Buddy Kennedy
When the Phillies swung a trade with the Detroit Tigers for Buddy Kennedy in early June, nobody really batted an eye. It was a minor-league deal, with cash going back the other way. The most interesting things about Kennedy seemed to be that he was from New Jersey, went to the same high school as Mike Trout and his grandfather played for the Phillies.
Little did we know that the 25-year-old infielder would go on a tear after suiting up for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.
In 51 games, he's slashing .304/.408/.518 with eight home runs while walking as much as he strikes out (13.7 percent). He has a pull-heavy approach, but since joining the Phillies organization, Kennedy has changed his batted ball profile. He's using a little more of the field and is hitting more line drives and fewer ground balls than he did with the Tigers' Triple-A team.
Originally a 2017 fifth-round pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Kennedy has 46 games of major league experience already. Hitting .205 with a .610 OPS in 136 plate appearances, it's evident he hasn't been able to put it together against MLB pitching yet.
In his most recent MLB stint with Detroit this season (six games and 13 plate appearances), Kennedy hit just .200 but had a home run and a pair of walks to go along with four strikeouts. He might be a sleeper pick for a call-up, but he deserves it nonetheless.