Four Storylines From Phillies Weekend Sweep of the Braves
By John Town
Aaron Altherr May Be a Piece After All
Most Phillies fans wrote off Aaron Altherr after his putrid 2016 season. He appeared in just 57 games after breaking his wrist during spring training and undergoing surgery to repair it. Altherr was worth -0.3 fWAR as he finished the year with a .202/.304/.293 line and just four home runs in 227 plate appearances.
However, Altherr has changed the narrative this season. His line for the year sits at .364/.417/.667 and he already has racked up 0.6 fWAR.
Altherr has really shined since Howie Kendrick went down with an oblique injury. He and Daniel Nava have split time in left in Kendrick’s absence, and Altherr has taken full advantage. In the past six games since Kendrick’s injury, Altherr has nine hits and a 1.193 OPS. He hit his second home run of the season Sunday as part of Philadelphia’s first set of back-to-back-to-back home runs since 2008.
General manager Matt Klentak told reporters that Altherr is definitely taking advantage of the opportunity: [quote via Ryan Lawrence of Philly Voice]
"“A lot of us talked about this through the offseason, we like Aaron a lot. And we want to see him play. The opportunity existed for us to add the veterans that we did. But all along, we hope that we’d still be able to find time for Aaron to play. With Howie being down for a few weeks, this is an opportunity. And from what we’ve seen in the last few days, Aaron is making the most of it.”"
With Altherr set to be in the lineup for the next several weeks, Altherr could very well play his way back into the Phillies’ plans. Many expect the team to trade Kendrick later on during the season, and Altherr could be Kendrick’s replacement if and when that happens. Also, if Kendrick’s performance falls off while Altherr continues to hit, Altherr may replace him even without a trade.