Minnesota Twins Sign Tony Kemp

Jason Burke | Apr 16, 2024

Mar 30, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles second baseman Tony Kemp (12) runs to / Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Twins signed 32-year-old veteran Tony Kemp to a minor-league deal, according to Jon Heyman. The move has not officially been announced by the Twins, but the assumption is that Kemp will report to Triple-A St. Paul.

Kemp, a second baseman/left fielder, is on his third team this year after spending the last four seasons in Oakland with the A's. He originally signed a minor-league deal with the Cincinnati Reds in late February, but when he wasn't going to make their Opening Day roster they ended up releasing him. Kemp signed just a few days later with the Baltimore Orioles and made it into five games with the club, going 0-for-9 with a walk, a strikeout, and a run scored.

With the promotion of MLB's top prospect Jackson Holliday, Kemp was designated for assignment by the Orioles. This was his reaction to the news.

In the fall of 2010, our college had a series against the Longhorns for a 3 game set. Our hitting coach at the time was Josh Holliday and his brother, Matt, brought his kid to our early practice. I remember watching his son @J_Holliday7 with a sweet lefty swing. Go get em’ kid!

— Tony Kemp (@tonykemp) April 10, 2024

It's no wonder why teams keep bringing him in. He's a great, steady presence in the clubhouse and he also brings some versatility to the roster.

Kemp went unclaimed on waivers after his DFA, and instead of just reporting to the minors with the Orioles, he rejected the assignment and became a free agent yet again. Now with the Twins, Kemp has a better shot at making the big-league roster at some point than he would have if he'd stayed in Baltimore.

It's unclear what his exact path to Minnesota would be, but the odds that he'd crack the O's roster of super prospects again was pretty slim.

Kemp is a career .237 hitter with a .324 OBP and a .675 OPS. He's not the fastest or the strongest player on the field, but he always plays the game with a ton of heart and gives it his all each and every day. That's something that doesn't show up in the statistics, and it's why he will continue to receive opportunities.