Matt Kemp has a new diet and a chance to play a role for the Miami Marlins
Matt Kemp knows where he stands at this point. He’s 35 years old, heading into what he hopes will be his 15th Major League Baseball season and is with the Miami Marlins this spring training on a minor-league contract.
The outfielder’s goal is to keep playing as long as he can at the highest level as he can. That will most likely come in a limited role, a spot starter primarily coming off the bench.
And he also looked internally this offseason to see what he can do to maximize his chances to continue playing.
One of the biggest changes: His diet. Specifically, moving to a plant-based diet about three months ago.
“I grew up in Oklahoma. All we do is eat meat. We’re used to having steak and chicken and all that,” Kemp said. “But I don’t miss it anymore. It just becomes a lifestyle. It’s helped me with inflammation. As we get older, the inflammation kind of builds up a little bit. It helps. Getting bloodwork and trying to figure out what exactly you put into your body that either makes it better or what actually makes it worse.”
One of those foods: Sunflower seeds.
“My body apparently doesn’t react well to them,” he said. “This whole time, I’ve been putting sunflower seeds into my body and it’s been causing inflammation. There’s just a lot of things you can get from different tests. I just stay away from the things it tells me to stay away from. It feels good.”
He has also looked good so far in spring training as well. While spring training stats aren’t always an indicator of regular-season success, Kemp is 3 for 7 with two RBI and a stolen base through three games.
Kemp said he feels physically fine after playing just 20 games last season. He missed most of 2019 after breaking a rib when he crashed into the outfield wall tracking down a flyball as a member of the Cincinnati Reds.
He’s a career .285 hitter and was an All-Star as recently as 2018. He has a chance to carve out a role on the Marlins’ roster.
“Matt’s in a great spot,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “When we talked to him in the Winter Meetings, he knows where he’s at. And that’s the key for a guy like Matt where you’re talking about the fact that you’re not going to be playing six days a week and understanding that’s the role we’re looking for.
Lopez’s new pitch
Pablo Lopez, expected to be part of the Marlins’ starting rotation this season, showcased a new skill when he made his spring training debut Wednesday.
The newest addition to his arsenal: a slider, a pitch he began developing this offseason. The hope is that it will serve as a better complement to his fastball, which touched 96 mph a few times during his two innings Wednesday.
“It felt good,” Lopez said. “Obviously, it was new to me, but I like that with the slider you can think more fastball. With a curveball, you need it to break. You want it to have this really good spin, this true spin. With the slider, it’s more just grip it and rip it.”
Villar in the field
After playing as the designated hitter in each of his first three spring training games, Jonathan Villar will make his first appearance in center field when the Marlins play the New York Mets on Thursday night at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.
Miami is experimenting with Villar, a middle infielder by trade, playing in the outfield. Doing so would allow them to keep Brian Anderson primarily at third base, which the Marlins see as his long-term position.
Playing under the lights
Thursday is the first of four night games for the Marlins this spring training.
The others: March 6 against the Washington Nationals in Jupiter (7:05 p.m. start), March 19 against the Detroit Tigers in Lakeland (6:05 p.m. start) and March 21 against the St. Louis Cardinals in Jupiter (7:05 p.m. start).
This story was originally published February 27, 2020 at 1:59 PM.
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