Sep 23, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first base Otto Kemp (4) celebrates his two-run home run in the dugout during the second inning against the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images Eric Hartline
ORLANDO, Fla. — Perhaps the only person that's gotten more praise from Phillies brass this offseason than the man they reportedly are set to give $150 million is Otto Kemp.
That trend continued Tuesday when president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, general manager Preston Mattingly and manager Rob Thomson — fresh off of a one-year contract extension — met with local reporters at the MLB Winter Meetings.
Kemp forced his way onto the NLDS roster with an improbable month of September that saw him homer four times and post an .856 OPS. Obviously, that was impressive. But it has to be more than just that to make the Phillies this effusive in their praise of Kemp, right?
"We like a lot of things about him," Dombrowski said. "He's a good hitter, and the ball jumps off his bat. He's a threat when he comes to the plate. And again, he was a rookie last year, but he was leading Triple-A in home runs when he left, and RBIs.
"And so, he's a good player, can play different positions. [He] probably played the outfield better than we would have anticipated, but he's a decent athlete, so he's able to do that."
Mattingly actually told OnPattison last summer that Kemp's natural position is third base. If the Phillies wind up trading Alec Bohm, it's entirely possible that Kemp could get the first look at the hot corner this offseason. However, Kemp struggled mightily at the third base in the majors last year, posting minus-seven defensive runs saved and minus-seven outs above average in just 255 innings. But, he graded out pretty well in limited action at first base, second base and in left field. Teams love positional flexibility, especially from a right-handed hitter in a sport where those are increasingly hard to find.
Again, though, this isn't as simple as the Phillies just being impressed by the undrafted rookie's ascent to the majors.
He has undergone procedures on both his left knee and left shoulder this offseason, with Matt Gelb of The Athletic reporting after the season that Kemp had played through a fractured left kneecap after a foul ball chipped a piece off the bone in mid-June.
It's clear how much respect Kemp earned for the toughness he displayed in his rookie season.
"He's a tough son of a gun," Dombrowski said emphatically. "He's a championship-type player. I mean, what he played through last year injury wise, I don't think that there's many people that would have done that.
"So when you put all that combination together, to me, he's a winning, championship player with good talent," Dombrowski added. "[He's] highly respected by his teammates for what he went through."
Rob Thomson often describes people as "baseball players" or "baseball men."
On today's Phillies Stoplight🚦, @TimKellySports and @AntSanPhilly finally asked him what that actually means😂 pic.twitter.com/qMfyXtflx8
Thomson was even more to the point in how he lauded the 26-year-old.
"You know what he is?," Thomson asked.
This was a callback to his appearance earlier in the day on Phillies Stoplight🚦.
"He's a baseball player," Thomson said, eliciting laughs from the rest of the room.
