Phillies Alfaro Ready for Winter Action

Per a report from Comcast SportsNet insider Jim Salisbury, Philadelphia Phillies catching prospect Jorge Alfaro should soon be ready for winter ball action down in Venezuela.

Alfaro, part of the package that the Phillies received from the Texas Rangers in exchange for ace pitcher Cole Hamels just prior to the MLB trade deadline back at the end of July, as been sidelined following ankle surgery back in June to repair an injured tendon.

More from That Balls Outta Here

The 22-year old Alfaro is currently ranked by Major League Baseball as the #4 prospect in the vastly improved Phillies minor league system. He is also listed as the #59 overall prospect in baseball by MLB, and is also highly ranked by Baseball America.

Per the Salisbury report, Alfaro was recovered from his surgery and made his debut in the Phillies organization with their rookie-level affiliate in the Gulf Coast League back in late August. However, just three games in, he suffered a hamstring injury that ended his season.

Joe Jordan, the team’s director of player development, implied to Salisbury that Alfaro’s return in August may have been rushed in an effort by him to make a positive impression with his new organization following the high-profile trade.

“The guy has a real high motor. He does everything 100 percent and maybe he went out too fast (in the GCL). He’s a very interesting player and we’re all anxious to see him. The physical tools are easy to see — the power and the bat speed. We, like everyone else, want to see it in a game and that will happen soon in Venezuela.”

The Phillies have suddenly become flush with highly considered organizational catching prospects. In addition to Alfaro, there is Andrew Knapp, who turns 24-years old in just over a week and may be the first to arrive in the big leagues, possibly as soon as next season. Knapp won the Paul Owens Award for the best position prospect performance this season.

Deivi Grullon, who will turn 20 years old in February, is far off, but was the club’s top international signing in 2012, and may be the best defensive catcher of the group. 23-year old Willians Astudillo and 22-year old Gabriel Lino have also been impressive. It will be interesting to watch how this situation plays out over the next few seasons.

Still, Alfaro is the prize of the group. He has a “cannon of an arm and good athleticism for a catcher” as per his MLB scouting report. However, that athleticism could lead to a position switch. His offensive profile would probably allow him to move to the outfield or 1st base, should the club decide to go in that direction moving forward.

A native of Colombia, the 6’2″, 185 pound Alfaro was signed as a 17-year old by the Rangers back in 2010 and received a $1.3 million bonus, the highest amount in the history of Colombian baseball per Baseball Reference. He rose slowly but steadily through the Texas minors system over the next five years, reaching the AA level this past season prior to the injuries.

The 8-team Venezuelan League where Alfaro will play this winter runs a 63-game regular season from October through December. The top five teams then move on to a 16-game round-robin format in January. The top two finishers in that round move on to a best-of-seven championship finals. The Venezuelan champion then moves into the Caribbean Series, where they will participate in a tourney with champs from three other nations.

Assuming health, it would not be surprising to see Alfaro open the 2016 season with the High-A Clearwater Threshers, and then see some action with AA Reading later in the summer. His talent is obvious, so his performances will dictate how fast and how far he rises in a progression towards his big league debut.

Next: Amaro and Dubee Land AL Jobs

Home/Phillies Prospects