Kemp triple crown bid

[Rob]

Look, you can dance around it all you want but Kemp isn't some kind of special case when it comes to refusing to move to a new position. If the team he's signed with wants him to switch positions he doesn't somehow have more leverage than the other people being listed. You ask "what choice did those guys have?" as if Kemp would have a choice. If he signs with the Cubs and then they tell him they're moving him to RF for the good of the team, boom, it's done. It's also not like he's putting up numbers that hinge on him being in CF for him to be an AS.

 

If I can't dance around that then you can't dance around the idea that it's very unlikely he gets asked to move in the first place. The guy won a GG in '09 as a CF at 24, and at 26 in '11 he probably had the best season of any CF in the game. Even if both of us agree that he's not great shakes as a CF and would be an excellent RF, that could be said about ANY competent CF. He's not an Andruw Jones, Van Slyke, or Mike Cameron out there in CF, but that's not going to be a good enough reason for a team to move him from CF.

 

Rafael Palmeiro won a Gold Glove in 1999 while only playing 28 games at 1B. Let's not pretend Gold Gloves have any meaning whatsoever.

[Sammy Sofa]

Look, you can dance around it all you want but Kemp isn't some kind of special case when it comes to refusing to move to a new position. If the team he's signed with wants him to switch positions he doesn't somehow have more leverage than the other people being listed. You ask "what choice did those guys have?" as if Kemp would have a choice. If he signs with the Cubs and then they tell him they're moving him to RF for the good of the team, boom, it's done. It's also not like he's putting up numbers that hinge on him being in CF for him to be an AS.

 

If I can't dance around that then you can't dance around the idea that it's very unlikely he gets asked to move in the first place. The guy won a GG in '09 as a CF at 24, and at 26 in '11 he probably had the best season of any CF in the game. Even if both of us agree that he's not great shakes as a CF and would be an excellent RF, that could be said about ANY competent CF. He's not an Andruw Jones, Van Slyke, or Mike Cameron out there in CF, but that's not going to be a good enough reason for a team to move him from CF.

 

There's nothing to dance around. I've never said the Cubs definitely would or even should move him if they sign him; I simply presented it as a possibility. To me it's a non-issue unless Jackson shows he's worth being the fulltime starter in CF. Even if that occurs it's still a non-issue to me if they sign Kemp because if they want to move him to RF they'll just do it.

[KingKongvs.Godzilla]

Rafael Palmeiro won a Gold Glove in 1999 while only playing 28 games at 1B. Let's not pretend Gold Gloves have any meaning whatsoever.

 

Kemp won his playing 158 games in '09 at 24. Palmeiro did it as a 35 year old with a longstanding reputation. Yes, the award itself is mostly BS, but lets not pretend Palmeiro and Kemp are anywhere near similar cases.

 

There's nothing to dance around. I've never said the Cubs definitely would or even should move him if they sign him; I simply presented it as a possibility. To me it's a non-issue unless Jackson shows he's worth being the fulltime starter in CF. Even if that occurs it's still a non-issue to me if they sign Kemp because if they want to move him to RF they'll just do it.

 

Fair enough. To me the more interesting debate would have been Kemp vs. Upton as a long term investment anyway....but another time when it's more of a real possibility maybe.

[SouthSideRyan]

Pete Rose from 2B to LF to RF to LF to 3B to 1B

[KingKongvs.Godzilla]

Don't forget Matt Kemp...'06-'07 he was mostly a RF...'08 he starts playing more CF but still played 60+ games in RF...'09-'11 he spends most of his time in CF with a handful of RF starts and maybe a DH start or two.