Matt Kemp says farewell to baseball
05/05/2024 15:13
Matt Kemp last played in 2020, so this wasn't necessarily a surprise. But earlier this week, the former Dodgers All-Star outfielder said goodbye to baseball, in a post on Instagram.
"It's been long overdue, but I just wanted to say — from the bottom of my heart — Thank You.
"Thank you to my family, friends, teammates and coaches. Thank you for believing in me, supporting me and helping me realize a dream that started way back in little league in Midwest City, Oklahoma — the dream of one day playing my favorite game with the best players in the world in Major League Baseball.
"And last but not least… thank you to each and every fan who supported me along my journey. Thank you for cheering my name and showing me love over all these years.
"I couldn't be more excited about the next chapter. More to come!
The Dodgers drafted Kemp in the sixth round in 2003, and he reached the majors three years later at age 21, part of a slew of young talent that helped fuel the Dodgers first extended run of contention in two decades.
He won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger in both 2009and 2011, one of only two Dodgers to win both awards in the same season multiple times, along with Mookie Betts.
Kemp's breakout season was in 2011, when he hit 39 home runs, stole 40 bases, and hit .324/.399/.586. He was the best player in the National League that year but lost out in MVP voting to Ryan Braun.
Injuries took their toll soon after that, sidelined by multiplehamstringstrains and a shoulder surgery in his final three years with the Dodgers before he was traded to the Padres at a busy winter meetings in 2014, the first under Andrew Friedman in Los Angeles.
The Dodgers reacquired Kemp for the 2018 season in a trade that was more about the competitive balance tax than anything, but he nonetheless gave the team another All-Star season, his third. Kemp played in his only World Series that season, and homered in Game 1 at Fenway Park for the Dodgers' first run.
Kemp was linked to Betts in another way, albeit indirectly. In December 2018 Kemp was traded to the Reds in another CBT trade, with Kemp, Yasiel Puig, and Alex Wood going to the Reds in a seven-player deal that brought prospects Jeter Downs and Josiah Gray to Los Angeles. The Dodgers later used them in trades for Betts and Max Scherzer/Trea Turner.
Kemp in his 15 major league seasons hit .284/.337/.484 with 287 home runs, 1,031 RBI, and a 127 wRC+. He made threeAll-Star teams. Kemp's 127 OPS+ with the Dodgers is 13th-best among players with 3,000 plate appearances. His 203 home runs rank seventh in franchise history.
It was a hell of a run.
