Otto Kemp‘s play with Lehigh Valley has been one of the better early stories in the Phillies minor league system. The 25-year-old had a breakout season last year playing at four different levels with 16 home runs, 66 RBI, and a .285 average has continued to swing the hot bat this season, the first that he started at Triple-A.

Kemp was named the International League Player of the Week for April 28 through May 4, and also took the award as the International League Player of the Month for April.

Last week, Kemp appeared in all six games the ‘Pigs played against the Rochester Red Wings, hitting .448 (13-for-29) with a .500 OBP and .862 SLG for a 1.362 OPS. He had three doubles and three homers, driving in 14 runs while scoring eight times. Kemp’s week started with a two-homer, six RBI game on April 29 before going hitless for the only time in the series on April 30. To begin May, Kemp was 2-for-5 with two more RBI plus a stolen base. He drove in four runs as part of a four-hit day on May 2. Leading off a doubleheader on May 4, Kemp blasted a homer to begin the game, going 4-for-10 across the two games of the twin bill.

Over the month of April, Kemp slashed .330/.421/.711 for a 1.132 OPS in the month and played in 25 games, with 11 doubles, one triple, and eight homers, driving in 24 runs. He also stole three bases and scored 23 times.

Kemp had 10 multi-hit games, including two four-hit games, setting a career high with six RBI on April 29 as he homered twice against Rochester. The right-handed hitter doubled three times on April 25, tying the IronPigs franchise mark (last done by Nick Maton on May 22, 2022 at Rochester). Kemp reached base in all but four games he played in during the month and started games at first base, second base, third base, and in left field.

“I personally try not to really get into that,” said Kemp of worrying about picking up awards and honors. “I just focus on what am I doing today, who are we facing, and what do we need to do to get a win tonight. I just try to silence out all that noise and know that the Phillies are going to make their moves when they make them and I don’t have any control of that. I just have to try to trust them in that process.”

Kemp was top-10 in the International League in virtually every category during the month ranking seventh in AVG (.330), tying for first in home runs (8), second in RBI (24), first in SLG (.711), second in OPS (1.132), tied for second in hits (32), second in doubles (11), first in extra-base hits (20), first in total bases (69), and first in runs scored (23).

Kemp spearheaded an IronPigs offense that led the International League in runs (153) during April. The ‘Pigs also had the most total bases (375), highest OBP (.364), and the second highest OPS (.800). The IronPigs tied for the league lead with Jacksonville with 19 wins in April.

Kemp is the first monthly award winner for the ‘Pigs since Cal Stevenson took home July 2024 Player of the Month Honors and is the first weekly honoree since Seth Johnson was named Pitcher of the Week for August 27 through September 1, 2024. The last position player to win a Player of the Week award for Lehigh Valley was Weston Wilson June 24 through 30 of last season.