Kemp hoping to revive his career with Marlins

MIAMI – Fans of The Clash, The Bobby Fuller Four and the Cincinnati Reds can agree Matt Kemp had the quote of the year after he broke a rib chasing a flyball last April.

“I fought the wall, and the wall won,” Kemp said.

He broke a rib and missed the final five months of the season. Now, at 35, the three-time All-star outfielder is mounting a comeback with the Miami Marlins.

Kemp waves off the idea Miami is where great outfielder careers come to die. Three-time All-star Curtis Granderson batted .183 with the Marlins in his final season last year. Seven-time major league hits leader Ichiro Suzuki hit .256 in his final three full seasons with Miami in 2015-17.

“That’s not my story,” Kemp said. “I’m for real. I can still do some damage out there. This is a redemption year. I had 40 at-bats last year, but I was an All-star in 2018. Seriously, I can still play.”

Kemp believes he’s poised for a comeback that extends beyond 2020, and he wants to play at least four or five more years. But first, he has to make the Marlins – a team that won 57 games in 2019.

He signed a minor league contract in December, and with newcomer Corey Dickerson expected to start in left field, Kemp will try to win a spot as a backup in the Marlins’ congested but unsettled outfield.

“I’m at a point where I pretty much don’t have a say in my role,” Kemp said.

Which is exactly what the Marlins want to hear.

“Matt is in a great spot,” manager Don Mattingly said. “He knows where he’s at. That’s the key for a guy like Matt, where you’re not going to be playing six days a week, and understanding that’s the role we’re looking for.”

Kemp is glad to be reunited with Mattingly, his manager when both were with the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2011-14. Just two years ago, Kemp batted .290 with 25 homers for the Dodgers. But his playing time and productivity declined the second half of that year, and then he suffered a back injury.

Now, he said, he’s healthy and looks it. He even had a stolen base in his first spring training game.

RHONA WISE/USA TODAY SPORTS Marlins infielder Matt Kemp runs drills with coach Gene Glynn during a spring training workout Feb. 18 in Jupiter, Fla.