An experiment is a procedure carried out to support, refute, or validate a hypothesis. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when a particular factor is manipulated. Make no mistake, the Dodgers are going to carry out the Matt Kemp Experiment… and it is truly an “EXPERIMENT.” We did a few experiments in high school chemistry class, some of which caused violent explosions, but some were pretty cool.
I still hear and read that the Dodgers are trying to trade Matt Kemp. Recently, another blog had a piece called: “Getting a Team to Buy Into Kemp Remains the Best Scenario.” People who say that just don’t get the concept or understand the forces at work. Matt Kemp was traded by the Dodgers for financial and clubhouse reasons. Matt was not the best teammate at that time (I am being very kind) and when he went to SD and ATL he often moped, got fat… maybe he was depressed! But, he still was not a good player. Deep in his heart-of-hearts, Matt Kemp was a Dodger and part of his heart was left in LA, whether he would admit that or not.
Every GM in baseball knows and understands this: If they trade for Matt Kemp, they may very well get the fat, depressed version, not the one you are seeing today. Matt Kemp showed up to Spring Training 40 pounds lighter and a week early (as did almost the entire team – these guys are on a mission) with a cheery attitude. I believe he understands that this is his last best chance.
The Dodgers understand that they owe him $43 million dollars and NO TEAM is going to trade for him. NO TEAM! If you believe some GM will trade for Matt Kemp in light of what has happened and what is happening, then you surely also believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny! Matt Kemp will either make it big with the Dodgers or he will be released… and then some GM will take the risk… but not now. I doubt that any team will take on just $5 million of the $43 million he is owed.
Andrew Toles and Alex Verdugo are playing very well and they deserve a shot – they will get it, but not today. There is no platoon in LF. If Matt Kemp is healthy, he is the starting left fielder! PERIOD! Matt Kemp was once a superstar and he can be one again. Look, I have never been a Kemp fan, but I am a Dodger fan and Matt Kemp has the ability to still put up MVP-TYPE numbers in LF. He can, but will he? We are going to find out.
The Dodgers will not be able to trade Matt Kemp unless there is Christmas at Easter! He will either play or get released, so first they are going to let him get through Spring Training and then, they are going to let him play. It could be very, very good… or it could be bad, but this experiment is happening! Matt Kemp is a Dodger and is in the running for the NL MVP!
Maybe the wheels will fall off, and the laboratory will blow sky high, but the Matt Kemp Experiment is happening… like it or not. I have no idea how well Matt will do, but the Dodgers HAVE to find out. He could be a game changer. Barry Bonds won an MVP at age 40. Willie Stargell won an MVP at age 39. Mike Schmidt won one at age 37. Matt Kemp is 33 -it’s not that big of a stretch. What IF he is the NL MVP? Wouldn’t that be a hoot… and change everything? The experiment has to happen! It’s Risk vs. Reward. Right now, there is no risk… just reward, or cut him. It’s that simple. You need to understand that is reality!
Great article about Kemp HERE. Watch the Kemp interview with Kevin Millar.
Rants and Raves
- How do you keep Chase Utley over Jake Peter?
- This is a free preview of the 2020 LA Dodgers – Peters, Verdugo, Toles, Estevez, Smith, Diaz, Ruiz, Farmer – WOW!
- Buehler, Hill, Ryu, Cingrani and Jansen are all being slow-walked so that they can be fresh at the end. It’s by design.
- Too bad for Tom Kohler. I read on another blog that “FAZ was stupid for signing him.” What is stupid is signing a pitcher for $100 or $200 million – but $2 million? What are you thinking? Oh, yeah – you are not! Man, I don’t understand some people…
- Yimi Garcia, Tony Cingrani, Scott Alexander, JT Chargois, Pedro Baez, Ross Stripling, Brock Stewart, Adam Liberatore, Corey Copping, Wilmer Font, Justin DeFractus, Dylan Baker, Henry Owens and Pat Venditte are all in the mix for a couple of spots to be decided. Who knew about Brandon Morrow last season at this time (except AC)?
- Toles and Verdugo will likely go to OKC, but they will be back.
- How long before Keibert Ruiz takes over behind the dish? The clock is ticking!
Discussion (30)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Interesting article on our new favourite
–
https://dodgersway.com/2018/03/04/dodgers-spring-training-break-star-jake-peter/?utm_campaign=FanSided+Daily&utm_source=FanSided+Daily&utm_medium=email
I haven’t read anything yet, I am trying to find the correlation between Santa Claus, a pink Easter Bunny and the second coming of Matt Kemp all on my own…you know, without actually having to read any scripture.
Below is an article about J. T. Chargois by David Hood a well respected amateur and minor league talent evaluator in his own right. He epitomizes why many are looking forward to see what J. T. can do when he is healthy.
.
https://www.truebluela.com/2018/3/3/17073944/jt-chargois-2018-dodgers-prospectsway
.
Nice double by Will Smith as he takes a pitch high and away and takes it to right center.
Yasmani hitting that HR from the right side was nice to see, but even better was the fact that he went with the pitch, and took it to RF. I don’t ever remember seeing him do that from the right side.
The point is Kemp doesn’t have to have a MVP season to out produce, what we have gotten out of leftfield, in the last few years.
But think Kemp could easily do better, especially when it comes to power.
I don’t think it is to much of a stretch, to say Kemp could hit forty HRs, in a line up, like the Dodgers have.
He hit 35 HRs on teams that are not blessed with the line up, the Dodgers have.
And like I have already said, Kemp could provide great protection for Cody in the line up, and that is something we didn’t have last year.
And Kemp’s protection not only makes our line up much longer, it makes our line up more dangerous, and especially Cody, because Kemp will get Cody better pitches, to hit.
We have needed right hand power for some time, in fact, since Kemp left.
We all saw what JD Martinez did for the Dbacks, hitting in their line up, last year.
Everyone should look at Kemp’s numbers, the last time he was on the Dodgers, especially the second half of that season, when Kemp was just finally feeling somewhat healthy, again.
That was the last time Kemp was on a good team, and I think this team now, has a better line up.
I think everyone would be more then happy, if we got those same numbers from Kemp in left, this year, as long as he is decent on defense.
Because we haven’t got those type of numbers in left, for sometime now.
Not sure who Brian Moran is, but great job getting the 2 Giants’ new “stars” out in that inning
That Jack should help Yasmani feel better, He hit it RH’ed!
If Kemp wins the LF job, I suspect that he will still be sharing it with someone, be it Toles, Joc, etc. it may well be that the 40 pounds lost will reinvigorate his career, but I also think that he will require days off periodically during the season to stay on top of his game, and be strong entering the post-season. Let’s not forget his leg problems, and most of all those arthritic hips.
In trying to figure out what this team will look like as the season progresses, I’m reminded of last year when Chris Taylor and Brandon Morrow opened the season at OKC, and it took an injury to Toles for Cody Bellinger to get the call as early as he did.
In what is a very long season, it’s just nice to know that we have depth, and lots of options to figure things out as the season progresses. And with this team seemingly being head and shoulders above the rest of the division, I think that there is plenty of wiggle room for the Dodgers to figure things out.
Barnes is going to start on Monday. I hope his arm problem is behind him. Some decision will have to be made at the catcher’s position. Grandal, Barnes, Farmer, Smith and Riuz. Smith and Ruiz will go down. It is a nice problem to have.
–
I think the bull pen will be in good hands. Just a matter of evaluating each pitcher.
–
As I said in the other post, I can see Toles in CF and CT at second.
Mark said: “Matt Kemp is healthy, he is the starting left fielder! PERIOD! ”
.
Reminds me of Sean Spicer on size of the inauguration crowd.
.
As long as the Dodgers can stay under the $197M penalty threshold there is no reason to trade Kemp especially if they only save less than half of his contract.
.
If the Dodgers want to reduce payroll to add a player, IMO Grandal would be traded before Kemp.
The main reason not to have Kemp in LF – DEFENSE
Matt Kemp was drafted as a Dodger, was developed as a Dodger, and in my mind won the MVP as a Dodger. But his remarks about LA not being a baseball city and thusly denigrating the organization that did draft and develop him does not sit well with me. Build up the fan base for the team you are going to , but do not disrespect your former team. But I am a believer of second chances and if he can be that game changer he will be welcomed. I am also a believer in the saying, Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me.
.
I think Toles’ time may in fact be now. I cannot see how Joc gets the nod over Toles right now. There are still 3+ weeks to change that impression, but Joc is not playing as one of the 25 best. That actually saddens me, because Joc is a life long Dodger as well.
.
I am not sure how many caught it, but Hill is pitching on the back fields in simulated games and minor league games. He threw a 3 inning sim game last week. He acknowledges that it is not the same as against ML hitters, but he also acknowledges that he does not do well in ST games and he just might get more work in this way. He will start against an ML team in Spring, but he does like his new approach to Spring. Remember how many wanted him gone after last year’s spring? Now Ryu is another story. He may be slow-walked by design, but he also was hit by the virus. How many ST games does a pitcher never expected to last more than 5 innings actually need?
.
Since he was traded to the Dodgers in July 2015, I was a lonely advocate for Alex Wood. Last year I was a lonely advocate for Brandon Morrow. This year I am a NOT SO LONELY advocate for J. T. Chargois and Wilmer Font. I know both Bobby and Mark (at least) have written very positively about one or both. But then again I was also an advocate for Mitch Hansen.
.
I too like Keibert Ruiz, admittedly not as much as Mark. But I am also a fan of Will Smith, because I think he is the best defensive catcher in the system and possesses one of the best catcher’s arm in all of baseball. To me, defense is more important than offense at catcher as long as the catcher is not a Mendoza line hitter. Ruiz is the better contact hitter, while Smith has more power. Smith’s offense does not allow for a permanent transition to third, but he will be an outstanding catcher. Maybe Ruiz should become the Dodgers version of Craig Biggio and look to play more 2B. His footwork and arm should suit him defensively at 2B. The Dodgers up the middle defense could be outstanding with Smith, Seager, Ruiz, and CT3. It will never happen, but that is probably the only way the Dodgers keep both Smith and Ruiz.
I completely agree Mark. Matt either plays with the Dodgers or someone else only after he would be released. The Dodgers are the ones who may be in a bind with Matt but not other teams, although I don’t think they are. Other teams can simply wait it out or ask for the entire Dodger farm system as legal tender along with Matt. I am a believer in second chances, having received more than one in my lifetime.
He may well really surprise us and we are pleased with what we see thus far – conditioning, attitude, the smile is back, performance. It certainly is way too early to consider doing something else with Matt other than letting him show what he has left. In a strong lineup he may well continue to surprise us.
I trust FAZ implicitly and wouldn’t be surprised to learn that their plan was never to just dump him but saw him as value added as one of their projects in progress, even at age 33. Getting the budget under control was a bit of genius work. A strong productive Matt Kemp would be a big bonus and would be totally genius on their part. I expect a strong season from him would not surprise them.It might even be expected. He didn’t arrive 40 pounds lighter by accident. He is driven but not by contract.
“How do you keep Jake Peter over Chase Utley?” I expect you meant, how do you not keep him? Ditto Matt Kemp.
Hey Mark, on the last thread I was talking about Joc’s struggles so for this spring. How much time to you guys think the Dodgers are going to give him this year before they pull the plug? Does he go to OKC or do they package him in a trade? I don’t think he can afford to have a slow spring given the heated competition in left. What’s the end game?