Although Matt Kemp would undoubtedly and adamantly disagree, it is quite possible that straining his right hamstring during Wednesday night’s 4-3 loss to the Angels could be a blessing in disguise for the struggling outfielder – although I would never wish such a thing on anyone.

What must first be noted is that this strain is to his right hamstring and not his left, which is the one that he strained last season not once, but twice. It must also be noted that Matt’s struggles thus far this season are not hamstring related.

So what is the cause of Matt Kemp’s struggles?

It has been widely speculated that Matt’s troubles are the result of him favoring his surgically repaired left shoulder, which would certainly account for his loss of power. However, this should have very little to do with his ability to see the ball and make contact far more often than he has thus far in the 2013 season.

This beckons the burning question and is quite possibly the real cause of Kemp’s struggles – is he seeing the ball?

What many Dodger fans may not know is that Matt Kemp is, in fact, myopic (nearsighted) – he needs glasses to see distances. And though I do not know if he wears contact lenses while he is playing, he definitely wears glasses when he is not.

Vanity aside, Matt Kemp has vision issues. Perhaps he should consider having his eyes re-examined and maybe even consider having Lasik surgery. (Photo source – Google Images)

Being myopic myself, over my lifetime I did the glasses-then-contacts-then-Lasik thing, with outstanding results with the latter and definitely something that I would recommend to everyone with vision issues. That being said, I am well aware that there are some eye issues that prevent this fast and relatively painless procedure, with astigmatism being a major one.

Obviously, I have no idea if Kemp is a Lasik eye surgery candidate or not, but this is definitely something that he should look into (no pun intended).

Whether Matt’s struggles are vision related or not, he is clearly opening up way too early during his swing, which was noted by former MLB manager and current DodgerTalk Radio host Kevin Kennedy after Tuesday night’s win over the Angels. Kennedy noted that this is the reason why Kemp was struck on his back (right) elbow instead of his leading (left) shoulder or forearm. These photos clearly show that Kennedy was spot-on in his assessment of Kemp’s swing.

Kemp’s swing was wide open when he was hit by a pitch thrown by Angels right-hander Joe Blanton in the second inning of Tuesday night’s game.

…and the results were painfully clear as well.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

In spite of the struggles that Matt Kemp is experiencing right now and despite the incessant booing he is receiving from insensitive fans, Matt Kemp is adored by most Dodger fans who would offer whatever advice that can to help him return to his normal self. As one of those adoring fans I offer this advice to Matt Kemp and do so with the utmost sincerity and respect: PLEASE have your eyes checked, Matt.

We love you, man.