Otto Kemp has been the talk of Philadelphia Phillies fans this season, and he's not even on the team. The organization's No. 24 prospect has been bludgeoning Triple-A pitching, and his performance has fans frothing at the mouth for a call-up.
The problem is, there's nowhere to put him in the Phillies lineup. Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and his front office are stuck in an impossible position right now. Even though there have been some less-than-ideal starts to the season from some Phillies regulars, they are just that, regulars.
No matter what Kemp is doing with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, a responsible major league team like the Phillies won't bring him up just for the sake of it. With established players all over the field, there's little room to insert anyone, let alone Kemp, into action. It looks like he won't make his MLB debut unless there's a specific hole that needs to be filled.
Otto Kemp's performance putting Phillies in an impossible position
The 25-year-old's recent accolades have only fanned the flames for those that want to see some new blood in Philadelphia. Kemp was recently named the International League Player of the Month for April after hitting .330 with a 1.132 OPS, eight home runs and 24 RBIs. He followed that up by being named Player of the Week up to May 5, with a ridiculous stretch during which he hit .448 with a .500 on-base percentage and .862 slugging percentage.
Then, of course, Kemp was named the Phillies' Minor League Hitter of the Month, along with Aroon Escobar in Single-A. The versatile infielder now has a .341 season batting average, 1.122 OPS, 10 homers, 36 RBIs and five stolen bases in 155 plate appearances ahead of Wednesday's action.
After seeing all of that, you can understand why Phillies fans want to see Kemp at Citizens Bank Park. The team understands. They have seen the same thing.
Phillies general manager, and former director of player development, Preston Mattingly, told On Pattison's Tim Kelly last week that the decision makers have been impressed with Kemp.
"Honestly, it's been pretty consistent since he got in the organization," Mattingly said, per Kelly. "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.
"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."
Phillies, Otto Kemp will have to wait for a spot to open up on big league roster
The problem the Phillies have is that they need to find space for him. He plays first, second and third base, and has been taking reps in left field. But the front office isn't going to demote a current regular willy-nilly.
First base is obviously a non-starter with Bryce Harper, and Bryson Stott isn't going anywhere at second base. Veteran Max Kepler has left field taken care of.
Even after third baseman Alec Bohm's early struggles, there was never any indication that they would consider sending him to Triple-A for a reset. He was an All-Star last year, and the underlying contact metrics were convincing enough for everyone to believe that he'd break out, which he has.
After an ugly 14-game stretch that saw Bohm hit .150 to begin the year, he has been slashing .310/.359/.437 in 19 games from April 14 to May 6. He has a hit in all but three games during that stretch, and hit his first home run of the season on Tuesday night in Tampa.
Injury will be Kemp's only path to his MLB debut with Phillies
There would need to be an injury to find a spot for Kemp. The Phillies would also need to purchase his contract to add him to the 40-man roster in that case. At least if it comes to that, the coaches can play him in multiple spots with confidence.
Manager Rob Thomson has been getting reports about Kemp's achievements, according to Kelly, and seems to think he would be fine playing in any of the positions.
"Really, anywhere," Thomson said about Kemp's defensive versatility, per Kelly. "Second base, third base, corner outfield, first base. He's pretty solid everywhere, really."
While it might not be what Phillies fans want to hear right now, Kemp isn't leaving the IronPigs anytime soon. We never want to see a player go down with an injury, but it's nice to know there's a possible replacement in case of an emergency.
With the grind and wear-and-tear of the long MLB season, it would be shocking if Kemp didn't make his major league debut at some point in 2025.