Phillies News: Jorge Alfaro ‘Ready to Go’
By Tim Kelly
When the Philadelphia Phillies traded Cole Hamels to the Texas Rangers in July, they acquired a package in return for him that didn’t necessarily contain one of the league’s blue-chip prospects, but rather a slew of very talented young pieces that immediately changed the outlook on both the team’s farm system and their future.
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Right-handed pitcher Jake Thompson and outfielder Nick Williams are now the number two and three prospects in the Phillies’ system, and still will go a great way in determining the success of the trade. But Jerad Eickhoff, who was one of the depth pieces in the trade, posted a 2.65 ERA in eight starts, looking as though he could have been a gem in the trade.
So just a few months after the trade, fans feel really excited about the return. Alec Asher may or may not turn out to be a back-end of the rotation starter, but the early returns on the pieces acquired for Hamels look great.
Jorge Alfaro was considered the third-best piece in the deal and the team’s potential catcher of the future, but only played three games after the trade in the Gulf Coast League, after suffering an ankle injury.
MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki says that Alfaro is now healthy and ready to play in winter ball.
"Catcher Jorge Alfaro is scheduled to leave Clearwater, Fla., this week and head home to Colombia for a few days before heading to Venezuela to play winter ball.Alfaro spent most of the season recovering from surgery on his left ankle, but he is ready to play.“He looks good,” Jordan said. “He is ready to go. We need to get him on the field. He needs to play for a while and knock off some rust. Physically, he has everything you’re looking for, but we need to see him play.”"
Alfaro is ranked right behind Thompson and Williams as the team’s fourth best prospect. MLB Pipeline provided this more in-depth breakdown of the catcher, who is noted for his strong arm.
"Since signing for a $1.3 million bonus — a record for a Colombian player — in January 2010, Alfaro advanced rapidly to Double-A. He has the best combination of raw power and pure arm strength among Minor League catchers, though he’s still polishing those tools and the other aspects of his game. Unfortunately for him, his 2015 season was put on hold when he underwent surgery on his left ankle in June. That didn’t keep the Phillies from wanting him, making sure he was included in the package they received in return for Cole Hamels.Alfaro has the strength and bat speed to drive balls out of any part of any ballpark without selling out for power, yet he’s still overly aggressive at the plate. He swings and misses frequently, and he needs to do a better job of taking pitches and recognizing breaking balls. If he figures it out, he could be an average hitter with 20-plus homers per season in the big leagues.Similarly, he has a cannon arm and good athleticism for a catcher but needs a lot of refinement behind the plate. He threw out just 28 percent of basestealers and committed 23 passed balls in 90 games in 2014. Though he has played first base and tried the outfield in instructional league play, it’s too soon to give up on the idea that he can become an All-Star catcher."
With his cannon arm mixed with the fact that he’s not necessarily a polished catcher, the idea of him potentially making a transition to being a corner outfielder still intrigues me. The hope would be that the Phillies have three long-term starting outfielders in Odubel Herrera, Aaron Altherr and the aforementioned Williams, though it’s way to early to pencil that in. So that’s still an option.
Moving Alfaro to first-base could also be an option long-term, though that would seem to waste his best trait.
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The obvious hope would be that he will be the team’s long-term starting catcher with Andrew Knapp serving as his backup. But it’s possible that Alfaro ends up better suited to play another position, or the team feels as though Knapp is good enough to be the starting catcher and they want to find a way to have both him and Alfaro in the starting lineup.
Either way, it’s encouraging to hear that Alfaro seems to have a clean bill of health, considering that he will go a long way in determining the success of the Phillies in the next five to 10 years.