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Will Tony Kemp join the Houston Astros soon?

By Eric Huysman

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Tony Kemp and Mark Appel represented the Houston Astros at the 2015 All-Star Futures Game while Appel showed dominance in his inning pitched touching 97-98 mph, but Kemp stole the show with his personality and play. Kemp’s natural position was the outfield, but then he was moved to second base when he was drafted but has recently tried to work his way back into outfield playing time. Kemp has to do this because of a fellow blocking him by the name of Jose Altuve. You might have heard of Altuve, he’s starting for the American League in the 2015 All-Star Game.

I interviewed Kemp here: Astros Prospects: Tony Kemp Interview

After the Futures Game, former Astros beat writer Richard Justice wrote an article about how Kemp showcases talent at Futures Game. In the article, Justice made an interesting statement that Kemp could be up with the Astros shortly, below is his quote.

"“This is also why he seems likely to be in the Major Leagues very soon, especially if the Astros continue to have trouble scoring runs.”- Richard Justice."

Altuve is currently blocking Kemp at second. I don’t think Kemp has the arm for third base and is a short target for a first baseman. Should he get the call after the All-Star break, it would be because the Astros are still struggling to score runs that caused them to lose the last six games. The Astros have been without leadoff man George Springer, who found a way to spark the Astros offense, which they have missed recently.

Kemp will not play at second base, but has played 19 games in the outfield in the minors, so could be ready to jump into the outfield. He has played outfield before and has made some highlight plays this season in the outfield. Watch the two excellent plays in the Tweet below.

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Kemp could come up and become that spark plug to get the Astros back on track. Between Double-A and Triple-A, he is batting .333/ 57 runs/ 2 home runs/ 34 RBI/ 23 stolen bases. His slash line is .333/ .414/ .403/ .817 which is not bad for someone who has only hit two home runs. Kemp can’t replace Springer’s power, but he can fill in his shoes in every other department until he returns. (Baseball-Reference)

In the All-Star Futures game on Sunday, Kemp used his on-base skills to get on base two times in three plate appearances by walking. He did get picked off in the game as well, but you can’t blame a guy for being aggressive in an exhibition game.

Keep an eye on Kemp in July, because he could be a main piece in any trades that the Astros can make. People are starting to take notice of Kemp, and many GM’s will ask for the availability of Kemp at the trade deadline. I hope Jeff Luhnow can find a way to hold onto Kemp and bring him up quickly. In the above interview with Jon Morosi, Kemp says he models his game after Jose Altuve, and that’s no short task.

Astros Prospects: Tony Kemp Interview

Next: The Houston Astros Next Top Prospect is Brett Phillips

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