Aaron Altherr to the Show

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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.

18 thoughts on “Aaron Altherr to the Show”

  1. I like the call up even if its just for a few days. It’s always nice to see a potential future player up. It’s sure better than Susdorff which we were down to last yr

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    1. Hmmm, what is Susdorf batting in AAA again son?

      I know that one bad play in the majors and he’s total garbage to most. but Altherr to me is a poor man’s Dom Brown, and that is not saying much at all.

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      1. thx for sticking up for Susdorf, you are totally correct. last night 3-4 with a single double and home run and the homer was off a good lefty, the boy can hit and he is home grown. got a raw deal with no spring training invite. Thanks so much for sticking with one of our own philly drafts !!!!

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        1. This is so misguided it’s incomprehensible. Fellow, I’m sure Steve Susdorf is a swell guy and I admire his perseverance. But he’s not a major league player and the likelihood he will ever be one for more than a cup of coffee is probably no more than 2 or 3 percent. He’s nowhere near Altherr’s equal as a prospect.

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          1. Wasn’t comparing Susdorf to altheer. Just saying Phil’s need a bat off the bench and the best “hitter”. The best hitter in AAA is Susdorf. He is better than Ronnie cedeno who has no business being up with both hernandez and brignac on club. That’s what Susdorf is. A guy who can get a hit off the bench

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        2. You are a good man George Wells, for that, I salute you.

          I just love how everyone gets a hard-on for these toolsy guys who wont amount to nothing.

          Also I never said Susdorf is a prospect by any means.

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      2. Susdorf has a sub-.700 OPS as a 28 year old in AAA. So, I’m not sure the “what’s Susdorf batting” line is as compelling an argument as you meant it to be.

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      3. Altherr is a prospect, Susdorf is not. Altherr does just about everything better then Susdorf. Period.

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  2. I hope he gets into a game before he gets sent back down, even as a pinch hitter or pinch runner. We know he’s a better fielder than Revere in CF.

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  5. If we see Revere, Byrd, and Mayberry all traded and/or Gwynn sent somewhere then we may get to see Sudsdorf yet again. Now he may not be a starter but I could see him good enough with the bat to be a role player or part time.

    If they fall out of it totally I hope we get to see more of Altherr or Sudsdorf and a few others.

    And I hope they give Altherr a start in CF at least once this week.

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    1. Revere isn’t getting traded.

      Revere is a popular target around here and with some reason. But in the context which is the disaster of the Phillies’ outfield, he is a relative bright spot, and still young & cheap. (His defense is also improved somewhat from last year.) Nor is there a plausible replacement in the short run – Altherr possibly eventually … mid 2015 at the earliest, IF he continues to develop.

      And I’ll echo the comments of others – why would you want to see Susdorf again, even as a bench guy? It’s almost as if some people around here WANT the Phillies to turn into a 110 loss team.

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  7. First off, Tony Gwynn Sr. RIP. He was a great player and a better man. Secondly, Gelb said, “Altherr has not produced at Reading.” It’s too bad Matt didn’t delve a little deeper. Altherr was the only healthy OF’er on the 40 man but he still was the choice to make. If you give Altherr a pass for the early season injury and the associated rust, you’ll see Altherr is the hottest hitter in the organization. He’s not ready for the big jump but he earned the call up.

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  8. Matt Gelb by far is the worst and least objective sports writer in Philadelphia as he always has to stick his opinion in the column. Matt it grows old in a hurry and you are why I cut the Inquirer down to weekends only from daily delivery. Lastly, Matt does not like doing research as it would have validated Bellman’s response.

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