Phillies: Jorge Alfaro is an unfamiliar kind of catcher in Philadelphia
When the 2018 season begins, Jorge Alfaro should take his place behind home plate for the Philadelphia Phillies. When he does, Philadelphia fans get to see an unfamiliar breed of catcher take over as the starter.
The two best catchers in Philadelphia Phillies history are arguably Bob Boone and Carlos Ruiz. While Philadelphia legends, they aren’t elite names in the game’s history. Each was quite limited to a few outlier seasons on offense. They were catchers who typically hit near the bottom of the lineup with a few exceptions along the way.
For rookie catcher Jorge Alfaro, the path will differ. He doesn’t rely exclusively on defense or game-calling abilities like Boone and Ruiz. This young star in the making is more prone to sell jerseys with his bat.
Alfaro’s path to Philadelphia came via the Cole Hamels trade. He was one of the prized possessions the Texas Rangers surrendered in order to acquire the ex-Phillies ace. A few years later, Alfaro is ready to sink his heels into a big league lineup for his first full season.
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This past season provided us with our first real glimpse of what Alfaro can do against MLB pitchers. The 24-year-old backstop received 114 opportunities and didn’t disappoint. He put together a nice .318/.360/.514 batting line. Alfaro added five home runs in the brief time with the Phillies. He also finished the year with 14 RBI.
A glaring weakness in his game thus far, Alfaro drew just three walks. Impatience from young hitters is commonplace. After a few more at-bats, we can better judge this part of his game.
The 2017 numbers posted by Alfaro while with the Phillies are well above expectations. During his time in the minor leagues, Alfaro typically hit about .260 with a high of 18 home runs. So, Phillies fans shouldn’t expect Alfaro to imitate Buster Posey.
Even so, the Phillies have a gem next year at catcher. Growing pains will surely appear, but with it is the potential Alfaro brings to the plate in each at-bat.
Not every Phillies catcher in history has been a dud aside from Boone and Ruiz. Mike Lieberthal, despite never reaching his full potential, delivered some stability in bleak Phillies’ seasons. Before him, there was Darren Daulton and his short-lived success. We also shouldn’t forget the one year of Benito Santiago in 1996 crushing 36 home runs.
The difference between those three and Alfaro is that he has a chance to do it for a longer period of time. Daulton was the most consistent of those three, but injuries cost him. It’s also important to note that Daulton didn’t start in 100 games in a single season until his age 27 campaign, a year where he barely hit over .200.
Next: Phillies acquiring needed pieces
As one of the best catching prospects in baseball, the pressure is on Alfaro to perform sooner than later. He’s the next crop of prospects the Phillies will trot onto the field in hopes of recapturing the same magic they had a decade ago with Chooch behind the dish. Instead of playing the role of the lovable underdog catcher, Alfaro is expected to contribute somewhere closer to the middle of the Phillies’ lineup.