Randolph Knows He’ll Have To Hit Way To The Top

When Cornelius Randolph got ready for the draft, he faced a lot of questions about where he’d play as a pro.

A high school shortstop, some scouts suggested he’d end up at third base. Other saw him sliding to second. Others saw him moving to the outfield. Few thought that Randolph would stay at shortstop for the long-term.

Randolph’s preference? It wasn’t all that important to him. He knew his path to the big leagues would start in the batter’s box.

“I was open to pretty much anything; wherever they put me. As long as I was swinging a bat. That’s all I needed,” Randolph said.

So there was no complaining from Randolph when the Phillies drafted him, slid him immediately to the less demanding defensive responsibilities of playing left field and just let him mash.

Randolph lived up to the lofty expectations for his bat in his pro debut. He hit .302/.425/.442 in the Gulf Coast League, finishing in the top five in the league in slugging percentage, on-base percentage and extra-base hits (19). So far in his first pro spring training, he’s once again stinging the ball to all fields. Randolph went 2-for-4 in a back fields game against the Pirates on Monday.

“I’m trying to square the ball up, not try to do too much,” he said. “There’s a long way to go, but I feel like I’m progressing. I felt good in the box today. I got under a couple of balls, but that’s baseball. Since the first day I’ve got here I feel like I’m seeing the ball great, which that comes from offseason work.”

Randolph has been hitting wherever he goes for years. He noticed when he was 14 or 15 that he was able to consistently hit pitchers that his teammates couldn’t. Moving up to the showcase circuit and better fastballs and breaking balls didn’t slow him down, which gave him an idea that pro ball was a possibility.

“That’s when it became a reality for me that I can do this,” Randolph said.

What could slow Randolph’s ascent a little more is his work in the outfield. It’s still an adjustment, although one that he says it getting easier through repetition.

“It’s work. It’s a lot of work. It’s not a hard transition, but it’s not easy. It’s a lot of fly balls. A lot of early work to be the best outfielder I can be. It’s a lot different (now),” Randolph said. “I feel like I’m taking better routes. I feel like I’m getting to balls quicker. My throwing motion is better. My arm is getting stronger.”

BACK FIELDS FILES

Catcher Jorge Alfaro hit a home run in an impressive look at a Phillies intrasquad game on Monday. Not only did Alfaro hit a homer, he also flew down the line on a grounder and showed better hands behind the plate as a receiver.

Over the past three seasons, Alfaro has steadily quieted what used to be a significant hand pump to begin his swing. What once was almost a nervous tic to start his swing has now become a simple load which allows him to get started a little later in his swing, something that is apparent from watching old video of him.