Tony Kemp

31-Year-Old Second Baseman2B

Oakland Athletics

2023 Stats

AVG

.149

RBI

Rest-of-Season Projections

AVG

RBI

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2023 Fantasy Outlook

Of the 130 qualified hitters last year, Kemp ranked last in average exit velocity (84.4 mph), last in max exit velocity (103.2 mph) and last in hard hit rate (14.9%). With all that in mind, you might be surprised to learn that he finished with a passable 91 wRC+. That number serves as a reminder that his .235/.307/.334 slash line was partially the product of the offensive environment both leaguewide and at Oakland Coliseum. Still, that line didn't help many fantasy teams, especially when paired with a modest seven homers. Kemp makes plenty of contact, striking out just 12.4 percent of the time, but that contact is so weak that he can't be relied upon to boost your batting average. You might expect a diminutive utility man with his batted ball profile to be a speedy, slap-and-run type, but his sprint speed has been below 50th percentile for four straight seasons, and he's topped out at 11 steals. Kemp's contact rate and his path to playing time on a depleted Oakland squad give him a respectable floor, but few regulars will have a lower ceiling. Read Past Outlooks

RANKSFrom Preseason

#515

ADP

Overall

League Majors

Bats L

Throws R

40 Man Yes

Height 5'6"

Weight 160

DOB 10/31/1991

Born Franklin, TN

College Vanderbilt

Drafted 5th Rd 2013 HOU

Swipes third bag in loss

2BOakland Athletics

June 3, 2023

Kemp went 0-for-2 with a walk and a stolen base in a loss to the Marlins on Friday.

ANALYSIS
The veteran, back in the lineup after consecutive off days, was able to achieve at least a modicum of offensive success while operating out of the bottom of the order. Kemp's walk marked only his third time reaching safely in the last eight games (20 plate appearances), with all of those instances coming via a free pass.

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Batting Stats

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2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2023 MLB Game Log

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2022 MLB Game Log

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2021 MLB Game Log

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2020 MLB Game Log

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2019 MLB Game Log

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2018 MLB Game Log

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Minor League Game Log

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Batting Order Slot Breakdown

vs Right-Handed Pitchers

vs RHP

vs Left-Handed Pitchers

vs LHP

Left/Right Batting Splits

Since 2021

+3%

OPS vs LHP

2023

+91%

OPS vs LHP

2022

+9%

OPS vs RHP

2021

+11%

OPS vs RHP

	OPS	PA	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG
Since 2021vs Left	.680	206	24	3	19	5	.232	.369	.311
Since 2021vs Right	.663	919	100	13	75	17	.238	.314	.349
2023vs Left	.767	23	1	0	1	0	.250	.455	.313
2023vs Right	.402	147	8	1	10	3	.136	.212	.189
2022vs Left	.597	86	7	1	8	1	.219	.310	.288
2022vs Right	.649	472	54	6	38	10	.238	.307	.342
2021vs Left	.735	97	16	2	10	4	.240	.402	.333
2021vs Right	.818	300	38	6	27	4	.290	.375	.443
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Home/Away Batting Splits

Since 2021

+7%

OPS on Road

2023

+40%

OPS on Road

2022

+4%

OPS at Home

2021

+15%

OPS on Road

	OPS	PA	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG
Since 2021Home	.642	549	60	6	45	9	.227	.319	.323
Since 2021Away	.690	576	64	10	49	13	.246	.329	.361
2023Home	.372	87	5	0	6	2	.122	.224	.149
2023Away	.522	83	4	1	5	1	.176	.265	.257
2022Home	.654	267	26	4	27	2	.227	.311	.343
2022Away	.630	291	35	3	19	9	.242	.304	.326
2021Home	.745	195	29	2	12	5	.274	.373	.372
2021Away	.854	202	25	6	25	3	.283	.390	.464
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Stat Review

How does Tony Kemp compare to other hitters?

This section compares his stats with all batting seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 400 plate appearances)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity and Barrels/PA % are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 400 PA) and Hard Hit Rate is benchmarked against last season's data (min 400 PA). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.

BB/K
Walk to strikeout ratio
BB Rate
The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a walk.
K Rate
The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a strikeout.
BABIP
Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many of a batter’s balls in play go for hits.
ISO
Isolated Power. Slugging percentage minus batting average. A computation used to measure a batter's raw power.
AVG
Batting average. Hits divided by at bats.
OBP
On Base Percentage. A measure of how often a batters reaches base. Roughly equal to number of times on base divided by plate appearances.
SLG
Slugging Percentage. A measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats.
OPS
On base plus slugging. THe sum of a batter's on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
wOBA
Weighted on-base average. Measures a player's overall offensive contributions per plate appearance. wOBA combines all the different aspects of hitting into one metric, weighting each of them in proportion to their actual run value.
Exit Velocity
The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
Hard Hit Rate
A measure of contact quality from Sports Info Solutions. This stat explains what percentage of batted balls were hit hard vs. medium or soft.
Barrels/PA
The percentage of plate appearances where a batter had a batted ball classified as a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
Expected BA
Expected Batting Average.
Expected SLG
Expected Slugging Percentage.
Sprint Speed
The speed of a runner from home to first, in feet per second.
Ground Ball %
The percentage of balls put in play that are on the ground.
Line Drive %
The percentage of balls put in play that are line drives.
Fly Ball %
The percentage of balls put in play that are fly balls.

BB/K

0.86

BB Rate

10.6%

K Rate

12.4%

BABIP

.165

ISO

.054

AVG

.149

OBP

.244

SLG

.203

OPS

.447

wOBA

.213

Exit Velocity

86.3 mph

Hard Hit Rate

20.8%

Barrels/PA

1.2%

Expected BA

.214

Expected SLG

.292

Sprint Speed

21.2 ft/sec

Ground Ball %

52.0%

Line Drive %

15.4%

Fly Ball %

32.5%

Advanced Batting Stats

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Additional Stats

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Defensive Stats

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Batted Ball Stats

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Stats Vs Upcoming Pitchers

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Athletics Depth Chart

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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Tony Kemp See More

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AL FAAB Factor: Waiver Pickups of the Week

48 days ago

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55 days ago

Erik Siegrist looks over a wave of top prospect promotions in the American League, including new Angels shortstop Zach Neto.

Past Fantasy Outlooks

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

Kemp set career highs in games played (130) and starts (90) last season, splitting time between second base and left field. Largely thanks to a 13.1% walk rate, the 30-year-old reached base at a sensational .382 clip. He displayed decent pop for a small player, tallying eight homers, 16 doubles and three triples. Kemp's production on the base baths, however, continued to leave a lot to be desired. He was thrown out twice while attempting to steal just 10 times in 2021, and he's still yet reach double-digit swipes in his six big-league seasons. While Kemp could very well find himself as Oakland's everyday second baseman heading into 2022, his lack of power and timidness on the bases severely limits his fantasy upside, even when considering his excellent on-base skills.

Kemp made 32 starts for the A's in 2020 (31 vs. RHP), but continues to play himself into a bench role as a late-inning pinch runner or defensive replacement. Simply put, the ability to hit for average and be a threat on the basepaths that he showcased throughout his minor-league career has not followed him to the majors. The 29-year-old has yet to reach even 900 PA in his career as his ascension to the majors began as the Astros' roster was getting good, and the move to Oakland led to just another crowded situation at his positions. Oakland recognizes his value and gave him a one-year deal at $1.05 million, which is not exactly a guarantee of a roster spot should something come up. Kemp is out of minor-league options. He has limited fantasy upside, even with an opportunity to play full-time.

Kemp was unable to carry forward his modest success from 2018 into the 2019 campaign. After hitting .263/.351/.392 the prior year, he managed just a .212/.291/.380 slash line on either side of a deadline-day trade to the Cubs. He also stole just four bases, down from nine the previous year, despite receiving only 16 fewer plate appearances. He could perhaps blame a .227 BABIP for some of his struggles, quite a low number given his speed, but a low BABIP is to be expected when you just don't hit the ball hard. Statcast gave Kemp an xBA of .207, the product of a 15.7% hard-hit rate, suggesting he got more or less exactly what he deserved. Kemp's ability to play both second base and all three outfield positions should keep him in his role as a spark plug off the bench following a January trade to the A's, but he's unlikely to do enough to help fantasy owners.

Kemp stepped up when the Astros needed him last season, providing an offensive spark to an injury-riddled lineup while playing all three outfield positions along with some time at the keystone. He began the season with Triple-A Fresno, earning a mid-May callup with a .335/.407/.435 slash line. Kemp remained with the Astros the rest of the season, appearing in 97 games with 294 trips to the dish. Sporting a meager .287 OBP in the majors before last season, Kemp got on base at a 35% clip in 2018. He took advantage with nine swipes in a dozen tries. While he can't play as many positions as Marwin Gonzalez did for Houston, Kemp's defensive flexibility should earn him a decent number of at-bats, though it will take an injury for him to see regular playing time. Kemp is a nice option in AL-only as he won't cost much and can provide some cheap speed with a smattering of pop.

In another universe, Kemp is probably gearing up for a shot at a regular role, but in this timeline he's merely a luxury for the talent-rich Astros. The 26-year-old has enjoyed a great deal of success in the minor leagues, posting wRC+ marks above 110 at every stop. His walk rate slid dramatically in his third go-around at Triple-A last season (to 6.3 percent), but he made up for it with a much-improved contact rate -- he struck out just 7.8 percent of the time -- and more power than ever before. He also reached 20 steals for the fourth time on the farm. Kemp once again failed to carry that success over to the highest level and in fact he struggled to a much greater extent than he did during his 2016 debut, but it's hard to read much of anything into that given how sporadic and limited his opportunities were. A trade would change Kemp's outlook considerably, but right now, he's a fifth outfielder.

A small, speedy second baseman in the Houston system is bound to draw comparisons to Jose Altuve. Let's be honest, that's unfair to both guys. It undersells just how excellent Altuve has been as a big leaguer and puts lofty expectations on Kemp based mostly on size. So, let's just focus on Kemp. He has posted a .304 average in the minors over 1,797 plate appearances, but more importantly a near 1.0 K/BB. His speed has been there in volume, but not efficiency -- 107 steals with a modest 70 percent success rate. His 20 percent strikeout rate was a lot (for him) in his MLB debut, but his six percent swinging strike rate suggests he was perhaps too passive while pitchers were attacking. This profile at peak might only hit .275, but with a .340-plus OBP which should offer ample opportunity to steal if he learns when to go. Unfortunately, he would need Altuve to suffer an injury in order to profile as more than a utility player if he remains with Houston.

Kemp is the type of player who often gets overlooked due to his size (5-foot-7, 165 pounds), but the Astros know more than any other organization that small second basemen can still be a factor at the big league level. With a profile that matches Jose Altuve nearly perfectly, the 24-year-old hit .308/.388/.386 in 121 games between Double-A Corpus Christi and Triple-A Fresno last season. With excellent plate discipline (169 walks to 179 strikeouts over three minor league seasons) and plus speed (35 steals last year), Kemp has advanced rapidly in the minors, but the Astros have a crowded infield and aren't in a rush to promote him to the bigs. Unless the team deals with injuries, he's likely to spend a full season at Triple-A Fresno.

In 72 games with High-A Lancaster, Kemp hit .336/.433/.468 with 19 doubles, four triples, four home runs, 37 RBI and 79 runs scored over 295 at-bats. His .433 OBP ranked first in the California League, which earned him a well-deserved promotion to Double-A Corpus Christi in late June. The 23-year-old second baseman was nearly as successful in the Texas League, hitting .292/.381/.425 in 59 games. What Kemp lacks in size (5-foot-6, 165 pounds) and power, he makes up for with plus speed (41 steals between the two levels) and an excellent batting eye (73 walks to 67 strikeouts). He's a prospect to keep an eye on in the Astros' system as he prepares for a likely promotion to Triple-A at some point in 2015.

More Fantasy News

Sitting in third straight

2BOakland Athletics

May 31, 2023

Kemp is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against Atlanta.