Astros' Kemp showing signs he's ready for MLB duty alongside his hero, Jose Altuve
Don't be surprised if Tony Kemp winds up joining the Houston Astros soon.
That's a warning given by MLB.com's Richard Justice, who watched Kemp walk twice and hustle around the field for the U.S. team in its victory over the World squad on Sunday.
Kemp, a second baseman that the Astros have had play in the outfield so he'd have a place to play when he is inevitably called up, has an impressive skill set. As Justice noted, Kemp has posted a combined .414 OBP and .817 OPS in 80 games split between Double-A and Triple-A this season.
He also has something in common with Astros star Jose Altuve: he's just 5'6", the same height (or lack thereof) of Altuve. What's more, Kemp told Justice, he considers Altuve an idol: "That guy means the world to me. I got to talk to him in Spring Training two or three times. Just the caliber player he is, the kind of guy he is. He's charismatic. You want to be around that guy. He creates a winning atmosphere for teams. Just being able to talk to him and understanding his mentality going onto the baseball field, it really has helped me. I look up to him every day."
So will Houston, which lost six straight games entering the break and saw its lead in the AL West be wiped away by the surging Angels, promote Kemp soon?
Whether he gets the call right away or has to wait a while, Kemp knows how to approach the situation: "Of course, that's the goal. But you have to take it a day at a time. You check the lineup card and see if you're in the infield or the outfield. You've got to keep it simple. You can't think too much. That's when things start going south."