Steve Kemp

From BR Bullpen

Steven F Kemp

Bats Left, Throws Left
Height 6' 0", Weight 195 lb.
School University of Southern California
Debut April 7, 1977
Final Game May 24, 1988
Born August 7, 1954 in San Angelo, TX USA

[edit] Biographical Information

Steve Kemp played eleven years in the majors with a career OPS+ of 119. In his best year, 1979, he made the All-Star team.

Although not drafted out of high school, Kemp' attended USC and became the #1 overall pick in the 1976 amateur draft. Kemp was at USC at the same time as Roy Smalley and Rich Dauer, among other future major leaguers.

Steve spent only one year in the minors before coming up to the bigs. In 1976 he hit .289 in half a season at Montgomery and then .386 with a .696 SLG when moved up to the AAA Evansville Triplets. In 1977 he was a major league regular with the 1977 Tigers, driving in 88 runs.

Kemp blossomed in 1979-81 with an OPS+ of at least 130 each year. In 1979-80 he drove in over 100 runs each year.

Moving to the 1982 White Sox, he drove in 98 runs for them, third on the team behind Harold Baines and Greg Luzinski as the team won 87 games.

In 1983-84 he played for the New York Yankees; the team won 91 games the first season and 87 the second season. In 1985 and part of 1986 he was with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

His major league career was shortened when he was hit in the eye by a pitch.

He went back to the minors in 1986-88, hitting 20 home runs for the Oklahoma City 89ers in 1987 where he was managed by his former teammate Toby Harrah. He came back to the majors with the 1988 Rangers for 16 games in 1988.

In 1989, he played for the St. Petersburg Pelicans of the Senior Professional Baseball Association. He hit .329 in 60 games with the club.

Two of the most similar players to Kemp are his contemporaries Sixto Lezcano and Mel Hall.

He made one observer's All Steve Team.