Philadelphia Phillies Top 10 Prospects for 2017

6. Jorge Alfaro, C

Birthdate: 6/11/93 (23 years old)
Level(s) Played in 2016: AA, MLB
Stats in 2016: .285/.325/.458, 15 HR, 3 SB (minor league stats only)

Those who have been following prospects for some time know Alfaro as Jason Parks’ favorite prospect in the Rangers system since he was signed in 2010 by Texas.

When you watch Alfaro in the box, it’s easy to see what those who love him see – his power is a thing of beauty. When he hits the ball right, it doesn’t jump off of his bat, it explodes.

Then he steps behind the plate, and while his fielding is good, the second someone is foolish enough to run on him and he gets out of his crouch, you hear the crowd collectively breath in their anticipation of his incredible arm, expecting to see a big-time throw.

When you watch Alfaro in the box, it’s easy to see what those who love him see

Alfaro has struggled to develop enough in his other tools to become a viable major league prospect, but he’s shown more ability to make contact throughout the zone, allowing his powerful contact to also bring him a solid batting average as well.

You’d like to see more walks on Alfaro’s resume, but he’s brought down his strikeout rate quite drastically, and that’s a big step for him. He also has shown the ability to take pitches within an at bat, though he rarely ends the at bat walking toward first.

Alfaro will likely get a chance to show his ability in the majors in 2017, but he’ll likely spend his season in AAA, behind multiple very solid catchers in Andrew Knapp and Cameron Rupp.

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