When the son of a 15-year MLB veteran and seven-time All-Star is about to make his MLB debut, the nostalgic stories are going to come from left and right. Even from the guy who’s getting replaced by the rookie.
Thirty-two-year-old utility player Tony Kemp signed a one-year contract with the Orioles last month, and he appeared in five games with the team this season, before being designated for assignment as a result of 2022 No. 1 overall pick Jackson Holliday being called up to the Majors.
Instead of expressing bitterness at the player who replaced him on the roster, though, Kemp took about as opposite of a route as one possibly could. See the below post, where Kemp gives a tale from his freshman season at Vanderbilt:
Talk about things coming full circle. Though Josh Holliday is now Oklahoma State’s head coach, a position he has held since 2013, his brief tenure at Vanderbilt overlapped with Kemp’s collegiate career -- a tenure that, evidently, was long enough for Kemp to be exposed to the greatness of the younger Holliday.
Now, that greatness has evolved to the point of costing Kemp a roster spot. But there will be no animosity from the veteran’s end as the Orioles’ latest rookie sensation takes the field. If Holliday’s debut season ends up going down in the annals of franchise history, it’s clear that Kemp will be a fan -- no matter where he observes it from.