Aaron Altherr

Altherr was supposed to build on his promise and take another step forward in his age-27 season. Instead, he hit poorly enough to earn a midseason demotion and finished with an ugly .181/.295/.333 line in 282 plate appearances. Contact was a big issue as he saw his strikeout rate jump to 31.9%. His career has now stretched over parts of five campaigns, and he's posted a .228/.319/.417 slash line, good for a 96 wRC+. He offers a low average, a bit of power, a bit of speed and slightly above-average defense. That's a fourth or fifth outfielder profile on most teams. If the team moves on from him and he ends up a starter on a bad team, he could be worth a late-round flier.

Injuries limited Altherr to 107 games in 2017, but his performance when on the field constituted a mini-breakout. He upped his average a full 70 points and his OBP nearly 40 points while matching his highest home-run total from any professional season. His strikeout (25.2 percent) and walk (7.8 percent) rates leave something to be desired, and his 18.8 percent HR/FB and .330 xwOBA suggest he did in fact overachieve, although the hard-hit and flyball growth point to real strides in terms of power development. Altherr is heading into his age-27 season and may not run much moving forward after going just 5-for-9 on the bases, but he has earned a chance to play every day and make his case to be part of the organization's long-term infrastructure. Just beware that the injuries last year were not merely a blip; Altherr missed significant time with a wrist injury in 2016 and battled ankle issues earlier in his career.

Altherr entered camp last season as a heavy favorite to start in right field after impressing when given an opportunity toward the latter half of the 2015 season. Those plans were scrapped when Altherr tore a tendon sheath in his left wrist while diving for a ball during a spring training game. He rejoined the Phillies in late-July and got off to a solid start, hitting .248 with four homers and five steals in his first 27 games back. Things went south after that as Altherr hit .146 over the rest of the season and failed to homer while driving in just four runs. Altherr has been overly aggressive in the majors, striking out at a 30.4 percent clip last season, and he became a heavy groundball hitter last season, while seeing his flyball rate drop from 38 percent in 2015 to just 22 percent last year. Altherr still has the enticing power and speed skills that made him a sleeper entering last season, and he could surprise if he's healthy.

Altherr opened last season at Double-A before moving up to Triple-A in July. He hit well at both levels and when the Phillies needed an outfielder in August, they decided to give him a look. He made the most of his early opportunities by displaying his power stroke and earned a significant share of the playing time in the Phillies outfield rotation over the rest of the season. He has the potential to be a 20-20 player if he can turn a few more of his doubles into home runs, but that may come with a relatively poor batting average. His 25.5% K-rate from last season should trend downward as he adjusts to big league pitching, but this is not a player who will be able to translate his high averages from the upper levels to the majors. Unfortunately a wrist injury will sideline him for four to six months, so he can be avoided in almost all single-season formats. Look for him to return in August or September, and try to lay the groundwork for a strong 2017 season.

Altherr made his major league debut last season, but it was not because his bat forced the Phillies to take a look at him. The team needed outfield depth and did not want to have to add another player to their 40-man roster at the time. He is considered a good enough athlete to stick in center field should he make it back to the majors, but his weak offensive showing in Double-A last season leaves some doubt on the likelihood of that happening. Altherr did show some pop with 14 home runs last year, but his walk rate dipped significantly and he struggled to make consistent contact. He could be sent back to Double-A to start the season until he proves he is ready for a promotion to Triple-A.

Altherr was hyped as a potential breakout prospect a few years ago, but injuries and struggles at the plate saw him fade into the background. He started to turn things around in 2012 at Low-A Lakewood, and put together a very solid 2013 season at High-A Clearwater. The Phillies sent him to the Arizona Fall League in the offseason, where he saw limited action due to an ankle injury. Altherr is considered solid enough defensively to stick in center field, as his bat plays better there than it would in a corner spot. He will be 23 this year, and will need to continue to show growth at Double-A Reading to stay on the radar as a potential starting outfielder in the majors. The Phillies are unlikely to rush him, so he may not be a candidate to see time in the majors until 2015 at the earliest.