Astros call up 5-foot-6 Tony Kemp, might construct the shortest roster in MLB
Jose Altuve is 5-foot-6 and really good at baseball. Those two facts probably have nothing to do with each other, but it's worth noting that Tony Kemp, called up by the Astros on Monday, is also 5-foot-6 and really good at baseball.
.@Astros reportedly calling up Tony Kemp from @FresnoGrizzlies. #14 on #Astros Top 30 list: https://t.co/fBWZ4LWEZT pic.twitter.com/70f3yQ9Cqk
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 16, 2016
We're not saying height is the most important thing here. In fact, Kemp's invite to the bigs probably has a lot more to do with the fact that he's been hitting .298/.410/.405 with the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies over 34 games, and may or may not be a superhero in disguise:
David Price is excited for him, too:
Congrats @tonykemp for getting called up to the #astros !! Let me know who's taller you or Jose #vandyboys
— David Price (@DAVIDprice24) May 16, 2016
But think about it -- now that the Astros are going to have two players on the shorter end of the scale, they can have their own "you must be exactly this tall to join" club. They can talk about how irritating it is when you get stuck behind literally anyone at a concert. And, even though Alexi Amarista is a Padre, as the third 5-foot-6 player in MLB, he's welcome to an honorary membership.
However, should they run into Miguel Cabrera, they should all be prepared to help him get some reps:
