Things are looking up for Tony Kemp, although you’d never know it from talking to him.
To the contrary, when Kemp was at his lowest point statistically, he was setting an example of every-day professionalism that likely kept him on the roster. “I think the young guys watching him go through that stretch he went through, not playing, not playing in the lineup consistently, was great for their growth as well,” Kotsay said.
The Tigers were in the World Series by 2006, and while it looks unlikely the A’s could be American League contenders in three years with the franchise in location limbo and committed to Las Vegas, Kemp sees no point in looking that far into the future. “You’ve got to trust the process because if you don’t you’re just going to go into a spiral,” Kemp said. “No one is going to feel sorry for you, so you might as well come in here every day with the confidence that every time you step in the box you’re going to get a hit and every time you step in on defense you’re going to try and save some runs any way you can.A star at Vanderbilt, Kemp, 31, was a fifth-round draft pick by the Houston Astros in 2012.