As Matt Kemp reminds us, it’s February

By Jon Weisman

The headline that came out of Camelback Ranch on Friday was Matt Kemp’s feelings about potentially being labeled a fourth outfielder, interpreted in different camps outside the clubhouse as an impending crisis or a declaration of confidence.

Putting aside the obvious that no one would want to be labeled below their potential — and at his maximum potential, Kemp isn’t a fourth outfielder but rather a starting outfielder at an All-Star Game — what’s most important about what Kemp said is when he said it.

On February 14.

We’re all eager to tap into the future and find out what this Dodger team is made of. But there’s no getting past the present — and the outfield, like second base, like the back of the starting rotation, like the back of the bullpen, like anything with the team, has several weeks to sort itself out.

It’s February. And yeah, soon it will be March, and this year, the season starts in March (for two games, anyway), and it’s true that time catches up with all of us and what is the meaning of life anyway?

Where was I? Oh yeah: It’s February.

As I wrote in January, we should be so fortunate if the Dodgers have a problem of four star-cailber outfielders who are healthy at the same time. A footnote: As Kemp spoke Friday, the Dodgers technically had no more than one of those. Kemp’s not running, Carl Crawford just had his wisdom teeth out and Yasiel Puig has a minor case of shoulder inflammation. Maybe not earthshattering, but it reminds you about the players’ vulnerabilities.

And it shouldn’t be lost that even Kemp realizes it’s early. As good as he feels with his swing …

Matt Kemp’s effortless power swing is back. He increased his baseball activity on Friday’s first full-squad workout, taking ground balls off the bat of first-base coach Davey Lopes and moving around like a healthy ballplayer. Then he matched every one of Yasiel Puig’s moonshots with the swing that’s been missing during two seasons of shoulder problems. Those seem to be over, based on the unrestricted follow-through of every swing. (Ken Gurnick, MLB.com)

… he knows he has to progress on his running.

“Me rushing back hasn’t helped any in the past two years, so I need to take a different approach,” Kemp said. “Rushing back I’m better, but when I come back other injuries happen from rushing back. I don’t want to be the player who comes back, feels good, gets hurt again, comes back. I want to be 100%. (Eric Stephen, True Blue L.A.)

For that matter, even Kemp understands that none of the four players in question wants to take a back seat.

“I get it. I think all of us four outfielders feel the same way. None of us are fourth outfielders, and everyone wants to play every day,” Kemp said, according to Stephen.

Opening Day is more than a month away, and even that is only the first of at least 162 games for the Dodgers. Kemp’s not rushing, and neither should we.