TAKE FIVE: Matt Kemp

Saturday, Aug. 19, 2006 | 7:29 a.m.

Full name: Matthew Ryan Kemp

Position: Outfielder

Height: 6 feet 4 inches

Weight: 230 pounds

Born: Sept. 23, 1984

Hometown: Midwest City, Okla.

Matt Kemp had a promising future in basketball, had baseball not been his first love.

There were recruiting overtures from Oral Roberts University, Stephen F. Austin and Lamar - but not Oklahoma, as stated in his bio in the Los Angeles Dodgers media guide - as a high school senior, but Kemp had made up his mind to focus on baseball.

"I had always been playing baseball; so it wasn't something I was just going to give up," Kemp said before a recent Las Vegas 51s game at Cashman Field.

Clearly, Kemp made the right decision. A sixth-round draft pick in 2003, he has spent just three seasons in professional baseball and was promoted from Double-A Jacksonville to the parent Dodgers in May. Although he was optioned to Las Vegas last month, 51s manager Jerry Royster said it won't be long before Kemp is a fixture in Los Angeles because of his combination of power and speed.

"He's going to go up there in September and do some amazing things," Royster said. "He just makes things happen; he does things that most baseball players can't do."

Big-league power

Although his stint with the Dodgers was limited to 37 games this summer, Kemp's first taste of the major leagues was anything but a bust; he hit .279 with seven home runs, drove in 21 runs and stole five bases.

"I went up there and did my thing," he said. "I kind of struggled a little bit at the end, but everybody goes through a little struggle in baseball. Hopefully, I can get back up there and help them win."

Power outage?

Although Kemp has hit only one home run in his first 31 games since joining the 51s, Royster said he isn't worried.

"I don't ever concern myself with minor league power," Royster said. "This guy's already got seven major league home runs, and I don't think that (power) has gone away."

Kemp was hitting .320 with 25 RBIs and 10 stolen bases through Thursday night's game.

Fitting in

Kemp has made smooth transitions while making the jumps from Double-A to the major leagues and then to Triple-A for the first time.

"Baseball is baseball; wherever you go, you've gotta play," he said. "I think Double-A, Triple-A and the big leagues are kind of all the same: you've got good pitchers, good hitters - it's just a matter of making the adjustments."

Getting back up

Kemp said he knows what he has to work on while with the 51s in order for him to make a return - hopefully permanent - trip to the major leagues.

"The key word is being patient at the plate and not trying to do too much," he said. "When I was up there, I was going good, and then after that I was just trying to do too much, and I just need to relax and let the game come to me."

Say what?

Royster is somewhat bemused when he reads that Kemp is rated as the eighth-best prospect in the Dodgers organization.

"Trust me, we don't have anybody that can do what Matt Kemp can do," Royster said. "There are not two of them running around in the Dodgers organization. Heck, there aren't two of them in this league."