Phillies: What happened to 2012 prospect Cody Asche?

Cody Asche may not have been the best player during his time with the Philadelphia Phillies, but he did impress in Lehigh Valley.

Cody Asche’s minor league stats made it an easy decision for the Philadelphia Phillies to promote him to the majors, but his performance at the sport’s top level made it an easy decision to let him go.

The third baseman-turned-outfielder from St. Charles, MO was drafted in 2011 by the Phillies, playing 68 games at low-A Williamsport.

In 2012, Asche put himself on the radar, hitting 10 HR, 47 RBI and .300/.360/.513 in 68 games with AA Reading, while hitting two HR, 25 RBI and batting .349/.378/.447 in 62 games with high-A Clearwater.

He made MLB.com’s 2012 Prospect Watch on the team page, as the 16th-best prospect in the Phillies organization. While his stats were mostly better in Reading, the prospect description noted that Clearwater’s Florida State League was pitching-friendly.

The prospect description said in part: “his raw power, which wasn’t apparent much in Clearwater, began to show itself in games with Reading after that initial adjustment. With a good approach at the plate, he should continue to hit for both average and power, and he runs pretty well.”

Asche’s success carried to the next level in 2013, hitting 15 HR, 68 RBI and .295/.352/.485 in 104 games for AAA Lehigh Valley. Then came an opportunity for further promotion, as the Phillies tried different infield options to fill an unexpected opening.

With first baseman Ryan Howard out long-term with a knee injury, the Phillies called up Asche at the end of July to play third base, moving Michael Young to first after giving Kevin Frandsen starts at that position. Asche had a low .235 batting average, but hit five home runs and 22 RBI in 50 games.

In 2014, Asche had a decent year with the Phillies, hitting 10 HR, 46 RBI and .252/.309/.390 in 121 games. He was limited in the number of games, sharing third base with other players and being sidelined for nearly a month with a hamstring injury. There was also a downside in his defense, where he committed 16 errors (ranking fourth in the National League).

One highlight from the 2014 season was a May 6 game against the Toronto Blue Jays, where Asche went 4-for-4 with a two-out, game-tying grand slam in the sixth inning, though the team did lose 6-5 in an extra inning.

He later had a walk-off, extra inning home run against the Miami Marlins on September 12.

Following rumors about a change in position, after starting 2015 at third base, Asche spent time catching fly balls in left field in late April. On May 11, he was optioned to AAA to start playing in left field. In 15 games, he batted .295/.358/.393 with one home run and three RBI, while recording a .958 fielding percentage.

Asche was recalled on May 29, taking his new spot in the outfield. He would later return to third base for the final month of the season. His fielding percentage at left field was .982, compared to .939 at third base and .943 the previous season, though of course the type of plays differ between the two positions.

Offensively, Asche posted similar if not slightly worse numbers than the previous year, hitting 12 HR, 39 RBI and .245/.294/.395 in 129 games. His minor league success was not carrying over to the majors through two and a half seasons.

In 2016, Asche spent the first two months sidelined with an oblique injury. He returned in early June, but was later optioned to AAA in August before returning in September. Overall, he hit four HR, 18 RBI and .213/.284/.350 in 71 games for the Phillies.

The contrast between the majors and minors continued to show, with a more impressive six HR, 15 RBI and .279/.350/.514 slash line in 29 games with Lehigh Valley. But, the Phillies had enough with Asche, non-tendering him in December.

Asche signed a minor league deal with the Chicago White Sox for 2017, appearing in 19 games for the major league club. His impressive AAA stats continued in Charlotte, hitting 14 HR, 57 RBI and .292/.392/.495 in 87 games.

Philadelphia Phillies

Asche signed a minor league deal with the Kansas City Royals over the following offseason, but was traded to the New York Yankees in April 2018. He was let go after 16 games with the Yankees’ AAA affiliate, signing a minor league deal with the New York Mets a couple of days later.

Asche played 89 games for the Mets’ AAA team, but his numbers were down dramatically from the previous year in Charlotte, headlined by a .230 batting average.

For 2019, Asche started with a minor league deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, before being cut and signing with a team in the independent Atlantic League in April, then later joining the Boston Red Sox on a minor league contract in May. He spent 23 games with the Red Sox’ AA team in Portland.

Asche remains an active baseball player, signing a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins this past December. He was hitless through seven at-bats in spring training. With baseball on hold, we’ll have to wait to see where the Twins place Asche in their organization, assuming he remains with the club.

The 29-year-old is active on Twitter, where it sounds like he’s spending time on the field throwing balls – to his dog.

Once a promising prospect, Asche put up impressive stats at the AAA level, but was unable to carry that over to the MLB. Following recent moves from team to team, he’s now part of the Twins organization, where he looks to continue playing when baseball resumes.

While he may not be the most memorable Philadelphia Phillie, he can be remembered as a good player for Lehigh Valley.