Houston Astros: Three guys that need extra playing time down the stretch
By T.A. Mock
Tony Kemp, OF
Tony Kemp finally managed to stick around this year after bouncing back and forth between the majors and minors the past two years. He was called up in mid-May and never looked back. On the year, Kemp is slashing .279/.268/.409 with 26 RBIs, 8 steals, and a surprising 5 home runs.
Kemp has also walked almost as many times as he’s struck out, 29 compared to 34. That leads me to my next point, Kemp has been the best nine-hole hitter in the entire MLB this season. A little more than half of his games have been spent in the nine-hole.
Kemp has the best average and on-base percentage for guys at the end of the lineup. He has His average and OBP both jump up 10 to 15 points out of the nine-hole. Kemp serves as another table setter when the top of the lineup rolls around. He’s a consistent presence on base that allows the superstars of this team to drive in more runs.
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Extra playing time for him is going to come at a higher cost than extra playing time for White does. The guys Kemp will be replacing don’t necessarily need replacing but, the value he adds is worth it. Kemp may need to steal some playing time for Josh Reddick down the stretch to provide that extra table setter. Kemp is solid defensively but, he doesn’t have Reddick’s arm.
Marwin Gonzalez is another guy that could get replaced down the stretch by Kemp. Marwin’s bat has been hot recently and that’s hard to take out of the lineup. However, Marwin injured his oblique two nights ago and this can allow Kemp to get into more games. So, for now, the Houston Astros should take it easy with Marwin’s injury and just ride Kemp until the cows come home.