include 351 as second baseman, the most ever and 74 more than the next player on the list, Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg.  Kent is also one of just 50 players all-time to drive in 1,500 runs or more (1,518), finished with a .290 batting average, a .500 slugging percentage and is tied for 20th all-time in doubles with 560.  He made five All-Star appearances and won the National League Most Valuable Player award in 2000 with San Francisco.

During his visit, Kent said he was never a historian of the game before and did not compare himself to previous generations during his career.  But seeing the Hall in person has given him a new perspective.

"I'm learning more about the intrigue, I guess, or the special-ness, the mystery of the Hall of Fame, and the classiness of these players that are in the Hall," Kent said with an excited sense of wonder.  "So, being able to say that I was one of the better players like they were one of the better players is special in and of itself, whether somebody votes for me or not."

Kent's first year of eligibility for induction is 2014.