Welcome to the latest edition of the Phillies Beat Newsletter. This version was written by Paul Casella, who has been based in Philadelphia since 2019 and covers the team alongside Todd Zolecki. |
ATLANTA -- With Bryce Harper on the verge of making his return, the Phillies will have some decisions to make when it comes to Otto Kemp. Kemp has been playing on an everyday basis in Harper’s absence. After making his first few starts at his natural position of third base just to get his feet wet, Kemp has been starting at first base against right-handed pitchers and in left field against left-handers. Overall, Kemp has started 20 of 21 games since making his MLB debut on June 7, but obviously, once Harper is back, there could be fewer opportunities. That leaves a couple of options for Kemp. He could stick around the big leagues, potentially in a non-everyday role, or the Phillies could send him back to Triple-A Lehigh Valley where he would continue to get everyday at-bats. “He could stick around, yeah,” manager Rob Thomson said over the weekend. “I really like his at-bats. I really do.” |
With first base off the table, does that mean Kemp’s main opportunities would come in left field? “Yeah, we'll see,” Thomson said. “But that's the way, in my mind, I think of it.” The left-handed-hitting Max Kepler has started all 60 games against a right-handed starter this season (56 in left field and four in right field). He's slashing .205/.312/.380 (.692 OPS) against right-handed pitchers. Kemp, meanwhile, is slashing .245/.298/.377 (.676 OPS) against righties in a relatively small sample. The most likely arrangement in the short term would be to continue primarily using Kepler against righties and Kemp against lefties. Kemp is just 4-for-16 (.250) against southpaws to this point in the big leagues, but he was hitting .338 (25-for-74) with a 1.122 OPS against left-handers prior to his promotion. |
Of course, another player putting up big numbers in Triple-A is No. 3 prospect Justin Crawford -- a left-handed-hitting outfielder. Crawford, who had a scheduled off-day on Sunday, is slashing .335/.409/.442 (.851 OPS) with 26 stolen bases in 64 games with the IronPigs. Typically, however, teams will not call up a 21-year-old hot-hitting prospect unless there’s a path to consistent at-bats at the big league level. Crawford is no different, though theoretically, he’d be getting approximately 75% of the starts as the left-handed portion of a platoon. “I would think a young guy like that has got to play, not every day, but very consistently,” Thomson said. |
That’s one option the Phillies could consider. That, too, would leave some playing time for Kemp in left field. And while the Phillies have liked what they’ve seen so far from Kemp, that production could improve once he’s able to focus fully on one position. Up to this point, Kemp has been taking extra pregame reps in both the infield and the outfield -- trying to essentially learn two new positions -- all while also adapting to seeing Major League pitching for the first time. “He's got really good aptitude,” Thomson said. “He adjusts very well and very easily. I like a lot of things about him.” |
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MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
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FIREWORKS AT CBP THIS WEEK |
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The Phillies return home to host the Padres at 6:35 p.m. ET tonight, and they’ll kick off the homestand with the first of two postgame fireworks celebrations scheduled for this week. The other fireworks display will follow Tuesday’s game, also scheduled for 6:35 p.m. ET. The Phillies will end the six-game homestand on Sunday, when all children 14 and under will receive a Phanatic beach towel. |
PAINTER FLASHES VELO IN LATEST START |
Top prospect Andrew Painter made his latest start with Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Friday, allowing two runs off five hits over 4 1/3 innings against Buffalo. He struck out five and walked one. Painter was sharp early before running into some trouble later in the outing. After a long top of the fifth inning that included Lehigh Valley sending 10 batters to the plate and a pitching change, Painter allowed a pair of one-out singles in the bottom half. He got the next batter to hit a ground ball, but instead of a potential inning-ending double play, an error loaded the bases. “He was very good early in the game; threw nine pitches at 99 [mph] or above,” Thomson said. “Velocity is good, spin is good. Early strike-throwing ability was good. Overall, the report was really good.” Still, the Phillies have been hoping to see Painter pitch into the sixth inning for a couple weeks now just to get him that experience of getting up for a sixth time. He needed 91 pitches to get through 4 1/3 innings on Friday. His next start will come on Thursday, when the Phils hope to see him pitch into the sixth -- but is that something the club needs to see before a potential promotion? “I'd like to see it,” Thomson said. “I don't need to see it, but I'd like to see it.” |
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Aaron Nola threw on five consecutive days during this past road trip, extending out to 120 feet, before getting a rest day on Sunday. He said he hasn’t felt any pain in his right side as he works through the stress fracture in one of his ribs, while also noting that his left ankle – the injury that initially landed him on the IL – has been feeling good. “Overall, I’m pleased with how things are going,” he said this weekend. “They’re going smoothly so far, which is obviously a good sign.” Neither Nola nor the Phillies are ready to put a specific timetable on his potential return, though they should have a better idea once he gets back on a mound -- something they’re hoping to see soon if his throwing program continues to go well. “I’m just trying to take it slow and not try to irritate it, as much as I want to get out there and throw a lot and work on stuff,” Nola said. “That’s the hardest part, for me, right now, but I’m happy with where we’re at.” |
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