Clayton Kershaw has remained a constant for the Los Angeles Dodgers through the good and the bad. 13 years later, one event still remains a pain point for Kershaw and the Dodgers — Matt Kemp's second-place finish in the 2011 NL MVP award voting. Instead of Kemp, it was Ryan Braun, the catalyst for the 2011 NL Central champion Milwaukee Brewers, that bagged home the trophy.
Over a decade has passed since, and both Kemp and Braun are already retired. But Clayton Kershaw is refusing to regard this as water under the bridge, as he declared Kemp the real 2011 NL MVP during his former teammate's retirement ceremony on Monday after Kemp signed a one-day deal with the Dodgers to formally end his career with the franchise he enjoyed playing for the most.
“That 2011 season… you're the real MVP for that one,” Kershaw said, much to the delight of fans in attendance in Dodger Stadium. “You hit .324 with 39 homers and 126 RBIs. That's good. You're a two-time Gold Glove winner, a two-time Silver Slugger, and a career .284 hitter with 287 home runs and 1031 RBIs. That's a heck of a career, man.”
Little did everyone know at the time just how controversial that MVP voting outcome would end up being. The decision was already a bit confusing at the time, as Kemp had Braun beat in a few counting stats (home runs and RBIs) as well as overall value (8.3 vs. 7.1 WAR, per Fangraphs). Moreover, the Dodgers star was playing a more difficult position (center field) than his Brewers counterpart (left field).
But then it later came out that Braun was guilty of using performance-enhancing drugs, sullying his reputation in the eyes of fans and putting an asterisk on his 2011 NL MVP win in the process.
If voters could have a do-over, Matt Kemp surely would have an MVP under his belt. But even without that prestigious trophy, Kemp can hold his head high after putting together for himself a 15-year career in the big leagues.
Matt Kemp — a Dodgers player at heart
There are some partnerships in professional sports that simply find a way to work. Matt Kemp being with the Dodgers was one of them. Kemp may never have reached the heights of his MVP-caliber 2011 season yet again, thanks in large part due to injuries, but he somehow never ceased to provide some value for the team that drafted him in the sixth round of the 2003 MLB Draft.
Kemp's career was worth 25.7 WAR, per Fangraphs. His total career value was tanked by putrid stints with the San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies. With those teams, he put up a total of -1.4 WAR over a span of five seasons. Meanwhile, with the Dodgers, Kemp never put up a season with negative value outside of his rookie campaign — and rookies are usually terrible and need time to adapt to big-league pitching.
Matt Kemp is certainly holds a special place in Clayton Kershaw's heart; Kershaw was teammates with Kemp for the first seven years of his career, and they had been through plenty of ups and downs together. It has to be a huge honor for Kershaw to speak during Kemp's retirement ceremony given how intertwined their careers are.
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