Alfaro catching on quickly with defense, bat
Even through the haze that was the occasional power of Cameron Rupp and the switch-handed-hitting promise of Andrew Knapp, it didn’t take much squinting to make out the Phillies’ true catcher-elect. That was Jorge Alfaro.
The only question: When would the 24-year-old become suitable for every day, big-league work? The apparent answer: Soon. Though Pete Mackanin apparently will never stray from his skepticism of any player who has not been through several hundred major-league games, disappointments and challenges, Alfaro is likely to hit Clearwater in February as the Phils’ No. 1 catcher. That was how it was trending before Saturday, when his two-run homer to center provided sixth-
inning separation in a victory over the Oakland A’s. That’s where it stood by Sunday, when he brought a team-best .317 average to Citizens Bank Park.
“The test of a player’s ability is stretched out over six months, and you have to take that into consideration,” Mackanin said. “We have all heard that. You have to take spring training and games in September with a grain of salt.
“But we’re getting some good ideas on the quality of at-bats we are seeing.”
Since arriving with, among others, Jerad Eickhoff, Jake Thompson and Nick Williams in the 2015 trade of Cole Hamels to Texas, Alfaro had been touted as potentially useful hitter. Yet with a team likely to continue to trust young pitching for a while, his ultimate value would be in how he works a game. But while he has had some trouble hanging onto the ball, Alfaro has impressed the Phillies with his command of the moment.
“He’s been good,” Ben Lively said. “We have worked together the past couple of years. Sometimes, we disagree. But we just take a little time and get on the same page. And it’s fun to work with him.”
Mackanin, whose lineup decisions at this point clearly are guided more by franchise trends than dayto-day strategy, has noticed Alfaro’s value behind the plate.
“The thing I like the most, even more than his hitting, is his game-calling,” the manager said. “I like the way he calls a game. Catching is a defensive position. You want a good defensive catcher. That’s No. 1. Hitting is the bonus. I think he’s going to hit.
“He has improvements to make as a catcher, but I like a lot of the things he’s doing.”
Alfaro has reached base safely in 20 of the 21 games he’s played with the Phillies this season, that after hitting a lukewarm .241 in Lehigh Valley. He has gone 6-for-13 with runners in scoring position, and he has four home runs, three in his last six games.
With Rupp carrying a .216 average into a start Sunday, and with Knapp’s season being dented by a bruised hand that left him on the disabled list for more than a month, that leaves Alfaro as the leader in the crowded race for full-time catcher.
“I don’t really think about that,” he said. “All I am trying to do is give 100 percent for our pitchers. We’re just trying to compete in every game. That’s all we’re trying to do. We just want to win games now.
“I’m just trying to have fun. If somebody wins that spot, he will play hard and do whatever he has to do. I’m going to just try to compete. That’s all.”
Rupp will be 29 next season. Since he has averaged 15 home runs over the past two seasons, the Phillies will need to make a decision on whether to offer him arbitration. At 25, Knapp has hit .248, enough to pass a rookie audition.
“We’ve got three guys competing to be the No. 1 catcher,” Mackanin said. “That’s the way I look at it.”
That’s how it looks. At least, that’s how the Phillies would prefer it to look as they bend toward the offseason. But the early results are arriving, and one catcher is nosing toward the front.
“Whatever I can do to help the team win,” Alfaro said. “I will do it.”
And in the process, win a job.