Unheralded Phillies Prospect is Surprisingly Shining in Arizona Fall League

The Arizona Fall League is underway and the Philadelphia Phillies have a lesser known prospect who has gotten off to a great start.

Otto Kemp tries to turn a double play for the Rox during the Northwoods League championship game against the Traverse City Pit Spitters Friday, Aug. 20, 2021, at Joe Faber Field in St. Cloud. Rox Edits 9 / Dave Schwarz/dschwarz@stcloudtimes.com via Imagn Content Services, LLC

As always, the Philadelphia Phillies have multiple prospects in the Arizona Fall League. This season, top prospects like Andrew Painter and Bryan Rincon are participating. While all eyes are on the big name prospects playing, one of the standout players from the Phillies has not exactly been a standout.

Otto Kemp went undrafted out of Point Loma Nazarene in 2022, but was eventually signed by Philadelphia. Since then, he has reached Triple-A and even made it onto the Phillies' top 30 list from MLB Pipeline at 28.

The 25-year-old played 123 games across four levels in 2024. Kemp slashed .285/.392/.489 with a .881 OPS, 24 doubles, 16 home runs, 66 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. A do-it-all player on offense, he can also play multiple positions. Throughout the year, he played first, second and third base.

Through six games in the AFL thus far, the infielder has raked.

Kemp is 5-for-17 with two homers and seven RBIs while also scoring five runs. His two home runs came in the same game, to boot.

Despite being undrafted and being known for his power, he always knew he had it in him.

"I've always known it was there. So I mean, just kind of trusting that the more at-bats you get, the more fields you work through, the more it's gonna come. I think just kind of gaining that experience and getting more at-bats, that's kind of how it started to really come together," he told MLB.com.

He definitely found his power this season. In 2023, Kemp hit just seven home runs in 109 games, but hit 11 in 64 games alone at Double-A this past season.

"Hitting is contagious," he said of his two homer game, but it also can be applied to his regular season at large.

Although Kemp wasn't a high draft pick, and didn't even go to a Division I school, he has made himself into a legitimate prospect in the Phillies' system. He had the belief in himself, but he just needed a shot. Philadelphia gave it to him, and now he's making the most of it.

"That was a tough day but I'm forever gonna be thankful for the Phillies and them for giving me this opportunity. To them, honestly, thank you for giving me a shot. I always knew that I could do it. I had that belief in myself and I think a lot of people around me did, but it's definitely surreal to be here and in this position. But the work doesn't stop here. I just got to keep doing what got me here," he told Jesse Borek.

An older prospect, he has already reached Triple-A. Should the Phillies need some depth next season, Kemp could be an option.