For nearly a decade Matt Kemp was one of the proud products of the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. He was selected by the club in the sixth round of the 2003 Draft, and worked his way through the Minor League ranks to stardom.
During nine seasons with the Dodgers, Kemp was a two-time All-Star and in a controversial vote finished second for the 2011 National League MVP Award. However, injuries derailed his career and the Dodgers traded Kemp to the San Diego Padres after the 2014 season.
The former MVP candidate was part of a disappointing Padres team for one and a half seasons, and on Saturday was traded to the Atlanta Braves for Hector Olivera — another player with ties to the Dodgers organization.
Despite the Braves owning the worst record in baseball at 37-68, Kemp appears reenergized with the change of scenery. According to Mark Bowman of MLB.com, the outfielder views Atlanta in a much different light than Los Angeles and San Diego:
Matt Kemp: "I've never really played in a baseball town before. So, I am excited about that."
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) August 2, 2016
The question that Kemp raises is, why is Atlanta a baseball town and Los Angeles not? The Dodgers currently lead baseball in attendance, something they have done every year since 2013.
On the other hand, the Braves currently rank 25th in attendance. They ranked 24th in attendance last season, 18th in 2014 and 13th in 2013. Atlanta faced the Dodgers in the 2013 NL Division Series and Turner Field had plenty of empty seats in each of the two games it hosted.
As for the Padres, they currently rank 16th in attendance after finishing 17th last year.
