Kemp gives Braves a true slugger

Matt Kemp had a phenomenal season in 2011. The 26-year-old hit .324 with a .399 on-base percentage and a NL-leading 39 home runs and 126 RBI.

Baseball had its next star, and the expectations soared. Then the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Kemp to an eight-year, $160 million contract. Big money will always make fans expect even more.

Kemp’s numbers then slumped a bit the next three seasons, but it was not like he was horrible. His batting average from 2012-2014 was .288, and Kemp’s OBP was .349. He was hurt in 2013, but in 2012 he hit 23 home runs and had 25 homers in 2014.

There was talk Kemp was living the high-life as a young, rich star in Hollywood. He dated celebrities and was frequently in star magazines. Then the Dodgers traded him to the San Diego Padres.

Somewhere along the way, Kemp’s reputation got worse. Some said he didn’t work hard, some believed he kicked it into neutral after getting the big deal. The Padres decided last summer they didn’t want him.

Well, the Atlanta Braves did. They wanted more to rid themselves of the contract and headache of Hector Olivera, the outfielder they acquired from the Dodgers a year earlier. So, they convinced the Padres to take Olivera in exchange for Kemp’s big contract.

Who knew what the Braves believed they were getting when the deal was made, but Kemp could not have made a better impression. He wrote a letter to Braves fans saying he was all-in, ready to return to the status he had in 2011. Kemp grew up a Braves fan in Oklahoma, and the deal was a dream come true for him.

Kemp was great for the Braves. He hit .280 in 56 games, with a .336 OBP, 12 home runs, 15 doubles and 39 RBI in 214 at-bats. The Braves even believed Kemp did that while not being in the best of shape, so they asked him to work out even more this offseason.

Kemp came to camp in great condition, and the Braves feel they have a great power hitter, a slugger, for the middle of the lineup.

What’s weird is that with all the negative talk about how Kemp has not been the player he was in 2011, he has still been productive. It’s not like this player was B.J. (Melvin) Upton, who signed a huge deal with the Braves four years ago and couldn’t hit .200.

Kemp produced 35 home runs and 108 RBI last season between his time in San Diego and Atlanta. In 2015, Kemp had 23 home runs and 100 RBI. Even in his final season in Los Angeles, Kemp had 25 home runs, 38 doubles, 89 RBI, a .287 batting average and a .346 OBP.

He doesn’t have the speed he once had, but Kemp’s not in Atlanta to steal bases. The Braves need him to be a slugger. Kemp will bat after Ender Inciarte, Dansby Swanson and Freddie Freeman set up the lineup and before Nick Markakis.

If Kemp can hit 25-30 home runs, drive in near 100 runs and have a respectable batting average and OBP, the Braves’ lineup will be in good shape. With the rebuilding plan going on, the Braves really didn’t have a slugger. Kemp gives them one.

Who knows why Kemp’s reputation took such a hit over the last few years. Maybe it was Hollywood. It just seems overblown compared to a player like Upton, who has hit a whopping .218 since signing a five-year, $75 million deal before the 2013 season.

Kemp is not Upton. He has actually been productive, a threat in the lineup, even as Kemp has not copied his numbers from 2011.

The Braves were 31-25 after Kemp was acquired last summer. Now they’ll have him for the full season, which should mean a lot for the lineup. After a few years of seemingly being unwanted, his favorite team has finally given Kemp a home.

This story was originally published March 11, 2017 at 5:12 PM with the headline "Kemp gives Braves a true slugger."