Tony Kemp would like to think his Saints days are numbered.
The 32-year-old utility man has appeared in only 39 games for the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate, but the plan was never to stick around. With 739 major-league games to his credit, Kemp joined the Saints with one goal in mind — getting back to the big leagues as quickly as possible.
He has done his part. After going 0 for 3 Tuesday night at CHS Field in a game delayed by rain in the sixth inning with the Saints leading 5-4, Kemp is batting .275, with five home runs and 20 runs batted in. Now it’s up to the Twins — or another major-league team — to see things his way.
Kemp began the season with the Baltimore Orioles but was designated for assignment after appearing in only five games. He elected to become a free agent rather than join Baltimore’s Triple-A team.
“I had three or four offers,” Kemp said of his decision to sign with the Twins organization. “There were a couple injuries here, and a couple guys probably weren’t doing as well as they wanted to. I just wanted to provide an experienced, utility guy who has been around the league.”
Kemp did his homework on the Twins before deciding to make the commitment.
“They definitely like their utility guys,” he said. “And I think I fit into their hitting schemes pretty well — a guy who gets on base, doesn’t strike out too much, plays good defense, runs the bases well.”
Kemp can opt out of his contact on July 1, a decision that will be dictated in part by whether he thinks he will get a chance to join the Twins before season’s end. In the meantime, his days usually end with taking a peek at the comings and goings of the other 29 major-league teams.
“You’re following (teams) online,” Kemp said, “but that’s what your agent’s for. You don’t want to get too clouded with it, because you still have to take care of your everyday goals.”
Kemp is happy with his production, especially of late, and feels he can be an asset to any team in major-league baseball.
“If it’s not with this team, you’re always playing in front of other teams,” he said. “So just go out there and treat every game like it’s your last. The best part about it is you know you are going to get your at-bats.”
Kemp spent the past four seasons with the Oakland Athletics and hadn’t played in Triple-A since 2018. While he feels he has a lot of baseball left in him, he’s realistic enough to know that there are things regarding his future he can’t control.
“At the end of the day you see how the industry is treating guys,” Kemp said. “When I was a rookie you saw that veterans stuck around and were on benches to provide a good clubhouse presence and leadership.
“They’re not really paying guys for that anymore. They’re just wanting to see younger guys now. That’s OK, I understand it’s the business side of it. If you give a guy $3 million you want to see a return on your investment as soon as possible if he’s ready.”
To that end, Kemp believes the possibility of one day playing in Japan is emerging as a clearer possibility.
“My wife always (who is half Chinese) says she would go over there and take the kids,” Kemp said. “If it was an opportunity to continue my career, then why not?
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