Biography

BIOGRAPHY

Tony Kemp was born October 31, 1991, in Franklin, Tennessee. He is an infielder in the MLB.

In the 2018 season, Kemp played in 97 games for the Astros, batting .263/.351/.392 with 6 HR and 30 RBI, playing primarily in left field. Following the third game of the 2018 ALCS, Kemp received wide sports media coverage for making a leaping catch against the left-field wall on a ball hit by Steve Pearce. The Red Sox challenged the catch at the wall since it sounded like the ball hit the wall first. After further review, they announced the catch as confirmed, meaning the MLB replay crew in New York saw conclusive evidence of the catch. In game four, Kemp hit a fourth-inning solo home run off Rick Porcello after only hitting six homers during the regular season.

On January 13, 2020, Kemp was traded to the Oakland Athletics for minor league first baseman Alfonso Rivas. In 2020 for the Athletics, Kemp slashed .247/.363/.301 with no home runs and 4 RBI in 49 games. In 2021, he slashed .279/.382/.418 with 8 home runs and 37 RBIs in 131 games.

In 2022 he batted .235/.307/.334 in 497 at bats. He had the lowest average exit velocity of all major league batters, at 84.4 mph, and the lowest percentage of hard-hit balls, at 14.9%.

On January 13, 2023, Kemp signed a one-year, $3.725 million contract with the Athletics, avoiding salary arbitration.

Kemp signed a one-year deal with the Cincinnati Reds for the 2024 season.