Jun 22, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros left fielder Tony Kemp (16) signs autographs before playing against the Los Angeles Angels at Minute Maid Park. Thomas B. Shea-Imagn Images

Former Astros Star and World Series Champion Tony Kemp Announces Retirement

Originally posted on Houston Astros on SI
By Anders Pryor | Last updated May 15, 2025 1:14 PM ET

At 33 years old, former Houston Astros fan favorite and World Series Champion Tony is calling it an MLB career after nine seasons. A fifth-round pick in the 2013 MLB Draft, Kemp played four seasons of Major League ball for the Astros and was a member of the 40-man roster for the 2017 World Series-winning team.

Kemp played in Houston from 2016 to 2019. He spent much of his time there bouncing back and forth between the Major and minor league clubs. He bounced around between Double-A Corpus Christi and Triple-A Fresno. He appeared in the 2015 All-Star Futures Game, which features top prospects from all across the minor leagues. He was designated for assignment in 2019 to clear roster space for Carlos Correa.

I’ll need everybody’s help towards the end of this letter!

Thank you, Baseball

Blessings to you all pic.twitter.com/wPIkJsMDjZ
— Tony Kemp (@tonykemp) May 15, 2025

Kemp would eventually be traded to the Chicago Cubs for Martín Maldonado. He batted .183 in just 82 at-bats. He then spent four years with the Oakland Athletics, where he was the team's nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award all four seasons. He attempted a final hurrah with the Baltimore Orioles in 2024 before being designated for assignment in April that year. His final breaths of baseball were in the minor league for the Minnesota Twins and Cincinnati Reds organizations. He never appeared for either major league club.

Kemp is one of the better college baseball players of the last 15 years. A star for the Vanderbilt Commodores, he won SEC Freshman of the Year in 2011 and won All-SEC First Team honors, slashing .329/.434/.417. In 2013, he won SEC Player of the Year and received All-American Honors as well.

This article first appeared on Houston Astros on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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