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Padres News: Matt Kemp Declares Padres Outfield Best

By Daryll Dorman

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It may not be a Jimmy Rollins guarantee, but Matt Kemp is bringing a whole new attitude to the locker room of the San Diego Padres. As reported by Lyle Spencer of MLB.com, Matt Kemp laughed and joked in the clubhouse and asked a reporter who had the best outfield in all of baseball.

After a moment, he answered his own question, “It’s right here. Right here in San Diego. You can write it down – and print it”.

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The Padres have not had a player with such confidence bordering on brashness in some time. Chase Headley? Pretty boring. Adrian Gonzalez. Consistent but not much bravado there either.

So when Matt Kemp starts comparing himself and Justin Upton to Lebron James and Dwyane Wade it is worth taking notice.

"“I really like this team,” said Kemp, “We’ve got a lot of good dudes here. These guys want to win, and I’m here to do my part. Hey, nobody expected the Royals to do what they did, right? Why not us? We’ve got the talent in this room to get it done. It’s just a matter of going out and making it happen.”"

Of course if the Padres and Matt Kemp can’t back up this talk with their play on the field, it means nothing.

Matt Kemp is out to prove that his 2014 second half was not just a hiccup but a sign that the player he was in 2011 – when he hit 39 homers with 126 RBI – is ready to make his presence known in the spacious walls of Petco Park.

Another interesting aspect of Kemps game will be to see if he can steal any bases. In 2011 he stole 40, and in 2008-9 he stole over 30. Since the start of 2012 though he has only stolen 26 total. Can he turn that part of his game on and help the Padres win some games with speed too?

There is a lot of talk around baseball about the outfield that the Miami Marlins have put together led by Giancarlo Stanton, the defense of the Kansas City Royals outfield, the all around solid outfield of the Pittsburgh Pirates featuring Andrew McCutchen.

However Kemp believes that him, Justin Upton, and Wil Myers can be better than all of them.

Of the three it seems that Justin Upton is in his prime, with Kemp trying to recapture his and Myers just growing into his own potential.Yet there is no mistake that Kemp is the leader of the outfield, and as the outfield goes so goes the 2015 San Diego Padres.

The pitching staff looks great too – and could also make a claim for one of the top 5 in the National League themselves. Talk of that resurgence can be found here. For a team that seemed to struggle to find players to put on promotional jerseys that might be recognized out of San Diego, Kemp and James Shields certainly fit that bill.

Bud Black might have expressed it best when he said “More than anything, I see excitement in the players. Guys who are new are happy to be here. The holdovers are happy they’re here.”

So are the fans. Best Outfield? Let the games begin.

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