Nobody will ever again accuse Matt Kemp of not knowing what time it is. The center fielder of the Los Angeles Dodgers hit four home runs over the weekend against the San Diego Padres to cap an amazing week, and Kemp on Monday was named the National League Player of the Week.
Kemp also won the award last week, and the last week of 2011, making him the first player ever to win three straight Player of the Week awards. The award, which has been given out since 1974, brings with it a watch from Game Time, so Kemp is building up quite a collection.
Kemp had 12 hits in 22 at-bats in six games last week, hitting an absurd .545/.615/1.182 with seven runs and eight RBI. On the season, Kemp is hitting .487 and his slugging percentage is still over 1.000, through 10 games.
"Right now, he's just a beast," manager Don Mattingly said on Saturday. "Matt does so many things. That's what's so compelling about him. He can run, he's a good defender and base stealer. I still feel like he's getting better, and that's kind of scary for a lot of people. As he gets the strike zone, and gets the feel, and keeps consistently doing what he's doing, the sky is the limit for him."
"It's unbelievable what he's doing. He's the best player in baseball, and probably the world right now," said Clayton Kershaw on Sunday. "It's pretty ridiculous."
For more on Kemp and the Dodgers, be sure to read True Blue LA.