Aaron Altherr May Hit Baseballs at Man on Trampoline

Is Aaron Altherr’s star blowing up? That depends. Is his star his hand?

Because his hand may have exploded.

Will this affect his status as the thing that this post was originally going to be about?  We have yet to find out, but probably, yes it will.

That thing is the Bowman Hitting Challenge, which takes place on October 12 at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, a stadium name that did in fact end, despite your initial doubts. In what the Arizona Fall League is calling a “home run derby environment,” AFL representatives from each Major League team will see who can hit the most home runs/plastic spheres with humans inside them.

"“Hitters also can earn points by hitting a wide array of targets on the field and their final swing will come off a tee and be worth double points. Oversized trading cards, an outfielder on a trampoline and a moving human sphere will be among the targets.”—AFL’s web site"

Altherr will be the Phillies’ rep, but it’s look his schedule is full, what with the exploded hand and his new job as the first base coach of the Peoria Javelinas. Let’s see who out there in Arizona could possibly take his place for the Phillies!

• Cameron Rupp

Okay, pickings are slim. The Phillies sent a center field prospect, a catching prospect, and four pitchers to Peoria, so that means it might be Rupp’s time to shine. He played in his first AFL game today as the DH, going 2-for-4 with a pair of singles.

But, should things not have gone horribly, horribly wrong, Altherr will take up a bat, and tell guys like Japhet Amador and CJ Cron to shut the hell up. Finally!