They say that variety is the spice of life. First of all, who is this proverbial “they” that many keep referencing? I just need to know if they are above or below the Freemasons. Anyways, in my younger days, I would partake in a cornucopia of mental steroids. Smoking trees was often a favorite pastime. There was marijuana, hemp, and cannabinoids; similar but different. Within those groups flowed a spider web of subsections. Hemp, in particular, has three species of plant; sativa, indica, and ruderalis. There are different hemp plants for different functions; for fiber, grain/seed, and CBD. Digging deeper, the quality differs depending on a variety of factors which ultimately affects the overall experience. It’s no different in fantasy baseball. There are many paths to victory, different subsets of players to choose from, and quality is differentiated. The higher you pay, the more likely you ascertain the quality, which produces a positive experience. But what if you went binge-shopping at the grocery store while having munchies? The funds are low but you need PAs with some counting stats? As you push the cart out of the grocery store, you notice a man erected like the Tower of Pisa against the wall. He tilts his head towards you, blows out the smoke from the cigarette he just inhaled and asks, “How about some Tony Kemp?”
Kemp is 30 years old, 5-foot 6 inches, and 160 pounds. He was selected by the Astros in the fifth round of the 2013 MLB Draft. In 2019, he was traded to the Cubs then was shipped to Oakland the following season.
Throughout his minor league career, the walk rate was above 10% in every season but one and the strikeout rate has never eclipsed 20% in both the minors or majors. He often had a high-BABIP and the batting average climaxed at .358 with a floor of .255. He hit double-digit home runs only once but stole over 20 bases three times.
He’s played 463 games in the bigs and produced a slash of .248/.339/.377 with 23 homers, 158 runs, 111 RBI, and 27 stolen bases. The walk rate was 10.9%, strikeout rate was 14.9%, ISO was .129, and BABIP was .278. Yo, this Kemp kind of sucks.
With all the injuries the Athletics endured last season, Kemp played a lot; a career-high 131 games with 397 plate appearances. The slash was .279/383/.418 and he produced 8 home runs, 54 runs, 37 RBI, and 8 stolen bases. The walk rate was 13.1% and the strikeout rate was 12.8%. For most of the season, he batted towards the bottom of the order, but he started getting more opportunities batting leadoff or second and finished the year batting first in four of the last six games.
The sample sizes are relatively small but this is how he fared in different batting order slots last season:
| ORDER | PA | BB% | K% | AVG | wOBA | wRC+ |
| 1 | 79 | 10.1 | 13.9 | .323 | .383 | 149 |
| 2 | 46 | 6.5 | 15.2 | .250 | .315 | 103 |
| 7 | 54 | 5.6 | 9.3 | .300 | .336 | 117 |
| 8 | 93 | 12.9 | 7.5 | .272 | .345 | 123 |
| 9 | 100 | 21 | 18 | .270 | .375 | 144 |
That ain’t bad.
Now, our Great Leader, Grey, is not so fond of Tony Kemp:
“How did he hit eight homers last year? He weighs 108 pounds. That’s one-quarter stone for those overseas that weigh everything on a scale of what percentage someone weighs compared to Stone Phillips. I don’t get why the Brits weigh on the Stone Phillips scale, but far be it from me to judge. Have to think Tony Kemp, a 2-homer, 30-steal threat, going 8/8 has to be one of the weirder lines from last year. Almost as weird as everyone on the Giants. Must be something in the water in the Bay Area. Newsmax blames Nancy Pelosi. 2022 Projections: 71/6/32/.268/13 in 397 ABs”
I’m with Grey in that the home run prowess probably won’t be replicated but he could be a solid source of steals and runs scored. Grey has him down for 397 ABs. Rudy has him down for 505 PA. Steamer is at 530 PA. I’m going over 500 in the PA department because Kemp should be the everyday leadoff hitter this season. Remember when Mark Canha was leading off for Oakland last season? Good times. He’s now in New York so Kemp’s plate discipline and productivity should have him slotted there.
In NFBC drafts from 1/1/2022 to 2/23/2022, Kemp is being drafted as the 429th overall player. He’s the 41st second baseman.
Is the ceiling super high for Kemp? Niet. Will he win you a league? Probably not. That said, at his cost, he should pay off his draft price. Let’s not forget that he has outfield eligibility as well.
