You never know when the call will come. Just ask Aaron Altherr who was told today that we would be joining the Phillies as Tony Gwynn Jr. was placed on the bereavement list after the death of his father. As the only healthy OF on the 40 man roster, this was the easy way out for the Phils, however no other OF in the upper reaches of the organization stood out enough to warrant serious consideration right now.
Altherr, 23, was the Phils 9th round pick in the 2009 draft. After the starting the season on the DL (wrist) , and then slowly when he came off the DL, Altherr has been red hot as of late, hitting .392 with 1HR 9RBI and 2SB’s thus far in June for Reading. Altherr is a plus fielder and will fill in just fine in center field. At bat, Altherr struggles with a long swing at times, increasing his strikeout rate. He fits into the “toolsy” OF mold and can legitimately hit for power, show speed and hit for average when his swing is compact. On the year, Altherr is at .246/.302/.377 with 4HR 25RBI and 6SB. I wouldn’t expect Altherr to hang around with the Phils for long because he needs to continue playing every day, but I dont think he will embarrass himself any more than the next guy over the next few days.
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