- Matt Kemp, Dodgers agree on $160-million, eight-year deal (Dylan Hernandez, LA Times)
- Dodgers near eight-year deal with Kemp (Ken Gurnick, Dodgers.com)
- Matt Kemp: Close to deal with Dodgers (ESPNLA.com)
The last homegrown Dodger player to enter the Hall of Fame was Don Sutton — he was inducted thirteen years ago. The next homegrown Dodger players to enter the Hall of Fame will be Mike Piazza and Pedro Martinez (and possibly Adrian Beltre, if he keeps mashing). None will be wearing a Dodgers hat.
(The consolation prizes for losing those players? Gary Sheffield & Kevin Brown, Delino DeShields and...Wilson Betemit? Semi-stars Eric Karros, Raul Mondesi and Shawn Green helped tide us over into the new millennium.)
All of a sudden, the current Dodger roster boasts two players with Hall of Fame potential: Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw. And it looks like we're going to get to enjoy Kemp in his prime.
What an odd feeling for Dodger fans: to watch the farm system develop an elite five-tool* prospect, to watch him blossom into a superstar, and to watch the team lock him up. In fact, it's not just odd; it's unprecedented.
If this is Frank McCourt trying to make things right, I say thanks...and it's a good start. Kershaw awaits.
*(1) hits for average, (2) hits for power, (3) great defense, (4) dazzling smile, (5) dates starlets
AP photo
3 comments:
Beltre's not getting into the Hall.
It does feel weird having a homegrown player develop into a superstar, and then getting to keep and root for him for the best part of his career.
In theory, the Dodgers should be in position to take other teams' homegrown players and root for them in the best parts of their careers. Too bad reality doesn't match...
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