Chicago Cubs: All Aboard the Tony Kemp Bandwagon

Tony Kemp is showing off some serious athleticism with his pre-game backflip regiment. Chicago Cubs fans should be ecstatic about the new acquisition and his hidden talent.

Before the trade deadline, the Chicago Cubs made a move to acquire Tony Kemp from the Houston Astros, who had recently been designated for assignment. At the time, I had noted that both teams made a deal from the fringes from their roster to upgrade their depth.

That was until Kemp arrived in Chicago and started doing some pretty wild things that can’t be quantified by batting average, defensive metrics, or WAR.

Tony Kemp is out here pulling Ozzie Smith style backflips, showing 80 grade athleticism that did not show up in any pre-trade scouting reports.  Now I am not going to compare Kemp to one of the best defensive SS ever but, compare these two:

via GIPHY

Based off a simple Google search, I have established an unofficial backflip leaderboard (hopefully soon to be tracked by Statcast)

1. Ozzie Smith
2. Tony Kemp
3. Jarrod Dyson
4. Tyler Glasnow

Now whatever Kemp’s WAR calculation may be,  it should be calculated as follows: Kemp WAR = WAR + (.1 WAR*xFlips).

Kemp has gotten off to a good start with the Cubs, going 3/12 and having a bunch of quality at bats, resulting in well struck balls. Realistically, the Cubs should expect Kemp to provide quality ABs in a starting role or defensive flexibility and matchups off the bench. Factoring in the backflips though, Kemp has the capabilities and athleticism to become a fan favorite in the mold of Munenori Kawasaki or Nyjer Morgan (AKA Tony Plush).

Before Kemp does something incredible, this is your opportunity now to join the bandwagon before it goes astronomical. Kemp’s backflipping adds a layer of intrigue, finesse, and swagger that the Cubs were missing. My bold rest of season prediction, Kemp’s backflips alone should win the Cubs the NL Central and the first round divisional series.