On the heels of Josh Hamilton's magnificent performance Tuesday night (four homers and a double), a question that I saw raised on ESPN today concerns which player you'd rather have, Matt Kemp or Hamilton? It's a fun debate, so let's break down each player.
Josh Hamilton
Career (6 years, 616 games): .313 AVG, .926 OPS, 393 R, 146 2B, 17 3B, 132 HR, 461 RBI, 38 SB
Best Year (2010): .359 AVG, 1.044 OPS, 95 R, 40 2B, 3 3B, 32 HR, 100 RBI, 8 SB
Pros: Hamilton is as true a power hitter as there is in baseball. Anytime you hit four home runs in one night, that pretty much goes without saying. But he also doesn't sacrifice average for power, as evidenced by his .359 in 2010. Take away an injury-plagued 2009, and he's put up consistently good power numbers with the good average to match. He also plays great defense in the outfield with a career .985 fielding %, and possesses a big arm.
Cons: Fair or not at this point in his career, he does have baggage from his early days. He admitted to a relapse this past offseason, though it does not appear to have affected his play at all. Still, there is a feeling that he's one slip-up away from going downhill again. Also, he is injury-prone, as from 2009-2011, he appeared in 89, 133, and 121 games, respectively. He's definitely not old, but at 30 right now, he's not getting any younger, either.
Matt Kemp
Career (7 years, 817 games): .297 AVG, .862 OPS, 493 R, 145 2B, 29 3B, 140 HR, 484 RBI, 146 SB
Best Year (2011): .324 AVG, .986 OPS, 115 R, 33 2B, 4 3B, 39 HR, 126 RBI, 40 SB
Awards: 1-time All-Star, 2-time Silver Slugger, 2-time Gold Glove
Pros: It appears Kemp is just starting to heat up, as the 27-year-old with a $160 million contract looks like the most complete player in baseball. After a miserable 2010 campaign, he turned in a near-MVP performance last season, and was knocking on the door of the 40-40 club. He is the ultimate 5-tool guy. He can change the game with his power, speed, and arm in the outfield. He's currently played in 394 straight game, tops in the bigs.
Cons: We've seen how well he can do in the past, but we've also seen how unfocused he can be judging by that 2010 season. That appears to be a thing of the past, however. For all the good he does, one of his biggest flaws is his strikeouts, as he's had at least 139 the past four seasons.
The Verdict: Like the guys on PTI said, you can pretty much take one side or the other and feel perfectly satisfied by it. But since I'm here to pick a side, I have to go with Kemp. Yes, I know I'm biased, but there's a few reasons for this.
One, Kemp has shown he can hit for average and power like Hamilton. But, Kemp has a clear advantage on the bases, as he stole more bases last year (40) than Hamilton has his entire career (38). Granted, Hamilton's role isn't to run, but that's still a pretty big difference.
Two, Kemp has done his damage with minimal help around him, while Hamilton has big guns around him like Adrian Beltre, Michael Young, Ian Kinsler, and Elvis Andrus. Kemp has Andre Ethier and not a whole lot else. The fact that Kemp put up 126 RBIs last year is just unbelievable considering the lack of talent around him.
Finally, Kemp is entering his prime, about three years younger than Hamilton. That's not a major difference, but considering how banged up Hamilton has been his whole career, and that Kemp is approaching 400 straight games, there's no denying that Kemp has much more durability. When building a team, that's a big factor.
Final Analysis: It's pretty much grasping at straws when it comes to picking a winner between the two, but I still like Kemp just a notch above. No disrespect to Hamilton, though. He's amazing to watch. I'd be perfectly happy with either one of these guys on my fantasy team. Then I might actually win something for a change!
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