Center fielder Johan Rojas and right-handed reliever Orion Kerkering were selected as the Phillies' 2023 Paul Owens Award recipients — the annual honor for their top minor-league position player and pitcher.
Rojas graduated to the majors ahead of schedule out of the All-Star break when Christian Pache was placed on the injured list with an elbow injury. He made an immediate impact with his glove and already ranks in the Top 15 among all major leaguers in Defensive Runs Saved, despite playing more than 350 innings fewer than anyone near him on the list. He's seized the center field job.
The Phillies were confident Rojas would be an elite defensive center fielder right away. They weren't sure how his bat would adjust to big-league pitching. The sample size is still small, but he carried a .301/.344/.439 batting line through 136 plate appearances into Thursday's series opener against the Mets. Rojas has exceeded expectations offensively.
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He skipped Triple A. Earlier this season with Double A Reading, Rojas hit .306 with an .845 OPS in 76 games, a substantial improvement from the year prior.
Kerkering was a fifth-round pick in 2022 out of the University of South Florida. He's had an exceptional season at four different levels, beginning the year with Class A Clearwater and earning promotions to High A Jersey Shore, Double A Reading and, on Monday, Triple A Lehigh Valley.
Overall, Kerkering has a 1.51 ERA in 49 appearances with 79 strikeouts and 12 walks.