Matt Kemp Possibilities

smootness said:
Agreed. Even with his significantly improved offense in Atlanta, he was worth 0 WAR in his time here last year. You're going to have to see either a jump to near-peak Kemp offensively, or you're going to have to see a significant improvement in his defense. I'm not sure either is likely.
Click to expand...

Or a trade to an AL team as a DH
 
msstate7 said:
Or a trade to an AL team as a DH
Click to expand...

That would help his loss in value on defense some, but not to a great degree. There's still a sizable penalty for DH'ing, not to mention that there does seem to be evidence that DH'ing can hurt your offense.
 
smootness said:
That would help his loss in value on defense some, but not to a great degree. There's still a sizable penalty for DH'ing, not to mention that there does seem to be evidence that DH'ing can hurt your offense.
Click to expand...

Doesn't matter... slimmer kemp that's a 25 SB guy now will have no trouble tracking balls in LF this year
 
Do people actually believe that players step into the box and not try to get a hit? Or try harder at times?
 
gilesfan said:
Do people actually believe that players step into the box and not try to get a hit? Or try harder at times?
Click to expand...

I'm like that at my job. Do you feel the concentration is the same for a hitter in an 8-1 game as it is with the game on the line? I've never been an MLB hitter, so I have no idea
 
msstate7 said:
I'm like that at my job. Do you feel the concentration is the same for a hitter in an 8-1 game as it is with the game on the line? I've never been an MLB hitter, so I have no idea
Click to expand...

Neither have I, but I'd wager—given their ascendance to that level of competition—that they're likely a hell-of-a-lot better at remaining consistently focused and motivated, regardless of the specific context, than any of us.
 
jpx7 said:
Neither have I, but I'd wager—given their ascendance to that level of competition—that they're likely a hell-of-a-lot better at remaining consistently focused and motivated, regardless of the specific context, than any of us.
Click to expand...

So do you think it was their focus and motivation that got them to that level?

I don't deny that it takes a lot of focus and motivation to maximize your physical abilities to that level...but it also takes a lot of focus and motivation to do well at any number of professions. Doesn't mean they're not prone to lapses, or to generally have that wane for extended periods, just like anybody else.
 
jpx7 said:
Neither have I, but I'd wager—given their ascendance to that level of competition—that they're likely a hell-of-a-lot better at remaining consistently focused and motivated, regardless of the specific context, than any of us.
Click to expand...

also the net effect on performance in a blowout game is unclear since it presumably affects both pitchers and hitters
 
jpx7 said:
Neither have I, but I'd wager—given their ascendance to that level of competition—that they're likely a hell-of-a-lot better at remaining consistently focused and motivated, regardless of the specific context, than any of us.
Click to expand...

Probably so, but they aren't robots... when one goes out and got too drunk the night before, the game is out of hand, or they just don't feel like being there that day, I bet they half-butt it. Have you ever seen a pro football or basketball player giving half effort (much easier to see that than a batter)? I have and I bet you MLB hitters are no different over a grueling 162 game schedule. Again though, I'm guessing
 
smootness said:
So do you think it was their focus and motivation that got them to that level?

I don't deny that it takes a lot of focus and motivation to maximize your physical abilities to that level...but it also takes a lot of focus and motivation to do well at any number of professions. Doesn't mean they're not prone to lapses, or to generally have that wane for extended periods, just like anybody else.
Click to expand...

We're not talking about "doing well" at a profession; we're talking about being in the very highest ~0.00000000001% of performers in said profession. I don't really know any of you all, but I'd wager that few, if any, of us reside amongst that elite echelon in what we do for a living.
 
jpx7 said:
We're not talking about "doing well" at a profession; we're talking about being in the very highest ~0.00000000001% of performers in said profession. I don't really know any of you all, but I'd wager that few, if any, of us reside amongst that elite echelon in what we do for a living.
Click to expand...

I work for a bank and the elite .0001% of those industries don't do ****... so not a good analogy IMO..
 
jpx7 said:
We're not talking about "doing well" at a profession; we're talking about being in the very highest ~0.00000000001% of performers in said profession. I don't really know any of you all, but I'd wager that few, if any, of us reside amongst that elite echelon in what we do for a living.
Click to expand...

But these are also pretty much the guys with the highest .0000000001% of talent in the profession as well.

You can squander talent by lacking focus and motivation, but if you lack it to that degree, you're probably not going to do well in anything. Most of the guys who are major league players are in the elite of the elite in baseball talent and are focused and motivated, as a majority of people who are successful in any profession are.

Let's not pretend like the thing separating Barry Bonds from guys who didn't play beyond high school is his focus and motivation.
 
I seriously doubt motivation and pride are the reasons Kemp has been bad defensively and declined offensively the last few years. At least to the point where trying really hard will get him back to his LA prime days.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top