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Two former Vanderbilt Baseball players will get a chance to shine at the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday. Two more got a national showcase on Sunday afternoon.
.@tonykemp & @tylerbeede representin' the VU at the Futures Game. #vandyboys pic.twitter.com/BVRjLnDZzT
— Vanderbilt Baseball (@VandyBaseball) July 12, 2015
Tyler Beede and Tony Kemp both played in the 2015 Futures Game this afternoon, representing the next wave of Commodore stars in the major leagues. Beede (AA) and Kemp (AAA), two All-SEC performers during their time in Nashville, put together strong performances in their first professional exposure to baseball's national stage.
Kemp started his day with a bang, albeit in batting practice:
Little Tony Kemp pulls one over the fence on his last BP swing. Big bat flip, US team goes bananas.
— Ben Badler (@BenBadler) July 12, 2015
He reached base early thanks to a walk, but couldn't take advantage of that scoring opportunity after getting picked off by World Team pitcher Jose Berrios. He made up for it an inning later by turning a tough double play to keep the foreign team off the board. He earned another free pass in his second (and final) at-bat, showing off the patience and judgment that could have him earning a major league paycheck by the end of the summer.
Here's what ESPN's David Schoenfeld had to say about Kemp:
Tony Kemp of the Astros walked because that's what Tony Kemp does. (Kemp is 5-foot-6, which makes him bigger than Jose Altuve, but he has .414 OBP in the high minors. He may not have a job in Houston, but he's a future major league player.)
Beede's day was shorter and less eventful. The Giants prospect threw a scoreless inning behind a hard-cutting breaking ball that kept World batters off balance. He was able to roll some recent momentum - a pair of quality starts at AA Richmond - into a solid performance at a national showcase.
Here's what Baseball America's Josh Norris tweeted about Beede's chances in the majors:
It may not be the sexiest arsenal, but if he can live at the bottom of the zone with sinker, slider, cutter, I like Beede's chances. #Giants
— Josh Norris (@jnorris427) July 12, 2015
Beede and Kemp will return to their minor league rosters once the All-Star break concludes.