Aaron Altherr Stats & Scouting Report

AB	147
AVG	.259
OBP	.412
SLG	.531
HR	9

Full name Aaron Samuel Altherr
Born 01/14/1991 in Landstuhl, Germany
Profile Ht.: 6'5" / Wt.: 215 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Agua Fria
Debut 06/16/2014
Drafted in the 9th round (287th overall) by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2009 (signed for $150,000).

View Draft Report

Outfielder Aaron Altherr has a tall and lean 6-foot-3 frame. He hasn't played a lot of baseball, and the game doesn't come easy to him. He's a project, but has athleticism you can't teach. He's committed to Arizona.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

One of the finest athletes in the organization, Altherr was born in Germany, the son of a U.S. servicemember mother and German soccer-playing father. Originally signed for $150,000, Altherr made his major league debut in 2014 when Tony Gwynn Jr. was placed on the bereavement list to attend the funeral of his Hall of Fame father. With his plus range and above-average throwing arm, Altherr remains the best defensive outfielder in the organization and could make the majors as a defensive-oriented extra. His offense, however, still needs more work, though he took advantage of Double-A Reading's cozy confines to set a career-high for home runs. The Phillies worked on a number of things with Altherr in 2014, including his hand positioning, being ready to hit the fastball and making more contact with two strikes. He's got long arms and will get beat inside with fastballs, and scouts noticed that his bat speed varied on fastballs and breaking pitches. He missed time early in 2014 while recovering from a broken bone in his wrist he sustained in the 2013 Arizona Fall League, and he could return to Reading in 2015.
Altherr is a prime example of the Phillies' style of gambling draft picks on toolsy players that require a lot of projection. Born in Germany, his mother was a U.S. service member and his father a former German soccer player. He played for the Germans in the World Baseball Classic qualification round in 2012 and went 6-for-11 with two homers, including one off future big leaguer Andrew Albers. With one of the most athletic bodies in the system, Altherr is just beginning to tap into his impressive tools. He honed his swing in 2013, though he still has a tendency to collapse on the back side, and established career bests in hits (128), walks (45), home runs (12) and slugging percentage (.455). He also had the most strikeouts in his short career, fanning nearly 27 percent of the time, due mostly to a long stroke that leaves him vulnerable to pitches on the inner half. He's a true center fielder with sneaky speed and enough arm to play in a corner if he's pushed there. He ranked second in the high Class A Florida State League with 17 assists. The Phillies assigned Altherr to the Arizona Fall League to get him more at-bats, and he's headed to Double-A Reading in 2014 to see if he can maintain his improved power while making more consistent contact. If he does, he profiles as a major league regular in center field.
An outfielder who fits the high-upside, athletic profile the Phillies like, Altherr signed for $150,000 after being taken in the ninth round in 2009. An assignment to low Class A proved too big a jump in 2011, but he repeated the level last year and held his own. He finished the year playing for Germany (where he was born) in a World Baseball Classic qualifier. Altherr is still learning to translate his tools into baseball talent, and his potential is tied to projection more than performance. Tall and lanky, he has a racehorse frame and is still growing into his body. He has a short, smooth swing, especially for someone with such long limbs, but he's susceptible to pitches on the outer half. He has a line-drive swing that gets occasional loft, and he has a chance for average power as he adds strength. With his skill set, Altherr will have to cut down on his swings and misses. As a center fielder, he coasts gracefully and covers a lot of ground. His solid arm will play anywhere in the outfield. He's a plus runner with good basestealing ability, though he doesn't always play at full speed and posts average times down the line to first base. Altherr has time on his side and plenty of tools, but at some point his production will have to catch up. He'll play 2013 in high Class A.
The Phillies have taken plenty of high-risk, high-reward toolsy outfielders in recent drafts, and Altherr fits that prototype perfectly. A star basketball player in high school, he's still raw as a baseball player. He offers exciting potential but his prospect status is based more on projection than production. He opened 2011 in low Class A but had trouble stringing together consistent at-bats, so he spent the second half repeating Williamsport. His build and upside have led scouts to compare him to a righthanded-hitting Domonic Brown. Altherr is still growing into a lanky frame supported by size-16 shoes and is learning body control. For such a big, young hitter, he takes a short path to the ball, allowing him to make hard contact. He has good plate coverage but is a free swinger. He has added strength and projects to have average to plus power. Altherr has spent time in center field but profiles best in right field, where his above-average arm will play. He has plus speed once he gets going and has good baserunning ability. He'll give Lakewood another try this year.
Altherr is yet another toolsy Phillies prospect, and no player in the system improved his stock more last year. Born in Germany, he was better known in high school for his basketball talent. He hit .446 as a senior in 2009 while starring as a shortstop and a pitcher, showing enough to earn a $150,000 bonus as a ninth-round pick. He began 2010 in extended spring training before repeating the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, where he made enough progress to merit a promotion to Williamsport. For such a big, young hitter, Altherr takes a relatively short path to the ball, allowing him to make consistent hard contact. His lanky, fast-twitch frame doesn't produce many home runs now, but he should have at least average power once he fills out. Currently an average runner, he could develop plus speed once he gets more body control. Altherr is still raw and needs more time in the outfield, where he can play all three positions now but profiles best in a corner. His arm strength significantly improved last year and now grades as average. The Phillies have plenty of projectable outfield prospects, but only Brown has a higher all-around upside than Altherr. Like Brown did, Altherr will open his third professional season at Lakewood as a breakout candidate.

Minor League Top Prospects

Altherr missed time after spraining his ankle in spring training and opened the season at Double-A Reading, where he spent a frustrating, injury-shortened season in 2014. He received the call to Lehigh Valley in late June and responded by hitting safely in 19 of his first 22 games. Altherr's athletic ability and defensive prowess in the outfield never has been in question, but doubts have centered around him hitting enough to play everyday. He took significant strides toward erasing those concerns in 2015, zeroing in on pitches he can drive to all fields while cutting down his strikeouts and doubling his walks from a year ago. He's a line-drive, gap-to-gap hitter who some observers believe has enough power to hit 10-15 home runs per season. One of the most athletic players in the IL this season, Altherr has the speed and range to play center field with a strong enough arm for right. He's still learning the finer points of basestealing. He closed the season in Philadelphia and held his own as an everyday outfielder.
Lean and athletic, Altherr profiles as a regular if his bat continues to develop. Born in Germany, he played for the German national team in last year?s World Baseball Classic qualifying tournament, homering off Canada?s Andrew Albers. He followed that with his best season as a pro, continuing to grow into his power by leading the FSL with 36 doubles. Scouts are split on Altherr, with some considering him a future second-division player while others see him as a regular, believing in his burgeoning power. His approach at the plate remains a bit raw, but he has the power-speed combo scouts are looking for, with plus raw power and good basestealing ability. He split his time this season between left field and center, and some scouts consider him a solid defender in center, which would lessen the burden on his bat. Altherr turns some scouts off because he plays the game easy and doesn?t play with a ton of energy. His arm is fringe-average, precluding a move to right. He?s improved his outfield routes and baserunning considerably.
Altherr ranked 15th on this list a year ago, and after he struggled in his first taste of low Class A this spring, the Phillies sent him back to Williamsport. He actually performed better in his first tour through the NY-P, but his potential remains evident. A quality athlete, Altherr still is figuring things out at the plate. He has a compact swing for his size, giving him a chance to hit for a respectable average, and projects to have plus power as he fills out. His plate discipline needs improvement, however, and he's in the process of learning to string together consistent at-bats. Altherr has average to plus speed and solid arm strength. He played some center field for the Crosscutters but spent most of his time in left, where he fits best. His prospect status is built more around projection than production, but his smooth actions and feel for the game suggest he has a chance to unlock his potential.
It's no secret that the Phillies love toolsy, high-risk/high-reward position prospects, and they may have gotten a bargain when that philosophy led them to sign Altherr for $150,000 as a ninth-round pick in 2009. A lanky athlete who played basketball as well as baseball in high school, he was vastly improved in his second stint in the GCL after batting .214/.283/.286 last year in his pro debut, and that momentum carried over to the New York-Penn League after a late-July promotion. Altherr has a great frame with plenty of room to fill out at 6-foot-5 and 190 pounds. He's a plus runner with a chance to hit for some power. His range and arm are solid in center field.
Altherr was regarded as a raw athlete coming out of high school in Arizona, but the Phillies love taking on those kinds of projects and signed him for $150,000 as a ninth-round pick. He started this year repeating the Gulf Coast League, where he showed much greater maturity in all facets of his game and earned a promotion to Jamestown. "With the improvements he's made from last year to this year, you can only imagine what's coming," Truby said. "He's talented. He's a player. He's growing, and he's going to get bigger and stronger." As Altherr fills out his lanky, fast-twitch frame, he figures to develop at least average power. He can get pull-happy at times, but he has shown the ability to drive the ball from line to line. He hammers first-pitch fastballs but struggles when pitched backwards. Altherr is a plus runner with a solid arm who made great strides in center field this year, though he could wind up in a corner as he matures.