OXFORD | Kemp Alderman discouraged would-be base stealers with sheer velocity at Newton County Academy.
With Alderman behind the plate in high school, coaches and opposing players would see the throw-down to second coming from the two-way player who could throw in the mid 90s off the mound, and that was enough to stay cemented at first base.
What they didn’t notice is a mechanics issue Alderman is still ironing out these years later, now in his junior season at Ole Miss. He has a long arm action, and while it’s better, it’s still the point of emphasis as he could be counted on to be the primary No. 2 catcher behind Calvin Harris.
“The only thing challenging, and I’m working on it in drills with Calvin, is throwing down from second base,” Alderman said. “I have a longer arm action than normal, even from the outfield and I used to pitch a long time ago, too, and kind of always had that wind-up and it’s tough to adjust that to throwing from my ear.”
Alderman came to Ole Miss with a good bit of high school catching experience, but he’s mostly been a designated hitter for the Rebels. He’s shifting to a corner outfield role when Ole Miss opens the season on February 17 against Delaware. Last season, Alderman started 58 times — 52 at DH, five in left field and one in right field.
Harris is unquestionably the starting catcher after waiting his turn behind Hayden Dunhurst for two seasons. Harris was a top-100 overall prospect and a top-10 catcher out of high school. Behind him the Rebels have Alderman and freshman Will Plattner who has missed time with a PCL injury this semester.
Alderman was the bullpen catcher when he played in only eight games as a freshman, and he was used in an emergency situation last year at South Carolina. He spent this past summer in the Northwoods League getting comfortable in the corner outfield, and he feels confident there. When he returned to Oxford, head coach Mike Bianco told him to put greater emphasis on his catcher improvement.
“Coach B told me I need to be ready in case something happens to Cal or just to catch some midweeks and give him a break,” Alderman said. “I’ll be honest that I didn’t take it that seriously when I first got here, but I have improved and I feel good back there. It’s a transition with how fast the ball gets on you, but I can play there. It’s been a good few months of getting better.”
Alderman’s move to the outfield should help Ole Miss’ lineup construction and add an extra hitter now with the DH spot open. The 6-foot-3, 250-pounder improved in every offensive category last season. As a freshman, he struck out 11 times with no walks and had two hits in 16 at-bats.
Last year, Alderman hit .286 with a .910 OPS. He had 11 home runs and walked 29 times with six hit by pitches. He struck out fewer than once per game. Alderrman hit the grand slam that opened up the regional final against Arizona, and he had three multi-hit games in the College World Series, hitting .318 for the tournament.
“One of those presences in the middle of the lineup that we are excited to watch Kemp grow as a player, as a hitter, it is really cool,” Bianco said. “It is why you get into the sport and coach, to watch guys that are super talented guys that continue to get better and better every year.”
