Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – Ranked as the No. 22 prospect in the Detroit Tigers organization this season, former Virginia Tech slugger Kerry Carpenter earned his major league promotion late Tuesday night in anticipation of making his MLB debut on Wednesday when Detroit hosts Cleveland at Comerica Park (7:10 p.m. EDT, Bally Sports affiliates).
As of Tuesday night, Carpenter was leading all levels of Minor League Baseball this year with his 30 combined home runs, having hit 22 homers with the Erie SeaWolves (Class AA) prior to receiving his June 25 call-up to the Toledo Mud Hens (Class AAA). After 34 Triple-A appearances, the lefty bat had polished a .331 batting average with his 1.064 OPS, registering 11 doubles, a triple and eight home runs; drawing 17 walks against 17 strikeouts.
Spending his freshman and sophomore seasons at St. John's River State College in Palatka, Florida, Carpenter transferred into Virginia Tech ahead of the 2019 season. Syncing up with the Hokies during head coach John Szefc's second year in Blacksburg, the 6-foot-2 native of Eustis, Florida, proceeded to start each of the team's 53 games, pacing Tech's maturing offense in doubles (13), home runs (10) and RBIs (45).
Leading the Hokies' 2019 MLB Draft class, Carpenter was selected during the 19th round by the Detroit Tigers, elevating his batting average from .272 at Tech to .319 at the Rookie level with the Gulf Coast League Tigers. Following the cancellation of the 2020 Minor League Baseball season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he began the 2021 campaign in Double-A with Erie, recording 24 doubles, 15 home runs, 57 runs and 74 RBIs across 112 appearances in the Eastern League.
Finding a new gear in his game during 2022, Carpenter improved tremendously during his second Double-A campaign in Erie, batting .411 with 13 home runs and a 1.393 OPS during the month of May. With the pro club stumbling, he was deservingly bumped up to join Toledo during the last week of June, delivering nine hits during his first six games with the Mud Hens (.474 batting average).
Detroit appears to be selecting Carpenter's contract at the right time. On Sunday in Iowa, he connected on the second-inning grand slam that sent Toledo out to the early, 8-0 lead against the Iowa Cubs.
Carpenter is seeking to become the 22nd Virginia Tech baseball alumni to make his MLB debut – the first since reliever Packy Naughton (Aug. 2021 debut, Los Angeles Angels).