Columbia's Ryan Kemp Drafted by Cincinnati Reds

Ryan Kemp received the phone call he had waited for all his life. 

The Columbia native had dreams of becoming a professional baseball player. Last week that dream was fulfilled in the 14th round of the Major League Baseball draft, when Kemp was selected by the Cincinnati Reds. 

After three years of college baseball at St. Joseph’s University, the eyes of the Cincinnati scouts saw enough of the relief pitcher to pick him

“It was surreal,” Kemp said in an interview with Patch. “I had been working towards this my entire life. To know that all of my hard work has finally paid off is a really good feeling.”

Kemp emerged as the Hawks’ closer this past season and finished with four saves. He held hitters to a .198 batting average in 28.2 innings, and his 25 appearances during the season ranks second all-time in school history. Kemp’s ERA in conference games was 1.72. 

Despite his success, Kemp didn’t catch the eye of the major league scouts until the end of the season. 

“I had no idea when or if I was getting picked up,” Kemp said. “I didn’t really get much attention from the scouts until our second-to-last series. I had been contacted by a couple of teams here and there. A scout from the Reds kept in contact with me and he called me.”

The call came when Kemp was in Alaska playing in a summer league. At that moment he was sitting with a pair of teammates, including fellow St. Joe’s player A.J. Holland.

“It was just a huge weight off my shoulders,” Kemp said. “I just sat back and smiled and soaked it all in.”

Kemp spent his first two years pitching in middle and late relief for the Hawks.  He moved into the closer’s role this past season, the same role he had during his sophomore season at Mount St. Joseph High School in Baltimore before becoming a starter.

“I always loved closing,” Kemp said.  “I think you have to have a unique mentality for it.  It’s a blast and it’s really fun. I couldn’t ask for any other role on the team.”

Kemp credits much of his success to his days at Mount St. Joseph. He believes the tough competition he faced helped prepare him for baseball on the Division I level.

“There were a bunch of Division I players coming from our area,” he said. “We were facing Division I competition and it prepared me pretty well for what I was getting into with baseball in college

Kemp had several college options to choose from, but St. Joseph’s appealed to him for several reasons. The Philadelphia school was a reasonably short drive from home, and the school offered a strong academic opportunity. It also provided the type of atmosphere Kemp was looking for on a campus. 

“I love the fact that St. Joe’s is a small school,” he said.  You’re not seen as just a number. You’re seen as a person inside the classroom and out of it.”

Kemp had the opportunity to hit as well as pitch when he first suited up for the Hawks.  He picked up seven hits in 14 at-bats as a designated hitter his freshman year. But by the time Kemp’s sophomore season began, he asked for a permanent switch to the mound.

“That was my decision,” said Kemp.  “During my freshman year, I only had 14 at bats.  Sophomore year came around and I wasn’t hitting quite as well. It stopped being as fun as it was when I was younger. I knew I had to pick between one or the other sooner or later.”

Kemp’s first assignment will be at the Reds’ short-season Single A team in Billings, Montana. He is hoping to continue the long journey to Cincinnati the following season with a promotion to a higher single-A club in the Reds’ system. 

Kemp knows there is still a long way to go before he can wear a Cincinnati uniform, but he is looking forward to the chance to make it to the majors.

“I’ve been dreaming about it forever,” he said. “It’s absolutely mind-blowing to know that it’s reality now.”