Kyle Kendrick Aware of Younger Teammates’ Names

"“I think we have a lot of young talent, that’s for sure. Freddy [Galvis], obviously, had the big hit [Saturday]. And he played good defense … Cesar [Hernandez] had three hits. The bullpen, [Jake] Diekman and [Justin] De Fratus. So it’s nice. It’s weird to be talking about young guys, though. It feels weird. But like I say, we have some talent, for sure. And it’s nice for them to go out there and get their reps and show what they have.”—Kyle Kendrick via Todd Zolecki"

Kyle Kendrick took a big step this weekend, throwing six innings against the Braves and allowing three runs, three hits, and three walks and remembering the names of most of his younger teammates.

Kyle Kendrick, attempting to suck the youth out of teammates with his eye balls.  Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

During September, MLB rosters expand, allowing for the promotions of younger players from the minors, or older fringe utility guys, to allow a team further observation of potential roster spots for the following season. During this time, the clubhouse can seem filled by less familiar faces, but Phillies pitcher Kyle Kendrick has hardly allowed this common issue to ail him.

After his start on Saturday, Kendrick not only expressed confidence in the Phillies’ younger prospects, but rattled off a list of their names, indicating he knew who they were and could recognize them if pressed. He even addressed some of them by their first or last names only, indicating a familiarity with the group that could potentially involve social interactions.

Rumors surfaced that Kendrick’s usage of “Freddy” for Freddy Galvis and “Diekman” for Jake Diekman could have been a sign that he had only recalled part of each player’s name, and that his designation of the situation as “weird” was perhaps evidence of jealousy. Would the Phillies’ starter be thrown into an envious rage, knowing that he was no longer the team’s most youthful enterprise, possibly performing ritualistic sacrifices in the locker room to maintain his vitality?  This has yet to be confirmed or denied. But could some of his starts qualify as such an action?

“Definitely,” explained a self-identified ‘witch doctor’ eating a sandwich at a sidewalk cafe in Philadelphia. “We’ve really gotten liberal with the definition of what constitutes a ‘ritual sacrifice,'” he explained. “This sandwich, for example, counts as one. Which is good because I’m already eating it.”

Kyle’s statement could prove troublesome or encouraging for the rookies, and we will most likely have to wait until 2014 to see what exactly his intentions are.