The Philadelphia Phillies' MLB roster has very few spots that are open to wiggle room. With plenty of veteran stars and established pieces proliferating the active roster, there's little room for turnover and to fit a prospect into the current scheme.
But, there are spots that could be open to change. If the Phillies were to make the call to bring a prospect up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley for an MLB debut, Otto Kemp is the name that keeps popping up. He would have to be at the top of the list, with the way he's hitting right now.
The infielder-turning-outfielder continues raking for the IronPigs, and was recently named to the MiLB Prospect Team of the Week by MLB.com.
Phillies prospect Otto Kemp transformed into Tony Gwynn last week and Barry Bonds this week
Kemp channeled his inner Tony Gwynn last week, slashing .474/.583/.895 in five games. He struck out five times with five doubles and five RBIs. However, he hit just one home run.
After launching six home runs in his first 19 Triple-A games, Kemp had a bit of a long ball dry spell (for him). He ended a six-game homerless streak on Sunday with his seventh of the year. Then, channeled his inner Barry Bonds as he powered up for two more in his next game on Tuesday. His three-hit, six-RBI effort led to him being named a top performer of the day by MLB.com's Michael Avallone.
Kemp’s slashing .500/.600/1.083 over his last six contests and took a six-game hit streak into Wednesday's action.
The undrafted signee is currently No. 24 in the Phillies' MLB Pipeline prospect rankings, but he's playing more like a top-tier prospect at this point. On the season, Kemp's hitting .327 with a 1.139 OPS. He's tied for the International League lead with nine home runs, and has 11 doubles, 27 RBIs, 24 runs scored and four steals through 27 games.
He's a big reason the IronPigs are at the top of the standings at 21-8 and have one of the top offenses with 166 runs through 31 games.
Will Otto Kemp be the Phillies' first prospect call-up of the season?
Kemp plays first, second and third base, but recently began getting starts in the outfield. He only has two starts in left field so far, but it's an interesting wrinkle.
The Phillies have cobbled together an outfield with numerous moving parts through the first month of the season. If Kemp is anywhere near passable as an outfielder, they have to give him a shot at some point. Don't they?
For a Phillies team that has the seventh-fewest home runs (27) in the majors and ranks 17th in slugging (.385), adding a bat that could have some pop might be a risk worth taking. The outfield ranks in the bottom-third of the league in just about any stat you can look at, both offensively and defensively.
He's 25. That's still 1.6 years below the average age in Triple-A, but it's getting to the point where the Phillies will need to find out what they have in Kemp sooner rather than later. He's not a top draft pick that the team has a lot invested in, and he has had to earn every step along the way through the minors. It's all coming together for him this season, so it might be time to see if he can find success at the top level of the game.