Skip to main content

Prospect Nation 2015: #12 OF Aaron Altherr

By
Aaron Altherr
Aaron Altherr, image- Jay Floyd
Fresh off a season in which he made his major league debut, outfield prospect Aaron Altherr could be knocking on the door to the help the big team once again in 2015.

The righty hitting Altherr entered last season with a .260 batting average with 28 home runs, 201 RBI and 103 stolen bases in 428 career games and made a solid enough impression to jump two levels when the Phillies called.

After starting the 2014 season on the disabled list with a wrist injury, the six-foot-five 220-pounder took some time to heat up, but once he did in June (tallying a .392 average with five doubles, a triple, a home run and nine RBI in 13 games to start the month), the Phillies rewarded Altherr with a promotion to the big league roster, when Tony Gwynn Jr. left on bereavement after his father passed away.

In two games with the Phils, Altherr went 0-for-5 with two strike outs. Overall in 127 minor league contests last season, he posted a .237 average with 14 homers, 59 RBI and 13 stolen bases.

Altherr, who was selected by the Phillies in the 9th round of the 2009 draft, played in 31 games in the Venezuelan Winter League this off-season, putting together an outstanding .286/.392/.486 slash line alongside his Phils teammates Freddy Galvis with Zulia.


Born in Germany to a military family, Altherr, drives the ball to the gaps quite well. He'll need to improve on his 23.2% strike out rate as a pro and make more contact if he wants to make a permanent leap to the top level of the sport.

Altherr is very quick, has a great first step and is a steady stolen base threat. With a focus on causing trouble for his opponents on the bases, he sports a career 81% success rate at steal attempts in the minors.

Having played shortstop at Agua Fria High School in Arizona, the Phillies considered switching Altherr to third base in 2011, and he worked out there, but the move didn'™t stick and he returned to the outfield.

On defense, Altherr has very good instincts and glides to the ball with superior range. His strong arm keeps aggressive runners honest. Altherr'™s primary position has been center field in the pro ranks, but he's seen a considerable amount of innings in right and left field as well.

Altherr feels his brief exposure to big league life will help him in the long run, as he was able to see what players at that level go through on a daily basis to prepare for each game.

His tools (speed, athleticism, power) will be what makes the-24-year-old a candidate to help the Phillies in a pinch this coming year and to be a leading contributor for the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs as well.

To follow along with this year'™s full countdown, click HERE.

ProspectNation
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Justin De Fratus Interview Excerpts- May, 2011

By
Armed with a 2-0 record, 3 saves and a 2.95 ERA in 15 games this season for the Double A Reading Phillies, Justin De Fratus continues to make strides toward his goal of reaching the Major Leagues. Ranked as a top 10 prospect within the Phillies system last off-season, the 23-year-old De Fratus was in camp with the Phillies during big league spring training. In 3 games with the Phils during the Grapefruit League season, De Fratus allowed 4 earned runs in 4 innings and took a loss. He did strike out an impressive 5 batters in those 4 frames, however. Drafted in the 11th round of the 2007 amateur draft, De Fratus stood out as a force in relief last year for both the High A Clearwater Threshers and the R-Phils. In 49 combined games at the two levels, De Fratus posted a 3-0 record with 21 saves and a 1.94 ERA. De Fratus continued his excellent 2011 by pitching for Team USA in the Pan-American qualifiers held in Puerto Rico, helping the Americans finish with a 9-1 record. He also posted out...
Post a Comment
Read more

Bubby Rossman's long awaited MLB debut

By
Eight years after he initially signed a professional contract with the Dodgers and a five-year stretch playing away from affiliated ball, Bubby Rossman became a major leaguer on Wednesday. Added as a substitute for pitcher Kyle Gibson, who is restricted from travel to Canada for the Phillies' series in Toronto, due to his medical inability to be vaccinated from COVID-19, Rossman took the mound for the first time in the majors. Rossman, who was a 22nd round draft selection in 2014 had pitched in 200 professional games before his one-inning outing in the Phillies' 8-2 loss to the Blue Jays. In 27 appearances with Double-A Reading this year, the 30-year-old right-hander has performed well, tallying a 2-2 record with a save, a 3.32 ERA and a .200 batting average against.   The embedded video below features a media session with Rossman from prior to opening day this year, in which the California native discusses his journey through independent baseball and back to affiliated ball w...
Post a Comment
Read more

Series Preview: Braves at Phillies, August 6-8

By
The Braves (62-46) travel to Philadelphia to begin a three-game series with the Phillies (49-59) on Monday night at Citizens Bank Park. In the past month, the two clubs have faced each other in two separate series, with the Braves winning all six of the contests. Atlanta’s recent dominance over the Phils is the opposite of how things went last season, when the Phillies handed the Braves six losses toward the end of the 2011 season. Those defeats shut the door on Atlanta’s postseason hopes. Read ahead for notes on the pitching the match ups and additional statistical information on this series. Monday, 7:05 PM. Ben Sheets (3-1, 1.46 ERA) vs. Vance Worley (6-6, 3.63 ERA). In 9 career starts against the Phillies, Sheets has a 3-4 record with a 4.50 ERA. Ty Wigginton is 12-for-36 (.333 avg) with 2 doubles and 2 HR in his career against Sheets. The righty Sheets was the Brewers' 1st round draft pick in 1999. In his last 5 starts, Worley has a 2-1 record with a 4.06 ERA. In 9 home s...
Post a Comment
Read more