Dodgers Diaries

People are talking about trading away Matt Kemp. I say that’s crazy.

After his breakout 2009, everyone in Dodgertown expected his progress to be linear, and that he would continue getting better every year. Instead, he has taken a step back this year, with numbers not quite up to his 2008 performance. His average and OBP are 30 points lower; on the flip side, he already has as many homers as he did in all of 2008.

His L/R splits are showing a guy that is significantly worse against RHP. Maybe he's a platoon player after all. He and Pods can split center field. Or maybe there's a weak-hitting weak-armed left-handed CF in the White Sox organization who can share time with him.

But even if 2009 is as good as he gets, Kemp is worth holding onto. A Gold Glove and Silver Slugger aren't too bad for your starting CF.

If you didn't like the idea of trading Kemp in 2008 because of his endless upside, I'd say you shouldn't trade him in 2010 either. He's still just 25 years old. He may not ever be Ken Griffey Jr., but he will contribute for a long time if you let him.

Kemp’s 2010 reminds me a lot of Vernon Wells’ 2005. Wells was a 26-year-old centerfielder coming off a Gold Glove season. His power numbers remained strong, but his average dropped to .269 and his OPS fell to .783.

The following year, Wells rebounded with an All-Star season: 32 HR, 106 RBIs and an OPS of .899. It was a walk year, which is what 2011 will be for Kemp. Perhaps the guaranteed two-year deal Kemp signed this year is what’s holding him back. But I wouldn’t give up on him yet. He’s still 25 and won’t be making Vernon Wells kind of money for a while.

-- JOHN ROSENTHAL