Robbed of a National League MVP Award during his first stint with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Matt Kemp has put an early case together to earn some hardware this season. When the Dodgers traded for Kemp during the offseason, the expectation was they would quickly look to move him.
Granted, that didn’t figure to be an easy proposition, given his age and large contract. However, conventional wisdom held the Dodgers would release the 33-year-old if push came to shove.
Kemp shockingly reported to Spring Training with the club, earned a starting job in left field, and has provided stability in a lineup that’s seen its share of struggles. Kemp’s presence has been all the more imperative considering Justin Turner missed the first six weeks of the season.
On Wednesday, Kemp went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI to lead the Dodgers to an 8-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. He enters the series finale as the NL batting leader with a .350 average.
While it’s a notable accomplishment, the impressive showing and personal accolades aren’t of interest to Kemp, per Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
“I don’t care,” said Kemp. “We got a long ways to go. I’m just trying to help us get wins, I promise you. Whatever other good things happen, that’s what it is. I’m not even worried about that.”
“Those things are always fun, but it’s more for the family and friends and all that,” he said. “Honestly, all I care about is us getting to the playoffs and winning a championship. My expectations, my plan every year, is to drive in runs and make things happen for the team. All the other things are icing on the cake.”
Cincinnati Reds second baseman Scooter Gennett trails Kemp by percentage points at a .343 batting average. The Dodgers’ last batting champion was Tommy Davis, who held the title in consecutive seasons (1962-63).
Turner flirted with ending the drought last season but was done in by a stint on the disabled list. Along with his current standing among all NL batters, Kemp is one off from tying Yasmani Grandal for the team lead in home runs, but has the most RBI (30) and total hits (58), and highest on-base percentage (.372) and on-base plus slugging (.926).
Kemp is one of eight Dodgers who will appear on the initial ballot when MLB All-Star Game voting opens Friday morning. He last was named to the NL All-Star team in 2012, as a member of the Dodgers.
As part of our efforts to help you understand how we handle the personal information you share with us, and in preparation for the new European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we’ve updated our Privacy & Cookies Policy. The updated Privacy & Cookies Policy will take effect on May 22, 2018. By using our services on or after that date, you’ll be agreeing to our updated Privacy & Cookies Policy. We recommend that you read our updated Privacy & Cookies Policy in full.
