Rockies sign Matt Kemp to minor league contract

Matt Kemp has signed a Minor-League contract with the Rockies.

Kemp is a three-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove and Silver Slugger winner. He has batted .285 (1,780-for-6,248) with 932 runs scored, 335 doubles, 37 triples, 281 home runs and 1,010 RBI over parts of 14 Major League seasons with the Dodgers, the Padres, and Atlanta. Last season, he played 20 games for the Reds, battling injuries and batting .200 (12-for-60) with one home run and five RBI.

He attended Spring Training with the Miami Marlins but was cut from their roster.

Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich said that he had spoken with Kemp during the winter meetings about playing for the Rockies. Following the announcement that Ian Desmond would not play in 2020, the Rockies signed Kemp to a contract. “We’re well aware of the damage he’s done against us,” Bridich said while discussing Kemp’s desire to keep playing.

Kemp, 35, has always done well at Coors, hitting .327 with a .616 slugging percentage in the 86 games he’s played in Colorado. When in Denver, he has hit 23 doubles, 5 triples, and 21 home runs, tying Sammy Sosa for the second-most-opponent home runs at Coors.

(As a side note, Bradford William Davis has pointed out that when with the Dodgers, Kemp “lived the Hollywood lifestyle,” hanging out with Rhianna and Khloe Kardashian.)

Kemp has been added to Colorado’s 60-man player pool and will wear #25.

Seeing Kemp on the Rockies’ roster will take a bit of adjustment for Rockies fans, but, hopefully, Kemp will be productive as a Rockie.

Below is the current 2020 Player Pool.