Alfaro Makes It Clear That He Wants To Catch

Double-A Reading’s Jorge Alfaro has heard all the talk about moving out from behind the plate, whether it’s because he’s so athletic, or because the Phillies also have Andrew Knapp in the system, or because he can’t catch.

He just doesn’t want to hear it anymore.

“I’m a catcher—that’s the only position I love,” said Alfaro, 23, through a translator. “I’ll play any other position to help my team win, but I’m a catcher.”

And that’s what people who know best believe as well.

Alfaro, whom Philadelphia acquired from the Rangers as part of the return for Cole Hamels last year at the trade deadline, has made great strides behind the plate in his time with the Phillies.

As recently as 2014, when Alfaro played for Double-A Frisco, he was considered a below-average receiver. One Texas League manager said it would be better for the Rangers to move Alfaro to right field to take advantage of the thunder in his bat. He was even compared to Jeff Francoeur, as an overly-aggressive hitter with a strong throwing arm.

After working for about a year with Phillies roving instructor Ernie Whitt, the former major league backstop, there is less of a question about Alfaro’s future position.

“I think he has a chance to be an above-average receiver,” Reading manager Dusty Wathan said. “What people don’t realize is that it takes a long time to become a good receiver. But he works hard . . . His work ethic is tremendous.

“He’s got the talent and the assets, and his value is definitely as a catcher.”

An evaluator who saw Alfaro this season agreed.

“He needs to stay behind the plate,” he said. “He just shuts down a running game. He has a 70 arm (on the 20-80 scouting scale). That’s a valuable piece when you can shut down a running game.

“I get that he’s athletic, so maybe someone says he can play another position, but you don’t move a guy like that. I mean, he has work to do . . . on his framing and receiving—but that is correctable.”

Wathan agreed.

“You don’t want to take a (potentially) great catcher and move him, just because he’s athletic enough to play another position.”

Catcher Dilemma

The issue of a position switch has percolated this season with Knapp, a preseason Top 100 Prospect, at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The problem with that talk is that Alfaro is the tooliser backstop of the two.

The Red Sox faced a similar dilemma with young catchers Christian Vazquez and Blake Swihart. Vazquez arrived in Boston in 2014, but he missed his sophomore season after having Tommy John surgery. That allowed Swihart to assume the role as a rookie in 2015, but he struggled throwing the ball and calling a game this season and has moved to left field. So Vazquez is once again the man.

But while Swihart is athletic, like Alfaro, he is much leaner, and he played the infield and outfield corners until his sophomore year in high school. Alfaro, who is 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, also dabbled in the infield as an amateur in Colombia before he signed with Texas for $1.3 million in 2010. His lower half has thickened considerably in the past two years, however.

Still, Alfaro has work to do behind the plate. He occasionally boxes the ball on high pitches due to lack of concentration. And his conditioning will always be a factor.

“Framing is something that was an issue, and because of this I was (getting) passed balls and not receiving well,” he said. “(But) thanks to the hard work I put in every day I’m (doing) better.”

But Alfaro moves well side to side and has strong hands. He is able to quietly handle premium velocity and frame well. Where Swihart had trouble throwing, Alfaro has a strong, accurate arm.

He also communicates well with pitchers, who have commended him on his improving English and ability to learn a staff he did not know prior to this season.

As far as his offense, Alfaro remains uber-aggressive. He has drawn just five walks against 50 strikeout this season at Reading, while batting .300/.319/.498 with 24 extra-base hits, including nine homers, in 52 games. He had thrown out 45 percent of basestealers.

An evaluator who saw Alfaro says the lack of walks is not necessarily a sign of poor plate discipline, but rather the ability to make a lot of contact. “He puts a lot of balls in play,” he said. “There’s not a lot of swings and misses.”

Alfaro has good raw power, but it’s likely to manifest more as gap power than over-the-fence power.

He acknowledged he still needs polish at the plate.

“I’m just trying to compete every at-bat like it’s my last,” Alfaro said. “I have to keep doing my routine and working hard. Just trying to help the team win makes you a better hitter.”

That’s an approach that Wathan—the son of former big league catcher John Wathan—appreciates.

“He’s obviously going to hit,” Wathan said. “We told him, ‘You’re going to hit, and that’s great, but your No. 1 job is to catch and call a game.’ ”

As far as where Alfaro—and Knapp—fit into the Phillies’ future plans, Wathan said that will take care of itself.

“It’s a good problem to have,” Wathan said. “That’s a decision for the front office, but (Alfaro’s) a good athlete. He enjoys taking groundballs—just like all our catchers.”