Recently named the 8th best prospect in the Phillies system by Keith Law, Aaron Altherr was in the top tier of outfield prospects in the lower levels of this loaded system. To alleviate some of the blockages there, and fill a need elsewhere, Phuture Phillies reports they will try Altherr at third base at least early on this season.
Altherr is one of the more athletic players in the system, a 6’5 stud drafted in the 9th round out of Agua Fria High School in Arizona. He’s a level-headed kid with an interesting blend of power, speed, and contact that led him to a triple slash of .350/.426/.775 at Williamsport last season. Moving to third could shoot him up the organizational ladder, because, aside from Cody Overbeck at Reading and young Maikel Franco, the Phillies have a dearth of prospects in the system. That’s presumably a reason they’re making the change.
Aaron played shortstop in high school, so the difficulty of the move should be somewhat lessened by the familiarity with that side of the diamond. If he can be even average defensively, he could get bumped to Clearwater midway through the season. This will be his first full season of baseball though, so the Phils will be prudent to take care of him as he goes.
Exciting news that came kind of out of nowhere — I would’ve expected to hear them considering a Jon Singleton move to the outfield, although this could be a precursor of that. Stay tuned.
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