With help from Otto Kemp, Carson DeMartini beginning climb through Phillies' minor league ranks
Carson DeMartini took a look around the Reading Fightin' Phils clubhouse and realized this is what being around professional baseball is like. From the weight room to the kitchen in the Redner's Event Center in center field, DeMartini knew his career had taken a turn for the better.
All he needed to see was the picture of a Philadelphia Phillies legend to realize how far he's come in such a short time.
"You got pictures of Chase Utley here behind [me]," DeMartiini said with a smile. "[This] stuff is kind of what I was looking forward to about professional baseball."
On a night where the Fightin' Phils inducted franchise legends Darin Ruf, Trevor May and current Phillies third-base coach Dusty Wathan into the Baseballtown Hall of Fame, DeMartini made quite a first impression. He could be the next Reading player to end up amongst the Baseballtown immortality.
DeMartini rising through the Phillies' farm system
DeMartini finished with three hits to help Reading in a 9-7 victory over New Hampshire, reaching base four times and scoring two runs in just his third Double-A game. With Phillies manager Rob Thomson in attendance, DeMartini showcased to the Phillies organization how far he's come in such a short period of time.
A fourth-round pick in the 2024 draft out of Virginia Tech, DeMartini has quickly ascended up the ranks. This is DeMartini's first full season of professional baseball, as he's coming off a short 24-game stint with Low-A Clearwater, where he hit .315 in 92 at-bats.
The Phillies promoted DeMartini up to High-A Jersey Shore to start the 2025 campaign, as he hit .296 with an .888 OPS in 56 games to earn the promotion to Double-A Reading this week. DeMartini has played just three games in Reading, yet he already has six hits in 13 at-bats to start. He's hitting .462 with a 1.071 OPS, while scoring three runs.
A shortstop by trade, DeMartini can also play third base. He started at third in his first two games in Reading. The Phillies like DeMartini's versatility in the field and his ability to make contact.
Is DeMartini the next Otto Kemp?
DeMartini is very similar to a player who was in Reading last season and just got promoted to the big club, Otto Kemp. And the similarity is not surprising, considering that DeMartini and Kemp know each other well from working together in spring training.
"He's got a lot on his plate right now," DeMartini said of Kemp. "We spent some time hitting ground balls and hanging out in spring training a bit. He's pretty cool. He helped me out a lot. Just kind of showing me how to act like a professional."
That workmanlike approach has gotten DeMartini to this stage in the game. DeMartini is always seeking improvements, even though he's been successful in the professional ranks. He's made changes in his swing since the start of the season. The results have shown.
"Kind of making more contact in the zone, that was the big kick," DeMartini said. "For the most part, your moves are the same, but it's more of how you start and being able to allow yourself to get the bat on the baseball."
DeMartini has also had plenty of help from rising prospects in the Phillies' organization. Aside from Kemp, DeMartini is close with Keaton Anthony, who was promoted to Lehigh Valley one day after DeMartini was promoted to Reading, and has also known Aidan Miller through camps and working with him in the organization.
DeMartini following footsteps of other promising Phillies prospects
Through just three games in Double-A, it's clear DeMartini is getting the knack of the next level of baseball. A subtle change in his approach to the plate has helped.
"The biggest thing that I've seen is you really don't have those guys anymore that are rushing to bat racks," DeMartini said. "You're trying to go get that bat. Every at-bat you gotta be locked in for."
The early success is great, but DeMartini isn't looking at the numbers. He is following the success that has taken Kemp and Anthony to where they are in the organization: a day-by-day approach.
"Just staying steady," DeMartini said. "Not riding the highs and the lows. Just taking things every day and working on my craft and taking the game as the game and not looking too much into hits, strikeouts and walks. Focusing on the things that I can control."
Perhaps DeMartini will have his picture on the wall as a Phillies legend someday, similar to the picture of Utley he makes sure to take a second look at every time he heads into the clubhouse.
