The Beginning of A New Era: Phillies Promote Jorge Alfaro
Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Not even 24 hours after putting (yet) another nail in the coffin of the "Golden Era" in Philadelphia Phillies baseball, the team has made a move that continues to relay the message that this is a "New Era" in Phillies baseball. Reports surfaced last night, that the team is planning to promote top catching prospect Jorge Alfaro to the main roster, prior to the beginning of their weekend series with the Mets.
Alfaro, 23, was one of the three centerpieces in last July's trade that saw Cole Hamels shipped out to the Texas Rangers in exchange for five prospects. Alfaro entered the 2015 season as one of the top 50 prospects in baseball, but injuries sidelined him for the majority of the year. For the season, he hit .258/.324/.498 with five home runs and 22 RBIs in 213 plate appearances. He spent time in the Venezuelan Winter League this offseason, in an effort to improve his game.
Entering the 2016 season, there were serious questions regarding Alfaro. Despite being highly-touted as having all the tools to be a superstar, he's yet to put them all together. That has led to people to make mention of the dreaded word that all prospects hate -- bust. People were already labeling him a bust, and along the way, fellow catching prospect Andrew Knapp overtook him as the top catching prospect in the organization. Thus far, Alfaro seems to be having a bounce back campaign this year. In 403 plate appearances, he owns a .279/.321/.442 batting line with 13 home runs and 61 RBIs.
Alfaro has been touted for both his big bat, and his outstanding defense. He's shown either one or the other at times in the minors, but has never been able to put it all together. By promoting him to the big leagues, the Phillies are hoping that it may be a jump start to his confidence. Regardless of his performance, this audition will give the organization a better idea of what they have on their hands, and if there's reason to be hopeful for his future.
Alfaro will likely split time with current starter Cameron Rupp behind the plate, but his stay could be short-lived, once A.J. Ellis, one of the pieces involved in yesterday's Carlos Ruiz trade, joins the team in New York.
