The Phillies Promote Top Prospect Orion Kerkering To The MLB
Not many guys pull off going from Low A to the Major Leagues in a single season. But that is exactly what Orion Kerkering is about to do. The Phillies have called up their best bullpen prospect to the MLB. It is the latest example of the Phillies letting a guy move through the farm system quickly, after they tried to do the same thing with Andrew Painter before his injury. Matt Gelb was the first to report the move.
If you have not heard the Orion Kerkering before, there is reason to be excited about him. He is a flamethrower. His Fastball sits in the upper 90s and regularly reaches triple digits. It even touches 102 occasioanlly. But he is not all speed, because he also has a nasty slider in his arsenal.
There is a good reason he received the Paul Owens Award as the best pitcher in the Phillies farm system this year. Across 4 levels he had a 1.51 ERA. In 53.2 innings, he struck out 79 batters. He started the year in Low-A and threw 10.1 scoreless innings there before finally getting called up to High-A, where he had an ERA of 1.77 ERA. And once he got up to AA, his ERA sat at 2.05. He even threw 1 scoreless inning in AAA.
The 22-year-old should get his first taste of the big leagues now. And the Phillies can use him, with their bullpen struggling for most of the last two months. If he pitches well enough, he could even make the Post-Season roster. Technically he is ineligible because he was not on the 40-man roster before September 1st. But there can be exceptions to that rule if teams file an injury petition.
Kerkering has the making of a future closer. For now, he will try and help the team seal the first Wildcard in what will likely be a situational role.
*Update*
According to Scott Lauber, Orion Kerkering is eligible to pitch in the postseason
Every Member of the Philadelphia Phillies Wall of Fame
1978: Robin Roberts
Robin Roberts was the first name to go up onto the Wall of Fame. He was inducted in 1978 at Veteran’s Stadium. He pitched 14 seasons with the Phillies, racking up 234 wins, with a 3.46 ERA. Robin Roberts was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976.
(Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
1989- Steve Carlton
I dont need to explain to anyone who Steve Carlton is. He is the best pitcher in Phillies history and one of the best lefties period. He made 10 All-Star teams, won the Cy Young award 4 times, won the Triple Crown in 1972, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1994.
(Photo by Chris Gardner-Pool/Getty Images)
1991- Larry Bowa
Another member of that 1980 team, more than anyone, Larry Bowa has kept strong ties to the Phillies. His actual career may not be as prolific as Schmidt or Carlton, but he is just as beloved, if not more so, because of how involved he has been with the team and city since. As a player, he won two gold gloves at SS and made 5 All-Star teams. He went on the manage the team for 4 years in the early 2000s and even won Manager of the Year once.
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1994- Dick Allen
One of the most underappreciated players in Phillies history. He won Rookie of the Year with them in 1964, and over 9 seasons with the Phillies, he hit 204 HRs, made 3 All-Star Games, and went on to win MVP and make 4 more All-Star games after he left the Phillies. He should probably be in the Hall Of Fame, but he is one of the 9 players whose number the Phillies retired.
(Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
1998- Greg Luzinski
“The Bull” roamed Left Field for the Phillies for 11 years from 1970 until 1980. In that time, he made 4 All-Star teams and hit 223 HRs. He is also a regular part of Citizens Bank Park, having opened “Bull’s Barbeque inside Citizens Bank Park.
(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
2005-Bob Boone
The defensive-minded backstop won 7 gold Gloves in his career, including 2 with the Phillies. If it wasn’t for Johnny Bench, he would likely have far more. He caught games with the Phillies from 1972 until 1981, catching the final strike of the 1980 World Series.
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
2006- Dallas Green
Green pitched for 6 seasons with the Phillies in the ’60s but may be better known as the Manager who led the Phillies to their first-ever World Series. He only managed the team from 1979 to 1981. But he didn’t need much time to make his mark on Phillies history.
(Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)
2007- John Vukovich
A baseball lifer, Vukovich spent 41 seasons in the MLB as either a player or a manager. 30 of those were with the Phillies, with 7 as a player. He did not necessarily shine as a player but was on the Phillies Coaching staff for longer than anyone else in Phillies history. After he passed away in 2007, the Phillies honored him with a “Vuk” patch on their jerseys, and then they inducted him into the Wall of Fame in August.
Mandatory Credit: Ezra O. Shaw /Allsport
2008- Juan Samuel
249 steals, 921 hits, 100 HRs, and 71 triples across 7 seasons in a Phillies Jersey. Then he returned as a 3rd Base Coach and later a First Base Coach for the Phillies.
(Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
2010- Darren Daulton
A leader of that 1993 Phillies team, Darren “Dutch” Daulton was beloved in Philadelphia. The case for the best catcher in Phillies history is between him and Carlos Ruiz. He caught for the Phillies across 14 seasons, winning 1 Silver Slugger award, and making the All-Star game 3 times. In those 13 seasons, he racked up 134 Hrs. And in 1992 he led the NL in RBIs with 109.
MANDATORY CREDIT: TIM DEFRISCO/ALLSPORT.
2011- John Kruk
Whether you knew him as a player in the 90s or now as a broadcaster, there are very few people who don’t love John Kruk. He had a .309 Batting average for the Phillies across 6 seasons. He also made 3 All-Star teams and was a vital part of that 1993 team that almost went all the way. I think we can forgive him for wiggling out of an obligation to visit the St. Louis Arch.
(Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)
2012- Mike Lieberthal
It may be because his time with the Phillies was a dark age, with very little winning going on, but Lieberthal is one of the most underappreciated Phillies, maybe ever. It could also be because he was stuck between the two most beloved catches in franchise history Darren Daulton and Carlos Ruiz. But Lieberthal played 13 seasons with the Phillies, racking up 1,155 hits, 150 HRs, and 610 RBIs. He also made two All-Star teams and won a Gold Glove.
(Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
2013- Curt Schilling
Schilling spent 9 of his 20 seasons in the MLB with the Phillies. And while his actions off the field, there 8is a town in Rhode Island very unhappy with him, have left him a bit of a pariah, his play on it was never in doubt. a 3.35 ERA, 101 wins, and 1,554 strikeouts.
(Photo by Jim Gund/Getty Images)
2018- Pat Gillick
Gillick was the 4th GM to make it into the MLB Hall of Fame, and the 2nd to go onto the Phillies Wall of Fame. While it is true most of the Phillies core was in place already when he took over for Ed Wade, it was Gillick who traded for Jamie Moyer, Brad Lidge, and Joe Blanton, and it was Gillick who found Jayson Werth and Matt Stairs. All key figures of that World Series team. He never made that big splashy move many fans wanted, but his subtle moves rounded out the roster.
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2022- Ron Reed
Ron Reed spent the first half of his career starting games for the Braves. But when he came to the Phillies in 1976, they moved him to the Bullpen, where he played some of the best Baseball of his career. In 8 seasons here, his ERA was 3.06, with 90 saves. He was a big part of the bullpen in the 1980 World Series Season.
(Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
