After splitting his second season of professional baseball with the Gulf Coast League Phillies and the Williamsport Crosscutters, outfielder Aaron Altherr is already turning heads and moving up the Phillies prospect rankings at a fast pace. A 9th round selection in the 2009 draft, the 20-year-old Altherr is known to be a contact hitter and an outfielder with terrific range.
The right-handed hitting Altherr debuted with the Gulf Coast League Phillies after signing his first professional contract in 2009 and batted .214 with 1 HR, 11 RBI and 6 steals in 28 games. In 1 less game played in the GCL this past season, Altherr showed improvement and posted a .304 batting average with 1 HR, 15 RBI and 10 steals. He was promoted to Williamsport on July 22nd.
With the short-season Crosscutters of the New York-Penn League, Altherr continued a strong season with a .287 average, 7 doubles, 3 triples, 10 RBI and 2 steals in 28 games.
Now playing with the Class A level Lakewood BlueClaws in the South Atlantic League this season, Altherr has big aspirations to continue his progression and to help the club make a run for a third consecutive league title.
I spoke with Altherr this week about his goals for this year, his draft experience, his playing style and much more. Use the media player below to listen to the full interview.
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Jay Floyd is PhilliesNation’s minor league insider. To check out more from Jay, visit his site, PhoulBallz.com.