Phillies Farm Report: Otto Kemp Named International League Player Of The Month For April

It was less than a day after Sports Talk Philly’s minor league roundup that highlighted Otto Kemp before he received a new honor.

On Monday, it was announced that he was named International League Player of the month. He was named player of the week for the August 28 – May 4 week, too, continuing his accolades.

The offense has caught the attention of curious fans, as he’s off to an incredible start slashing .330/.421/.711 to go along with a 1.132 OPS.

In April, he lead the league in slugging percentage(.711), home runs (8), extra base hits (20), total bases (69), and runs scored (20).

He played at first base, second base, third base, and left field over the course of April and helped lead the team that’s in first place to 19 wins in the month (note: minor league teams do not play on Mondays).

Helping in his earning both player of the month and of the week awards, Kemp started this past week with a six RBI game where he had three hits and two home runs in a demolition of the Rochester Red Wings.

For Kemp, the defense is a concern, which makes it tougher for the Phillies (who are already shoehorning in Castellanos and Schwarber as sub-par defenders for their offensive prowess each day) to justify calling him up where he would likely wind up riding the bench.

As much as many fans will probably be clamoring for him, the best spot for Kemp right now is in AAA where he can get at bats and work on defense until the Phillies can find or clear a roster spot for him where he’d actually get regular at bats.

He’ll be a player for fans to continue to keep an eye on, however – particularly as we get closer to the trade deadline.

The farm report hub page can be found here.