Otto Kemp, who slashed .310/.417/.570 with 16 home runs, 67 RBIs and 64 runs in 74 games with the IronPigs was named the Phillies’ Paul Owens Award winner as the club’s top minor league position player.

Griff McGarry, who made his final start of 2025 at Lehigh Valley after spending the rest of the season with Double-A Reading, was named the organization’s top minor league pitcher. The right-hander was 2-5 with a 3.44 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 21 starts this season including low-A Clearwater (3 rehab appearances), Reading (17) and Lehigh Valley (1). He spent all of 2024 with the IronPigs as a reliever before the Phillies converted him back to a starter.

Kemp also stole 13 bases and set a franchise record by being hit by a pitch 19 times in 2025, including a team-record four times in a game on April. 22. He spent the rest of this season with the Phillies. The utility player received his first major-league call-up on June 7. At that time, he ranked first in the International League in home runs (14), runs (49), total bases (133), RBI (55), extra-base hits (34), slugging percentage (.594) and OPS (1.010); was tied for second in doubles (19), third in hits (70) and fifth in batting average (.313) and on-base percentage (.416).

The California native was named IL Player of the Month (April), Phillies Minor League Co-Hitter of the Month (April) and IL Player of the Week for the week of April 28-May 4. The IronPigs were 53-21 with Kemp in the lineup, 34-39 without him.

McGarry allowed one run on one hit, two walks and hit batter in five innings on Sept. 18, his lone Triple-A start. He struck out eight and retired the last 10 Syracuse Mets he faced.

The 26-year-old was named EL Pitcher of the Week twice (March 31-April 6 and Aug. 11-17) as well as Phillies Minor League Pitcher of the Month for August.

IronPigs attendance tops again

The Lehigh Valley IronPigs claimed a third consecutive Minor League Baseball (MiLB) attendance title in 2025 by drawing 585,167 in 74 dates at Coca-Cola Park.

The IronPigs led in total attendance and average attendance at 8,242 per game. It marks the second time in three years the Pigs have led MiLB in total and average average) and third consecutive season they have led in total attendance.

This is the ninth time in franchise history when it led MiLB in either overall or average attendance. No other team in MiLB averaged more than 8,000 fans this season.

“I’m continually amazed at our fans and their persistent support of our team,” IronPigs President and General Manager Kurt Landes said. “To lead Minor League Baseball 3 straight years in attendance in our 17th season is an astonishing feat. There are many reasons why we’ve been able to sustain success – especially our partners at Lehigh County, the Philadelphia Phillies, our business partners and amazing staff.  But it’s our fans and guests that drive us to improve and succeed every year.”

The IronPigs also welcomed their 10,000,000th fan on Sept. 2, becoming the fastest team in the modern era of MiLB to reach the milestone. They had 21 capacity sellouts (10,100 fans) and 39 sellouts (8,364 fans) in 2025. They’ve had 278 capacity sellouts all-time and 689 sellouts.

Lehigh Valley opens its 2026 season at home on March 27, against the Toledo Mud Hens.

Eastern League awards

Shortstop Aidan Miller and outfielder Felix Reyes, both of whom finished the season with the IronPigs, were named Eastern League all-stars along with Reading outfielder Hendry Mendez.

Reyes was named the Double-A league’s MVP. That marks the ninth time in franchise history that a Reading player has captured the award, first time since Dylan Cozens won in 2016.

Miller, 21, posted a .259/.382/.427 (.809 OPS) slash line with Reading. He added 74 runs, 25 doubles, two triples, 13 home runs, 41 RBI and an Eastern League-high 52 stolen bases. Miller was the first R-Phil since Jose Leiva in 1987 to steal 50 or more bases in a season. He also led the league in walks (73) and was second in runs, third in on-base percentage (.382), seventh in OPS (.809), tied for eighth in doubles (25), ninth in extra-base hits (40), 10th in total bases (173).

He was twice named Eastern League Player of the Week (Aug. 11; Aug. 25) and was the Phillies Minor League Player of the Month of August.

Reyes, 24, slashed .335/.365/.572 (.937 OPS) in 95 games, along with 62 runs, 34 doubles, four triples, 15 home runs, 65 RBI and 13 stolen bases. He led the Eastern League in average, slugging percentage, OPS, doubles, extra-base hits and total bases.

Reyes also finished amongst the top-10 in the league in home runs (tied eighth), RBI (tied seventh), on-base percentage (fifth) and hits (tied second). He also led all of Double-A in hitting and finished sixth amongst all full-season Minor Leaguers in batting average.

Mendez, 21, was named an Eastern League All-Star despite being traded to the Minnesota Twins on July 31 as part of the Jhoan Duran trade. In 85 games with Reading, he slashed .290/.374/.434 (.808 OPS), along with 44 runs, 13 doubles, three triples, eight home runs, 46 RBI and six stolen bases. He batted .324 in 33 games with Double-A Wichita after the trade.

Miller and Reyes did well in short stints with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Miller batted .333 with nine hits, nine walks, eight runs and seven stolen bases in eight games. He’ll participate in the Arizona Fall League, which starts next month.

Reyes hit .261 with a home run in six games with the IronPigs.

Reading opens its 2026 season at home on April 7, against the Hartford Yard Goats.

Cosmic baseball returning to Coca-Cola Park

Cosmic Baseball will be coming back to Coca-Cola Park in 2026, with dates announced at a later time.

Cosmic Baseball uses the world’s only stadium grade black lights. The organization blends traditional baseball with over-the-top fan engagement, top-level players, music and special effects.

The black lights make the team’s specially-designed, UV-reactive uniforms, balls, bats and bases glow in the dark.

The Cosmic Takeover Tour turned Coca-Cola Park into a party for two sold-out shows last May.

The only way to guarantee tickets for the event will be to register through the ticket lottery at Cosmic Baseball (chilipeppersbaseball.com).

The Chili Peppers Baseball Organization is based out of Colonial Heights, Va., and began their cosmic experience during the summer of 2024.

Senior writer Tom Housenick can be reached at thousenick@mcall.com