It sounds like the Phillies think Orion Kerkering is postseason ready
The baseball world ohhed and aahed at 22-year-old Orion Kerkering’s major league debut for the Phillies on Sunday.
The analytics and eye test say that Kerkering’s slider is out of this world. The pitch and the success he’s had across four levels of the minor leagues is the reason why the Phillies made him the club’s first draft choice since 2019 first rounder Bryson Stott to debut in the big leagues.
Manager Rob Thomson was just as anxious to see how Kerkering would handle the moment.
“He didn’t even look like he was affected by anything.” Thomson said on Tuesday.
He could go from Low A in April to the postseason roster in October. It sounds like the Phillies have already made up their mind.
“From what I saw the other night, that’s pretty much enough,” Thomson said.
Kerkering recorded two strikeouts on two nasty sliders in the eighth inning of the Phillies’ 5-2 win against the Mets. For Thomson, the pitch looked as good from the dugout as it did from the stands.
“The swings tell you something,” Thomson said.
Kerkering is available out of the bullpen Tuesday, in case of an emergency. He wants to give Kerkering two days of rest.
Thomson prefers not to tip his hand when it comes to the bullpen, but with the Phillies likely to clinch a postseason berth on Tuesday, he announced that Kerkering will pitch on Wednesday if he’s not used on Tuesday.
There’s something to be said about having a pitch that’s so good that the other team can know it’s coming and still have no chance at hitting it.
That’s why there is intrigue around the postseason plan for Kerkering. The trend for analytically sound clubs is to build bullpens that offer different looks to opposing lineups. Different speeds, different velocities, different pitches and different arm angles matter in a long series.
Then add in the fact that none of the Phillies’ potential playoff opponents have seen him live and the prospect of having Kerkering available out of the bullpen is all the more intriguing.
“You can watch all the tape and do all that stuff, but until you get in the box and see it live. … That’s why experienced clubs sometimes struggle with a guy they’ve never seen before,” Thomson said. “Some rookie comes up and he shoves for six or seven innings because it’s just different live than just watching it on tape or reading the report. I think there’s a benefit there for him.”
Kerkering and center fielder Johan Rojas will be presented with the 2023 Paul Owens Award prior to Tuesday’s game against the Pirates. It’ll mark the first time since 2012 that both Phillies minor league players of the year are up with the big league club at the time they receive the award.
It’s a greater accomplishment now considering that expanded rosters in September are a thing of the past and both Kerkering and Rojas are expected to be key contributors for the Phillies for another postseason run.
“Anytime a young guy comes up and performs, everybody just sort of gravitates to him,” Thomson said.
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