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Tony Kemp

Tony Kemp Announces Retirement

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Veteran infielder/outfielder Tony Kemp has announced his retirement via social media (X link, Instagram link).

“After 12 years of professional baseball and nine seasons in the big leagues, I’ve decided to hang up the spikes,” Kemp wrote. In a lengthy farewell, he went on to thank his parents, his wife, his brother, Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin, all of the organizations for which he suited up in the majors (Astros, Cubs, A’s, Orioles) and all of the training staffs who incredibly helped him avoid spending even one day of his career on the injured list. The 5’6″ Kemp also offered a heartfelt message for “undersized” ballplayers everywhere:

“To the undersized ballplayer: I see you, I hear you, and I understand you. With all of the metrics and data in the game of baseball today, there is still one measurement they can’t compute: your heart. Continue to play the game the right way and respect it. The game will reward you, I promise. Leave no doubt and give everything you have like someone is watching you play baseball for the first time. I’m rooting for you all.”

Kemp, 33, was the Astros’ fifth-round pick out of Vanderbilt back in 2013. He was in the big leagues three years later, appearing in 59 games and hitting .217/.296/.325 in a small sample of 136 plate appearances. Kemp received a fleeting cup of coffee with the 2017 Astros (39 plate appearances) but landed his first real look in the majors in 2018. He totaled 97 games and 295 plate appearances for Houston that year and delivered a nice .263/.351/.392 batting line (110 wRC+) with a strong 10.8% walk rate against a tiny 14.9% strikeout rate.

The following season, Kemp turned in a decent performance through 66 games with Houston before being flipped to the Cubs in a deadline deal that brought catcher Martin Maldonado to the Astros. He struggled in a short 44-game tenure with the Cubs, who traded him to the A’s in an offseason deal netting them first baseman Alfonso Rivas III.

It proved to be a terrific move by the Athletics. Kemp delivered the best work of his career in green and gold, spending four seasons with the A’s and playing quite well for the first three. From 2020-22, he posted a .252/.341/.361 slash (105 wRC+) with savvy baserunning and quality defense at both second base and in left field. Kemp never hit for much power, but during that three-year peak with the A’s he drew walks at a 10.5% clip and flashed continually plus bat-to-ball skills, fanning in only 12.5% of his plate appearances.

The 2023 season was a tough one, as Kemp hit just .209/.303/.304 in 417 turns at the plate. Oakland cut him loose that offseason. Kemp went on to sign minor league deals with the Reds, Orioles and Twins. He briefly appeared in the majors with Baltimore last season, getting into five games but going hitless in 10 plate appearances.

Kemp spent a dozen years in pro ball, saw MLB time in nine seasons with four teams, and will retire with a .237/.324/.351 batting line in 739 MLB games and 2247 plate appearances. He picked up more than six years of big league service and, per Baseball-Reference, secured more than $8.5MM in career earnings (in addition to his $250K signing bonus out of the draft). Kemp was a popular teammate and a fan favorite based on his self-described “grinder mentality” on the diamond. Congrats to Tony on a successful career, and best wishes in whatever steps lie ahead.

Reds Release Tony Kemp

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The Reds have released Tony Kemp from his minor league contract with the team, according to Kemp’s MLB.com profile page.  Kemp signed with Cincinnati in July but didn’t receive a call-up to the majors during his latest stint in the organization.

After playing with the Athletics from 2020-23, Kemp has bounced around the league since becoming a free agent last fall.  He previously signed another minors deal with the Reds back in February, but was released late in Spring Training camp and then caught on with the Orioles on a big league contract.  He was designated for assignment and outrighted by the O’s in April, and Kemp elected free agency again and caught on with the Twins on a minors contract, before opting out and returning once more to the Reds.  Throughout all of these moves, Kemp has appeared in just five MLB games this year, all with Baltimore.

The 32-year-old has hit .262/.350/.406 slash line over 326 combined Triple-A plate appearances this season, delivering decent production but not enough to compel the Twins or Reds to select his contract to the Show.  With Cincinnati’s Triple-A affiliate in particular, Kemp was hitting a more modest .237/.338/.364 in 139 PA.  Kemp has become strictly a second baseman and left fielder during his last couple of years in Oakland, but he has seen a bit of time as a center fielder and right fielder at the Triple-A level this year.

Kemp will still be eligible for postseason play if he signs with a new team before tomorrow, though his 2024 production makes him a depth candidate at best for any playoff contenders.  Some clubs could certainly still be interested in bringing Kemp aboard to provide some extra backup at second base or left field, plus Kemp is a well-respected veteran whose presence could fit in many clubhouses.  The Orioles’ deal with Kemp came with a guaranteed $1MM salary, so Baltimore is still responsible for the majority of owed salary, as a new team would owe Kemp just the prorated portion of a MLB minimum salary for any time spent on an active roster.

Reds Sign Tony Kemp To Minor League Contract

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The Reds brought back Tony Kemp on a minor league contract. The move was announced by Cincinnati’s Triple-A team in Louisville, where the second baseman/left fielder has been assigned.

It’s the second time this year that Kemp has signed a non-roster deal with the Reds. He first joined the organization in February. The Vanderbilt product played in eight Spring Training games with Cincinnati. He didn’t make the team and was granted his release. A week later, Kemp signed a big league deal with the Orioles that guaranteed him $1MM.

The veteran’s stay in Baltimore was fairly brief. Kemp appeared in five games before being designated for assignment in tandem with Jackson Holliday’s first big league call. Kemp inked a minor league deal with the Twins after being released by Baltimore. He appeared in 46 games for Minnesota’s Triple-A team, hitting .279/.358/.436 while striking out just 12.8% of the time. Kemp opted out of that contract last week and returned to free agency.

Cincinnati still doesn’t have a path to playing time at second base. Jonathan India went on a tear in June to reestablish himself as David Bell’s leadoff hitter. India was scratched from tonight’s starting lineup with a left knee contusion (h/t to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer), but there’s nothing to suggest that’s more than a day-to-day concern.

Barring an injury to India, Kemp’s better path to playing time is probably in left field. The Reds are shorthanded in the outfield at the moment. Jake Fraley is away from the team attending to a family matter. TJ Friedl, Nick Martini and Stuart Fairchild are all on the injured list. Kemp has more than 2100 innings of second base and left field experience at the MLB level. If the Reds were to call him up, they’d only be responsible for the prorated portion of the $740K minimum salary for any time he spends in the majors. The Orioles remain on the hook for the rest of his salary.

Tony Kemp Opts Out Of Minor League Deal With Twins

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Veteran infielder/outfielder Tony Kemp had a July 1 opt-out date in his minor league deal and exercised it. He has been released and is now a free agent. The news was reported on X by Bobby Nightengale of the Star Tribune and Darren Wolfson of SKOR North.

Kemp, 32, spent the previous four seasons with the Athletics but has been a nomad this year. He signed a minor league deal with the Reds in February but didn’t make that club’s Opening Day roster, allowing him to opt out and land on the major league roster of the Orioles. But he struggles in just five games with the O’s before being cut loose, which led to his minor league deal with the Twins.

In 46 games with Triple-A St. Paul, Kemp has stepped to the plate 187 times and has been in decent form. He has drawn walks 9.6% of the time while limiting strikeouts to a 12.8% clip. He currently sports a line of .279/.358/.436, which translates to a wRC+ of 106. He’s been especially locked in lately, having hit .346/.388/.539 in 20 games in the month of June. He had another opt-out a month ago but skipped that one before going on his recent hot streak.

Kemp has mostly played second base and left field in his career, but there’s not a ton of room for the Twins to fit him in. Willi Castro has been getting most of the playing time at the keystone and is having a great year. Trevor Larnach is playing well in left while Austin Martin has solid numbers backing up both spots. They also have Kyle Farmer around as a glove-first infielder the bench while Edouard Julien and Yunior Severino are infielders on optional assignment with Matt Wallner alongside them for corner outfield depth. Shortstop prospect Brooks Lee is also crushing the ball in Triple-A but may end up moved to second or third base in deference to Carlos Correa. Meanwhile, Royce Lewis and Jose Miranda have been sharing third base and the designated hitter slot lately, both hitting well.

With that crowded position player mix, Kemp couldn’t get a roster spot but will try elsewhere. He’ll be able to pitch himself to the 30 clubs with his strong run of play this year as well as his track record. He slashed .252/.341/.361 with the A’s from 2020 to 2022, production that translates to a 105 wRC+. He also stole 22 bases while moving between the infield and outfield as needed. Unfortunately, his line dipped to .209/.303/.304 in 2023, which has left him scrambling to find a regular gig this year.

He’ll head out to the open market to see what kind of opportunities await him. Even if he can’t immediately secure a major league gig, he could perhaps find minor league offers from clubs with better paths to playing time than he had with the Twins. Furthermore, roster shakeup around the league is inevitable in the weeks to come with the trade deadline coming up on July 30.

Seven Veterans With Opt-Out Opportunities This Weekend

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As part of the 2022 collective bargaining agreement, MLB and the Players Association agreed to a few automatic opt-out dates for some veteran players on minor league contracts. Article XX(B) free agents — generally, players with over six years of MLB service who finished the preceding season on a big league roster — who sign minor league contracts more than ten days before Opening Day receive three uniform chances to retest free agency if they’re not promoted.

The first comes five days before the start of the season. For players who pass on that initial opt-out, they have additional windows to explore the open market on both May 1 and June 1 if they’ve yet to secure a spot on the 40-man roster. There were 31 players who initially had that option in Spring Training.

Eleven of them — Carlos Carrasco, Garrett Cooper, Chase Anderson, Dominic Leone, Eddie Rosario, Jesse Winker, Kevin Pillar, Jesse Chavez, Brad Keller, Curt Casali and José Ureña — are currently on MLB rosters. Joely Rodríguez, Tyler Duffey, Matt Barnes and Drew Pomeranz made it to the big leagues but were subsequently removed from the 40-man roster; Barnes and Pomeranz are free agents.

Bryan Shaw, Matt Duffy and Carl Edwards Jr. are on new minor league deals after opting out in Spring Training. Six others — Elvis Andrus, Eduardo Escobar, Mike Moustakas, C.J. Cron, Jake Odorizzi and Kolten Wong — are free agents after being released.

That left seven players with opt-out chances on May 1. While none of them took that immediately, David Peralta opted out of his deal with the Cubs on May 13. He inked a minor league contract with the Padres a few days later and was added to the MLB roster on May 22. Let’s check in on the six remaining players who can retest free agency tomorrow — plus one player whose deal contains a contractual opt-out provision.

Marisnick has had a tough time staying healthy in 2024. The glove-first outfielder has only played in 12 games with the Angels’ top affiliate in Salt Lake. He hasn’t hit in a limited sample, going 5-32 with 14 strikeouts and one walk. Marinsick was out of action between mid-April and the second week of May. He appeared in seven contests before going back on the injured list on May 25. He’s probably best served staying with the Halos, who are without Mike Trout and leaning on Mickey Moniak as their primary center fielder. Moniak is hitting .175/.214/.250 over 126 plate appearances.

Votto’s homecoming has been held up by a Spring Training ankle injury. The former MVP has yet to play in a minor league game. There’s no reason to expect the Toronto native will opt out. Neither Justin Turner nor Daniel Vogelbach is hitting well for the Jays, so there could be an opportunity for Votto once he’s healthy. Vogelbach, as a left-handed hitting DH, is the most direct competition. He has a .167/.273/.292 slash and has only started 13 of the team’s 55 games.

Choi, a lefty-hitting first baseman, was on the injured list for his prior opt-out chance. He’s healthy now, returning to Triple-A Syracuse on May 14. Choi hasn’t gotten into any kind of rhythm offensively, though. The 33-year-old had a .189/.319/.378 slash before hitting the IL. He owns a .171/.268/.286 mark in the 10 games since his return. Choi isn’t hitting well enough to merit a major league opportunity, though he could look for a different minor league contract with Pete Alonso, J.D. Martinez and Mark Vientos firmly above him on the first base/DH depth chart.

Greene pitched in six games for Triple-A Round Rock in April. He allowed 15 runs in eight innings and was placed on the injured list. The Express transferred the veteran righty to the full-season IL two weeks ago, ruling him out for the year.

Neither Fulmer nor Pérez has played this season. Fulmer will miss the entire year after undergoing elbow surgery last fall. His contract is a two-year deal; he almost certainly won’t opt out.

Pérez missed most of 2023 after undergoing a rotator cuff repair on his right shoulder. He played in seven games this spring but has spent the regular season on the minor league IL with an undisclosed injury. The Sox have gotten strong play from their catching tandem of Connor Wong and Reese McGuire. Perhaps Pérez feels there’s a better path to playing time if he signs a minor league deal with another team, but it seems likelier he’ll stick in the organization.

Kemp is not one of the aforementioned Article XX(b) players. He’s playing on a minor league deal that he signed in mid-April with the Twins. Darren Wolfson of SKOR North reported (on X) earliest this month that Kemp’s contract contains a June 1 opt-out date. The left-handed hitting second baseman/left fielder has struggled for Triple-A St. Paul, batting .193/.316/.325 with three homers across 98 plate appearances.

That’s mostly attributable to poor ball in play results. Kemp has shown his typically strong plate discipline, walking 13 times against 17 strikeouts. He has been plagued by a .206 average on balls in play. Kemp was briefly on the Orioles’ big league roster in April and has appeared in parts of nine MLB seasons overall. He hit .209/.303/.404 in 124 games with the A’s a season ago.

Twins, Tony Kemp Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Twins are bringing veteran second baseman/left fielder Tony Kemp aboard on a minor league contract, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The Ballengee Group client will presumably head to Triple-A St. Paul to begin his tenure with the organization.

Kemp, 32, began the season with the Orioles but was designated for assignment when Baltimore called up No. 1 overall prospect Jackson Holliday. He went unclaimed on waivers and rejected an outright assignment in favor of free agency. He’ll now join up with a Minnesota club that has seen its infield depth immediately thinned out by injuries.

Minnesota lost star third baseman Royce Lewis to a quad strain in the first game of the season, and shortstop Carlos Correa recently hit the injured list with an oblique strain. That’s pushed utilitymen Willi Castro and Kyle Farmer into more regular roles. Former top prospect Austin Martin has gotten some time on the infield dirt as well, but he’s also being used in the outfield with Max Kepler currently on the injured list due to a knee contusion suffered when fouling a ball into his leg. Jose Miranda, another former top prospect who had a strong debut showing in 2022 before seeing his 2023 campaign ruined by shoulder surgery, is also back in the corner infield mix at the big league level.

While Kemp’s 2023 season was one he’d like to forget — he hit just .209/.303/.304 in 419 plate appearances with Oakland — he was a solid contributor for the A’s from 2020-22. In that time, he hit .252/.341/.361 while playing both second base and left field. Kemp is a career .237/.324/.351 hitter who’s walked in 10.1% of his plate appearances and fanned at just a 13.3% clip. That latter number could hold particular appeal to a Twins club that has been allergic to contact both this year and last. Dating back to 2023, no team in baseball has a higher strikeout rate than Minnesota’s woeful 26.7% clip.

Tony Kemp Elects Free Agency

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Veteran infielder/outfielder Tony Kemp has elected to become a free agent after clearing outright waivers, the Orioles announced.  Kemp was designated for assignment earlier this week, and he has enough MLB service time to request a return to the open market rather than accept an outright assignment to Triple-A.

Kemp could now be joining his third team in less than two months.  The Reds inked Kemp to a minor league deal in February but then released him on March 19, so the 32-year-old a bit of an early start ahead of the wave of players cut loose at the end of spring camps.  The Orioles ended up signing Kemp to a guaranteed deal worth $1MM, making for a decent payday for what ended up as five games for Kemp in a Baltimore uniform.  A new team that signs Kemp would only owe him the prorated minimum salary for his time on a big league roster, while the O’s are on the hook for whatever remains of the $1MM.

Apart from two innings at shortstop, Kemp has played exclusively as a second baseman and left fielder over the last five seasons.  Kemp has hit .238/.329/.342 over 1498 plate appearances in that same span, though even that modest production is largely carried by a solid 2021 campaign.  Since Opening Day 2022, Kemp has hit only .222/.304/.318 in 987 PA with the Athletics and Orioles.

Despite this lack of recent production, Kemp’s versatility, left-handed bat, and reputation as a clubhouse leader earned him some attention from multiple teams this past offseason, so it seems likely that he’ll land elsewhere in pretty short order.  Speculatively speaking, a return to Cincinnati might make sense, given how the Reds’ once-vaunted position-player depth has continued to take hits since Kemp was released.

Orioles Designate Tony Kemp For Assignment

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The Orioles announced this morning that veteran infielder/outfielder Tony Kemp has been designated for assignment. His spot on the roster will go to the game’s No. 1 overall prospect, Jackson Holliday, whose previously reported promotion to the majors has now been officially announced by the team.

The veteran Kemp only signed with the O’s two weeks ago. He spent spring training with the Reds but was granted his release after he didn’t make the roster. He signed a big league deal with Baltimore on March 26 but went 0-for-10 with a walk and a strikeout in his limited time on Baltimore’s roster.

From 2020-22, the now-32-year-old Kemp was a solid contributor with the A’s. He split time between second base and left field, turning in a .252/.341/.361 slash (105 wRC+). Kemp lacks power but has superlative contact skills and keen plate discipline, evidenced by 12.5% strikeout rate and 10.5% walk rate during that three-year stretch (and by his career 10.1% walk rate and 13.3% strikeout rate).

The 2023 season was one of Kemp’s worst since debuting with the Astros back in 2016, however. He played 124 games with the A’s and picked up 419 plate appearances but mustered only a .209/.303/.304 slash (77 wRC+). Kemp struck out in a career-low 9.5% of his plate appearances and swiped a career-high 15 bases (in 19 attempts), but those silver linings don’t outweigh his broader-reaching struggles at the dish.

In 2247 career plate appearances at the MLB level, Kemp is a .237/.324/.351 hitter. He’s drawn roughly average defensive grades in left field and has typically been an average or better defender at second base, though metrics like Defensive Runs Saved (-9) and Outs Above Average (0) were down on his glovework in last year’s sample of 410 innings at the position.

The Orioles will have a week to trade Kemp, place him on outright waivers or release him. For veterans of this status, a release is most common, though it’s possible a team in need of some infield depth could look at the affordable nature of Kemp’s $1MM contract with the O’s and work out a small trade (likely for cash).

Orioles Sign Tony Kemp, Designate Nick Maton

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The Orioles announced that they have signed infielder/outfielder Tony Kemp to a major league contract, with infielder/outfielder Nick Maton designated for assignment in a corresponding move. Kemp will make a salary of $1MM, per Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner, a bit north of this year’s $740K league minimum.

Kemp, 32, is coming off a decent stretch with the A’s over the past four years. His 11.7% strikeout rate was quite low and he drew walks at a solid 10.5% clip. He didn’t provide much thump when putting the bat on the ball, as he hit just 20 home run in his 1,488 plate appearances in that time. But his .240/.330/.345 batting line was still close to average, translating to a 97 wRC+.

Unfortunately, the most recent season of those four was the worst, as he hit just .209/.303/.304 in 2023. He settled for a minor league deal with the Reds this winter and had a nice spring, slashing .333/.391/.619, though in a tiny sample of 23 plate appearances. Despite that good form, he wasn’t going to make the roster of a Reds club that has a fairly crowded position player mix, so he returned to the open market. He had an opt-out on his minor league deal and he either triggered it or the Reds simply let him go to explore other opportunities.

The Orioles are also loaded with position player talent but will find a way to squeeze Kemp in somehow. They seem to have opted to get some of their talented youngsters more playing time at the Triple-A level, with guys like Jackson Holliday, Coby Mayo, Kyle Stowers and Heston Kjerstad all being optioned or reassigned last week.

While those guys are getting regular playing time on the farm, Kemp will take on a multi-positional bench role with the major league club. He’s not really an option at shortstop, with just two career innings there, but he has plenty of experience at second base and left field.

Kemp has fairly neutral platoon splits in his career, 100 wRC+ versus lefties and 93 against righties, but Ramón Urías and Jordan Westburg are both right-handed. Since Urías and Westburg will likely be covering second and third base in some combination, Kemp can provide a lefty-swinging complement. Left fielder Austin Hays and first baseman/designated hitter Ryan Mountcastle are also right-handed, which perhaps provides another path for Kemp to factor into the club’s plans.

He also had double-digit stolen bases in each of the past two years, which could allow him to serve as a pinch-runner at times. His left field defense has been considered around league average though the metrics are split on his work at the keystone, with seven Outs Above Average but -17 Defensive Runs Saved.

The O’s were seemingly deciding between Tyler Nevin and Nick Maton for a bench/utility role, as both are out of options and were acquired from the Tigers in separate cash deals this offseason. Nevin hit .333/.367/.474 this spring while Maton hit just .000/.207/.000.

That poor performance has seemingly cost Maton his roster spot. The O’s will now have a week to trade him or try to pass him through waivers. He has struggled in the majors, with a .208/.306/.361 batting line thus far, but he’s naturally been better in the minors. He’s hit .274/.383/.440 on the farm over the past two years for a 118 wRC+ while spending time at all four infield positions and the outfield corners.

That could lead to him finding some interest from other clubs, but since he’s out of options and the season is about to begin, he might get squeezed by the fact that many clubs are making tough roster cuts right now. If he were to pass through waivers unclaimed, he would stick with the O’s as non-roster depth.

What remains to be seen is exactly how Baltimore will structure its bench before Opening Day. James McCann will have one spot as a backup catcher, with Kemp and Jorge Mateo serving as infield/outfield pieces. That leaves just one spot for Nevin or Colton Cowser, the latter of whom is still optionable.

Reds Release Tony Kemp

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The Reds have released infielder/outfielder Tony Kemp, per his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He had previously signed a minor league deal with the club and that pact allowed him to opt out if not on the roster by March 23. The Reds announced yesterday that he had been reassigned to minor league camp.

Whether he triggered his opt-out or the club proactively let him go to find his next club, the end result is the same. Kemp is now a free agent again and will look around to find his next gig.

The Reds have a fairly crowded position player mix, even though infielder Noelvi Marté was recently hit with an 80-game PED suspension and outfielder TJ Friedl is set to miss extended time due to a wrist fracture. They still have Jeimer Candelario, Elly De La Cruz, Matt McLain and Christian Encarnacion-Strand to take regular infield roles, as Spencer Steer, Jake Fraley and Will Benson could be taking the outfield playing time. Jonathan India could be moving between the infield and outfield while all that group rotates through the designated hitter spot. Players like Stuart Fairchild and Nick Martini are on the roster and could take on bench/depth roles.

With all of those options on hand, a couple of veterans on minor league deals have been squeezed out. Another veteran utility guy, Josh Harrison, opted out of his minor league deal yesterday after being informed he wouldn’t be making the club. Both he and Kemp will be hoping to find new clubs in the coming days, presumably ones with cleaner paths to playing time.

Kemp, 32, had a solid run with the Athletics over the past four years. He limited his strikeouts to a very low rate of 11.7% while also drawing walks at a healthy 10.5% clip. He didn’t do too much damage, hitting just 20 home runs in 1,488 plate appearances, but his contact approach led to a .240/.330/.345 batting line and 97 wRC+.

Unfortunately, his most recent season was the weakest of those four, as he hit just .209/.303/.304 last year for a 77 wRC+. But he still proved useful in other ways, stealing 15 bases while splitting his time between second base and left field. His glovework has been considered around average in left with the metrics split on his defense at the keystone. He has eight Outs Above Average as a second baseman in his career but -17 Defensive Runs Saved.

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