Phillies: Does catcher Jorge Alfaro have superstar potential?
The Phillies will likely need superstars to help them return to dominance someday. Can catcher Jorge Alfaro be one of them?
While it seems impossible now the way the team is playing, the Phillies were once the best team in baseball. There is not a person in Philadelphia who doesn’t miss the dominant run that was five straight NL East titles, two NL pennants and a 2008 World Series.
The team was stacked with superstars such as Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Carlos Ruiz and that phenomenal staff of Cole Hamels, Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee. But when they had all played their last games in Philadelphia it sparked the question, who would be hardest to replace?
Well, now six years separated from a playoff appearance, it appears to be any of them. No pitcher since that 2011 rotation that is undoubtedly one of the all time greats hold a candle to any of them.
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Rhys Hoskins might be a replacement for Ryan Howard, a power-hitting first baseman who made a splash in their rookie year, Howard the 2005 Rookie of the Year and Hoskins rewriting the rookie record books. Cesar Hernandez and Freddy Galvis were a solid duo but their tenure is done. If J.P. Crawford can live up to the hype he could fill J-Roll’s shoes. But there truly is no replacement for Chooch.
Ruiz might be one of the greatest defensive catchers ever.
He is tied for most no-hitters caught ever at four and the second catcher ever to catch one in the playoffs. no Phillie catcher ever might match Ruiz behind the plate. However, Jorge Alfaro has shown promise to leave his mark.
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Cameron Rupp did a solid job behind the plate in his five years in the red pinstripes. A .234 career hitter, Rupp launched 39 homers and drove in 124 runs. Andrew Knapp also got some games last season. He played solid but looked more like a backup than the next star catcher. Meanwhile, Alfaro looked just like a star in his 2017 stint.
This was Alfaro’s second run at the show with 23 games more than the first. Alfaro played great after his call-up. While it wasn’t close to a full season, a .318 average is impressive no matter what. He displayed some pop with 11 extra base hits in just 29 games.
He only made two errors behind the dish and while he only threw out four of his 17 stolen base attempts, his arm is regarded as one of the strongest in the game.
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The National League is home to the two best catchers in baseball, Buster Posey and Yadier Molina. On the other hand, there is not a surplus of catching superstars in the MLB today. If Alfaro continues to build upon the short sample size we have seen, he could be one of the top catchers in baseball.