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Dodgers' Kemp: 'To come from where I was to where I am now is definitely a blessing'

Jayne Kamin-Oncea / USA TODAY Sports

This time last season, Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp was forced to watch his team in the postseason while preparing for ankle surgery. This October, he's entering the National League Division Series swinging one of the hottest bats in the majors. 

“I think around this time I had one of those little scooters to get around on,” Kemp told the Orange Country Register. “I wasn’t the happiest person in the world.

“To come from where I was to where I am now is definitely a blessing and I’m happy to be where I’m at and in the position I’m in. ... I treasure every moment I’m on the field.”

Kemp turned his career around after an injury-plagued 2013 season, though things didn't look promising to start the 2014 campaign. The two-time All-Star's swoon carried its way into the first half of the season, as he lost his job in center field and appeared in frequent trade rumors. 

The demotion, however, appeared to fuel Kemp, as he went on to hit .303/.363/.545 with 20 home runs and 74 RBI in 103 games since the June position change. Even more impressive is he finished the final month of the season slashing .322/.347/.700 with nine home runs and 25 RBI. 

The Dodgers and Kemp open the NLDS on Thursday against the St. Louis Cardinals - the same team that bounced them from the NLCS in six games a season ago. 

“I was the biggest cheerleader,” Kemp said during last season's playoffs. “I don’t want to be a cheerleader anymore. … It was tough. It was definitely tough."

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