Trading Cole Hamels in the midst of his prime isn't something that's easy to do, even for a team that went on to be the worst in the league. But when the Philadelphia Phillies traded Hamels to the Texas Rangers last July, they did so under the belief that they received a franchise-altering package of prospects that would help return the team to contention.
One of those prospects aquired was catcher Jorge Alfaro, who only played three games for the Phillies in the Gulf Coast League after being acquired due to an ankle injury. Alfaro has played in the Venezuelan winter league this off-season and seems on track to begin the season at Double-a Reading.
While the 22 year-old could potentially make his major league debut in 2016 — that idea will depend largely on what type of season he has in the minors — he figures to be on the team's opening day roster in 2017.
Whenever he is called up to the big-leagues, one insider thinks that he has a chance to be a special player.
Mike Rosenbaum of MLB.com's ''MLB Pipeline'' recently ranked the top catchers in the minor leagues currently, and Alfaro checked in at number three on his countdown.
Alfaro's 2015 season was derailed by ankle surgery in June, but the injury didn't stop the Phils from acquiring him at the Trade Deadline as part of the Cole Hamels blockbuster. Signed by the Rangers for a Colombia-record $1.3 million bonus in January 2010, Alfaro stands out for his raw power and arm strength, and he's arguably the best athlete on this list. His game still needs a lot of refinement — he's overly aggressive at the plate and raw as a receiver — but there's still time for him to develop into an everyday catcher.
As noted above, Alfaro doesn't seem to be a sure thing and it's not a lock that he's going to be a catcher at the big league level, but he has the talent to be one of the core pieces of the next great Phillies team.
While Hamels' seven wins helped to lead the Rangers to the playoffs after being acquired, he posted just a 3.66 ERA with a 3.79 ERA. Make no mistake, Yu Darvish and him should form one of the best one-two punches in the big leagues in 2016, but he's 32 and the Phillies seem to have ended up with the part of the deal that made more sense given where they were as a franchise. Jerad Eikhoff posted a 2.65 ERA in eight big league starts and he was considered the fourth best piece in the deal, behind Alfaro, Jake Thompson and Nick Williams.
Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) is the Managing Editor of Philliedelphia.com, focusing on news and features.
