An eye on the farm makes it impossible to ignore what Otto Kemp has been doing in Lehigh Valley.
The 25-year-old infielder was just a triple short of the cycle in the first of a doubleheader at Rochester on Sunday, and through 32 games, he's up to 10 homers and a monumental 1.136 OPS.
He's swinging an insanely hot bat right now, and the organization and the minor leagues have taken notice, along with fans who are only developing a greater and greater curiosity.
On Monday, the Phillies named Kemp as one of their three minor league players of the month, and the International League on the whole recognized him as both its player of the week and player of the month for April.
The IronPigs stormed out of the gate to begin 2025, leading the Triple-A International League East with a 23-10 record as of Tuesday morning, and Kemp at the plate has played a key part in that.
The right-handed bat is slashing a line of .344/.433/.703, with 14 doubles, 14 walks, a triple, those aforementioned 10 homers, and 35 runs batted in.
If this keeps up, it's only going to increasingly beg the question of where he could fit at the major league level with the Phillies.
However, the answer might not be as straightforward as some fans would immediately want it to be.
Hard to find a hotter hitter than Otto Kemp 🔥
The @Phillies prospect is 3-for-4 today with this homer — his 10th of the season.
The third baseman is now 9-for-14 with 8 RBIs over the past 3 games for the @IronPigs. pic.twitter.com/QsgjocV7Tv— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 4, 2025
Kemp is listed as a second/third baseman on the Phillies' top 30 prospect rankings, but Bryson Stott isn't going anywhere right now as the Phils' main leadoff hitter and second baseman.
Alec Bohm has had his struggles – and resulting scrutiny from them – at third, but he's been better (somewhat quietly) over his last 10 games with a .306/.366/.333 slash line. It's just that power hasn't been there at all. He has no home runs and only a double during that stretch, with only six extra-base hits on the season so far after 135 plate appearances.
Still, the Phillies might not be as quick to do anything drastic as others would be.
That said, they still might be trying to find an opening.
The IronPigs have tried Kemp in left field twice – on April 17 and April 26 – and given the Phillies' current instability at left and center between Max Kepler, Brandon Marsh, and Johan Rojas, maybe the path for Kemp lies there.
Just so long as Kemp can keep this up.
Let's check in on a few other Phils minor leaguers…
RHP Mick Abel (AAA)
Abel was April's pitcher selection for the Phillies' monthly minor league honors, and for good reason.
The 23-year-old righthander went 3-1 through his five starts in April, with a 2.15 ERA, a 1.09 WHIP, and 32 strikeouts to 11 walks.
The former 2020 first-round draft pick is 4-2 on the season with a 2.75 ERA in Lehigh Valley.
Abel was long projected as one of the Phillies' top pitching prospects – and top prospects in general – but he's had a rough climb through the minors in the past few years.
But perhaps his great start to 2025 is a sign that everything is beginning to click, and maybe even that he might be ready to start helping the Phillies sooner rather than later.
Mick Abel has held opponents to 4 total runs across his past four starts for the Triple-A @IronPigs.
The @Phillies' No. 3 pitching prospect fans six in five scoreless frames in his latest gem. pic.twitter.com/XfemV8swT8— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 4, 2025
RHP Andrew Painter (AAA)
The pitching prospect everyone's waiting on.
The 22-year-old righthander made one more start for Single-A Clearwater last week, pitching through four innings, and now looks to be on his way up.
Painter was transferred to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, per Phillies Nation's Ty Daubert, and is expected to make his next start Thursday at home in Allentown against Worcester.
It's a major step in the top pitching prospect's ramp back up from Tommy John surgery from going on two years ago, and one that keeps him on track to join the Phillies at some point later in the summer.
Andrew Painter touches 💯 mph three times and notches three strikeouts in his 2025 debut!
MLB's No. 7 prospect (@Phillies) logs whiffs on nine of 17 swings for the Single-A @Threshers. pic.twitter.com/h00rN0HOqI— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 11, 2025
MORE: The Phils' offense is better than you think
3B Aroon Escobar (A)
The other minor-league hitter to get the Phillies' player of the month honor alongside Kemp.
The 21-year-old Escobar is lighting it up in Single-A Clearwater right now with a .333 batting average and a 1.039 OPS through 22 games and 84 at-bats.
He's hit five homers, six doubles, drew 16 walks, and has driven in 18 runs in what might be shaping up to be his breakout year, and what hopefully offers the Phillies' farm that much more depth.
OF Justin Crawford (AAA)
The 21-year-old Crawford is with the IronPigs, too, and so far has been holding his own up in Allentown.
The 2022 first-rounder is slashing .325/.390/.421 through 29 games, and has hit eight doubles, two triples, and has stolen 10 bases.
At this rate, and again, with the Phillies' outfield somewhat in flux, Crawford could be charting the path for his own major league call-up soon enough, too.
#Phillies No. 3 prospect Justin Crawford has eight hits in his last 15 at-bats with three RBIs and five runs scored. @USAFRecruiting #AimHigh pic.twitter.com/RrhAOXwIYy
— Lehigh Valley IronPigs (@IronPigs) May 6, 2025
MORE: The numbers that define the Phillies' first month of 2025
Follow Nick on Twitter: @itssnick
Follow Nick on Bluesky: @itssnick
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports