Back to the Top News Newsfeed

Tony Kemp, who spent nine seasons as a spark plug in places like Houston and Oakland, retires

Related Topics: Tony Kemp

Tony Kemp is calling it a career.

The veteran utility player announced his retirement on social media Thursday after nine seasons in the majors.

The 5-foot-6 Kemp hit .237 with 35 home runs and 184 RBIs in 739 games for the Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics and Baltimore Orioles.

Kemp broke in with the Astros in 2016, three years after the club selected him in the fifth round of the 2013 amateur draft out of Vanderbilt. He became a regular by 2018.

Kemp moved from Houston to Chicago at the trade deadline in 2019, then signed with Oakland before the 2020 season.