Injuries in high school led to Kemp not being recruited by big colleges, so he ended up at Division II Point Loma Nazarene, but a blood clot, a torn labrum and the pandemic largely kept him off the field in 2019 and 2020. He hit 27 homers and hit over .360 in his next two years, signing with the Phillies as a nondrafted free agent. Things started to click in 2024, with Kemp touching Triple-A, and he performed well in the Arizona Fall League to cap things off.
Perhaps the epitome of a late bloomer who will be 25 for nearly all of the 2025 season, Kemp has impressed the Phillies with his aptitude and ability to implement instruction. The right-handed hitter continues to show he can handle the bat, with more impact in '24 in terms of extra-base thump. He can punish fastballs but has struggled more with softer stuff (40 percent miss rate against breaking balls and changeups last year, according to Synergy).
Just an average runner, Kemp’s instincts on the basepaths are excellent and he’s stolen 20 bases in each of the last two seasons. He’s seen most of his time defensively at third and second in the Minors, though he mixed in more first base and outfield in the AFL, and he could see more time in the grass this season. It’s easy to point to a future utility career, but the Phillies don’t want to limit what his work ethic and instincts might allow him to become.
Kemp’s path to pro ball has been anything but direct. Knee injuries in high school kept him from being heavily recruited, so he headed to Division II Point Loma Nazarene in San Diego. A blood clot in his shoulder led to a redshirt in 2019 and he tore his labrum shortly before the pandemic shut things down in 2020. Staying healthy the next two seasons, Kemp posted a 1.286 OPS in 2021 and 1.137 in 2022. It wasn’t enough to attract any teams to draft him, but he signed with the Phillies as a nondrafted free agent. He didn’t register on any radars in his first full season, but after a slow start in 2024, he started to take off, hitting well enough with High-A Jersey Shore to earn a promotion to Double-A.
Kemp has always done a great job of making contact from the right side of the plate and seldom chases. This year, he used those bat-to-ball skills with more impact. He’s more a whole-is-greater-than-the-sum-of-his-parts player, but he does everything the right way and he’s shown more extra-base thump than expected.
While he’s not a burner, Kemp is a very savvy baserunner who can steal a base. He offers plus defense at third and has also shown the ability to slide over and play second; he has even seen some time at first. At age 24 this season, he was a little old for his level, but his jump in offensive performance plus his defensive versatility could point to a big league career as a utility type.
These run values are leveraged, meaning the base/out situation at the time of the event does impact the run value (thus introducing context outside the batter's own contribution).
! Note: Shifts are through the 2022 season, Shaded starting from the 2023 season, Shift: three or more infielders are on the same side of second base, Shade: positioned outside of their typical responsible slices of the field. Learn more about how positioning is defined here
