As they look to officially clinch an NL Wild Card spot, the Philadelphia Phillies are turning to the heavens. Sort of.
The Phillies announced on Friday that they are calling up reliever Orion Kerkering. A 22-year-old right-hander, Kerkering had worked his way up this season from Low-A Clearwater in April to High-A Jersey Shore in May to Double-A Reading in July. Kerkering then got promoted to Triple-A Lehigh earlier this week, making just one appearance for them before getting the call up to the big leagues.
On top of having an absolutely generational name, Kerkering, a fifth-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, has some nasty stuff too. At all levels combined this season, Kerkering owns a 4-1 record with a 1.51 ERA, collecting 14 saves and striking out a staggering 13.2 batters per nine innings. Matt Gelb of The Athletic notes that Kerkering can touch triple-digits with his fastball, sits in the 88-90 mph range with his slider and also has a breaking ball that many rival evaluators have deemed the best in the minors this year.
As for the Phillies, they have a comfortable 4.5 -game lead for the first NL Wild Card spot with nine games left to play. That means that the Phillies can use their remaining regular-season games to get a glimpse of some of their younger talent. Though Kerkering might not have the best name that we have seen in all of sports this year, he may have a lot of opposing batters going stargazing.
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