1984
Born September 23, 1984
Midwest City, OK, USA
Matt Kemp Marquee
b. September 23, 1984 · Los Angeles Dodgers 2006–2014, 2018, San Diego Padres 2015–2016, Atlanta Braves 2016–2017, Cincinnati Reds 2019, Colorado Rockies 2020
In 2011 he led the National League with 39 home runs, 126 runs batted in and 115 runs, batted .324, and stole 40 bases, finishing one home run short of a 40-40 season, which would have been the fifth anyone had managed. He finished second in the Most Valuable Player voting to Ryan Braun.
Fifteen seasons gave him 1,808 hits, 287 home runs, 1,031 runs batted in, 184 stolen bases and a .284 average, with three All-Star selections, two Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers. He signed an eight-year contract after 2011 and never had another season close to it.
Shoulder and ankle injuries took the speed first and the defense after, and five clubs moved him around in the last six years. He came back to hit .290 with 21 home runs for the Dodgers in 2018 and was Comeback Player of the Year at thirty-three. He is not yet on a Hall of Fame ballot.
Honors
| Award | Times | Years |
|---|---|---|
| All-Star selection | 3 | 2011, 2012, 2018 |
| Player of the Week | 5 | 2008, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2018 |
| Gold Glove | 2 | 2009, 2011 |
| Player of the Month | 2 | 2012, 2014 |
| Silver Slugger | 2 | 2009, 2011 |
| Hank Aaron Award | 1 | 2011 |
| MLB Players Choice Comeback Player | 1 | 2018 |
| MLB Players Choice Outstanding Player | 1 | 2011 |
| This Year in Baseball Player of the Year | 1 | 2011 |
| The Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year | 1 | 2018 |
Batting, season by season
| Year | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | LAD | 52 | 154 | 30 | 39 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 23 | 9 | 53 | 6 | .253 |
| 2007 | LAD | 98 | 292 | 47 | 100 | 12 | 5 | 10 | 42 | 16 | 66 | 10 | .342 |
| 2008 | LAD | 155 | 606 | 93 | 176 | 38 | 5 | 18 | 76 | 46 | 153 | 35 | .290 |
| 2009 | LAD | 159 | 606 | 97 | 180 | 25 | 7 | 26 | 101 | 52 | 139 | 34 | .297 |
| 2010 | LAD | 162 | 602 | 82 | 150 | 25 | 6 | 28 | 89 | 53 | 170 | 19 | .249 |
| 2011 | LAD | 161 | 602 | 115 | 195 | 33 | 4 | 39 | 126 | 74 | 159 | 40 | .324 |
| 2012 | LAD | 106 | 403 | 74 | 122 | 22 | 2 | 23 | 69 | 40 | 103 | 9 | .303 |
| 2013 | LAD | 73 | 263 | 35 | 71 | 15 | 0 | 6 | 33 | 22 | 76 | 9 | .270 |
| 2014 | LAD | 150 | 541 | 77 | 155 | 38 | 3 | 25 | 89 | 52 | 145 | 8 | .287 |
| 2015 | SDP | 154 | 596 | 80 | 158 | 31 | 3 | 23 | 100 | 39 | 147 | 12 | .265 |
| 2016 | ATL/SDP | 156 | 623 | 89 | 167 | 39 | 0 | 35 | 108 | 36 | 156 | 1 | .268 |
| 2017 | ATL | 115 | 438 | 47 | 121 | 23 | 1 | 19 | 64 | 27 | 99 | 0 | .276 |
| 2018 | LAD | 146 | 462 | 62 | 134 | 25 | 0 | 21 | 85 | 36 | 115 | 0 | .290 |
| 2019 | CIN | 20 | 60 | 4 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 19 | 0 | .200 |
| 2020 | COL | 43 | 117 | 18 | 28 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 21 | 15 | 41 | 1 | .239 |
| Career | — | 1750 | 6365 | 950 | 1808 | 338 | 37 | 287 | 1031 | 518 | 1641 | 184 | .284 |
On this day & linked events
2006
Major-league debut: Matt Kemp
Matt Kemp made a major-league debut on May 28, 2006.
2015
Matt Kemp Hits for the Cycle, 2015
Matt Kemp hit for the cycle for the San Diego Padres against the Colorado Rockies on August 14, 2015.
2017
Matt Kemp's Three-Home-Run Game, 2017
Matt Kemp hit three home runs for the Atlanta Braves against the Milwaukee Brewers on April 29, 2017.
2020
Final major-league game: Matt Kemp
Matt Kemp played a final major-league game on September 25, 2020.