Steve Kemp--1980
Selected by the Tigers in the first round
of the January Draft of 1976 out of USC,
Kemp tore through both Double-A and
Triple-A during his first year as a
professional.
So impressive was the young outfielder
during Spring Training '77, that Tiger
manager Ralph Houk had Kemp open
the season with Detroit and inserted the
22-year-old in the starting lineup on the
second day of the campaign. The lefty
swinger would stay in the lineup; batting
.257 with 18 homers in 151 games. The
slugger would also strike out what
proved to be a career-high 93 times.
From there, Kemp would improve his
average each of the next two seasons as
he continued to cut down on his
strikeouts. By 1979, he would hit .318
and fan just 70 times ,while he took his
place alongside other All-Stars in Seattle
for the Mid-Summer Classic.
And how did Kemp accomplish this
feat???
Practice, practice, practice.
Here in his 1980 card, we see Kemp
practicing on his check swing during
batting practice, which was one of the
reasons he was able to reduce his
strikeouts during his career.
Practice, practice, practice.
(6/21/11)
of the January Draft of 1976 out of USC,
Kemp tore through both Double-A and
Triple-A during his first year as a
professional.
So impressive was the young outfielder
during Spring Training '77, that Tiger
manager Ralph Houk had Kemp open
the season with Detroit and inserted the
22-year-old in the starting lineup on the
second day of the campaign. The lefty
swinger would stay in the lineup; batting
.257 with 18 homers in 151 games. The
slugger would also strike out what
proved to be a career-high 93 times.
From there, Kemp would improve his
average each of the next two seasons as
he continued to cut down on his
strikeouts. By 1979, he would hit .318
and fan just 70 times ,while he took his
place alongside other All-Stars in Seattle
for the Mid-Summer Classic.
And how did Kemp accomplish this
feat???
Practice, practice, practice.
Here in his 1980 card, we see Kemp
practicing on his check swing during
batting practice, which was one of the
reasons he was able to reduce his
strikeouts during his career.
Practice, practice, practice.
(6/21/11)
