Otto Kemp is having a tremendous season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. (Cheryl Pursell)
Otto Kemp launched his 10th home run of the season for Triple-A Lehigh Valley Sunday afternoon. Kemp had entered the day hitting .339 with 33 RBIs and a 1.118 OPS.
Otto Kemp already has 10 homers at Triple-A Lehigh Valley this season. 👀👀pic.twitter.com/FBeTBEdirU
— On Pattison (@OnPattison) May 4, 2025
It's become impossible not to notice what Kemp is doing for the IronPigs. And in conversations with two key decision makers in the organization — manager Rob Thomson and general manager Preston Mattingly — it was made clear that the Phillies are well aware of how the 25-year-old is performing.
Thomson was asked prior to Friday's game what feedback he's gotten on Kemp.
"Tremendous," Thomson said. "It's on-base, it's slug, the defense has been solid. He's had a great start to the year."
Mattingly is perhaps in an even better position to speak on Kemp given that prior to his promotion to general manager last November, he had served as the director of player development for the Phillies.
"Honestly, it's been pretty consistent since he got in the organization," Mattingly said of Kemp. "He's a self-made player who's done nothing but get better every single year.
"I think when he came in it was very apparent that he was an undrafted player that should have been drafted," Mattingly continued. "He was injured a lot in college. Came in, and like I said before, he's a very good processor. He has the ability to take in information and apply it in the game. [He's] an extremely strong kid ... obviously strong wrists, strong forearms. He's gotten better and better defensively. He's one of the better baserunners in our organization. I just think he's a really good baseball player."
Kemp, as Mattingly said, has an underdog story. Here are some of the details from his MLB Pipeline scouting report:
"Injuries in high school led to Kemp not being recruited by big colleges, so he ended up at Division II Point Loma Nazarene, but a blood clot, a torn labrum and the pandemic largely kept him off the field in 2019 and 2020."
Kemp overcame his injury issues during his senior season playing for the Point Loma Nazarene Sea Lions and hit .364 with 17 home runs and 62 RBIs across 61 games in 2022. He wasn't drafted, but a big final collegiate campaign caught the attention of the Phillies enough to sign him.
And Kemp has turned a lot of eyeballs in parts of three seasons in the organization since.
Kemp started last season with Single-A Clearwater and finished with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, hitting 16 home runs with 66 RBIs, 20 stolen bases and an .881 OPS across four levels of the minors.
A year later, he's producing like someone deserving of their first call up to the majors. And it's not difficult to imagine it happening at some point in 2025. Kemp is a right-handed hitter, and the Phillies are a team in need of more pop from that side. Kemp also has tremendous positional flexibility, which Thomson pointed to when asked about where the Phillies see him defensively.
"Really, anywhere," Thomson said. "Second base, third base, corner outfield, first base. He's pretty solid everywhere, really."
Given that the Phillies have a tremendous utility infielder in Edmundo Sosa, playing in the outfield might represent Kemp's best path to not only reaching the majors, but actually getting an opportunity to make an impact. Kemp has played two games in left field this season, after getting some limited corner outfield reps in both High-A and the Arizona Fall League last year. What type of reports have the Phillies received on his play in the outfield?
OTTO KEMP CYCLE WATCH:
1st Inning: Home Run
2nd Inning: Strikeout
4th Inning (1): Triple
4th Inning (2): Singlepic.twitter.com/0WbcwuimuH
"You know, average," Thomson said. "I think he's more suited to play the infield, but I wouldn't be hesitant to move him to the outfield either."
Mattingly agreed with Thomson about Kemp's versatility, but did pinpoint a specific position he's thinks the prospect is best at.
"I think he has the ability to play all over," Mattingly said. "I think third base is his best spot. He's played a little bit of outfield in the Fall League and here early in Lehigh Valley's season. He's played some second base and first base. Those are new to him, as is the outfield. But I think third base is his most natural spot."
Obviously, third base isn't open right now. Even though Alec Bohm currently has a minus-0.4 WAR and two remaining minor-league options, there's no indication that the Phillies aren't going to continue to let the former All-Star try to work through what's been a dreadful start.
But whether it's because Bohm keeps struggling or Weston Wilson doesn't make the impact expected of him, Kemp may soon force the hands of the Phillies. At the very least, they've taken notice of his excellent start. How could they not?
