Phillies Prospect Jorge Alfaro Mashing, but Don’t Expect Him in the Majors Anytime Soon

Even though Jorge Alfaro, the Phillies top catching prospect, is crushing baseballs at Triple-A, don’t expect him in the majors anytime soon.

To say Jorge Alfaro is hot in Triple-A is an understatement. The Phillies top catching prospect has a .354/.373/.569 line through his first 16 games with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. He has three home runs, a double, two triples, and 10 RBI.

Alfaro has also been impressive defensively. He has given up just one passed ball so far without making any errors. He is 2-for-4 in catching runners stealing.

Whenever you see a prospect succeeding at the Triple-A level, the next question is when will that prospect come up? Those questions are only fueled by the struggles of starter Cameron Rupp (.605 OPS) as well as backup Andrew Knapp (.594 OPS). It would make sense to promote Alfaro if the players above him are struggling, right?

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However, they may not be the best move for Alfaro’s development. As pointed out by Matt Gelb of Philly.com, Alfaro is in his last option year on the 40-man roster. That means he has to be in the majors next year or be put back on waivers. This is the last year Alfaro can be in the minors, so he should be there as long as possible to get as much development as possible.

Besides, Alfaro still has some development to do.

One thing he has struggled with this season is his plate discipline. In 67 plate appearances, Alfaro has 17 strikeouts and just one walk. Plate discipline is always one of the last skills to be honed, and Alfaro will have an easier development curve if he works on it at Triple-A versus in the majors.

Manager Pete Mackanin also wants to see Alfaro improve behind the plate as well after seeing his game during spring training: [quote via Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly]

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"“He had some issues defensively. He wasn’t getting down enough and he worked on that all spring. He’s a big guy and it’s a little more difficult for a big guy to get low.“And we wanted him to just be a little more quiet behind the plate, less movement. He had a tendency to be moving while the pitcher was getting ready to pitch. We just want a guy sitting back there nice and quiet with a good target. That might seem pretty elementary, but if you’re not concentrating on doing that you might not realize the importance of it.”"

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With some development left to do, it may be a little while before we see Alfaro in the majors. However, if his early start is any indication, he could be a force to be reckoned with when he reaches the majors.