Even for blue-chip prospects who are showered with praise from Little League on, it can be a long and perilous road to The Show. Imagine then, the time and sweat it takes for a fifth-round pick out of an unheralded program to force his way to the MLB. An array of emotions inevitably come to the surface. Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Orion Kerkering did not visibly display these emotions in his big-league debut.
But his father sure did. The 22-year-old righty, who is listed as a top-10 prospect in the organization, was unstoppable in the eighth inning of Sunday's 5-2 win against the New York Mets. He threw a scoreless frame and struck out two batters with his nasty slider (nine of 12 pitches were strikes). It was an incredible first impression in front of the lively home crowd at Citizens Bank Park, one that brought tears of joy to his father's eyes.
Todd Kerkering was emotional throughout his son's dominant inning of work, knowing that the former South Florida Bulls standout had finally achieved his lofty dream. While the Phillies organization may not share quite the same amount of sentimentality for such a big moment, they certainly recognize the importance of this debut. In fact, it might be more appropriate to call it an audition.
Orion Kerkering and his signature slider might just earn a spot on the MLB playoffs roster. He has quickly risen up the ranks since being drafted in 2022. Kerkering spent time in nearly every level of the franchise's farm system this year, thriving in each one.
He has now been improbably fast-tracked to the Phillies to fortify their usually suspect bullpen. Call it unconventional, but after seeing Kerkering's top-notch stuff on Sunday night, this move definitely does not seem desperate.
He looks ready for the huge opportunity. His father better stock up on Kleenex, because there are bound to be more emotions before the Kerkerings' whirlwind 2023 concludes.
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