Phillies send down prospects Jorge Alfaro, Andrew Knapp
Andrew Knapp and Jorge Alfaro emptied their lockers on Friday morning and exited the Phillies clubhouse with the promise that the future could be near.
The team's top two catching prospects were sent to minor-league spring training, where seasoning awaits after a month of tasting the big leagues. Knapp and Alfaro proved this spring to be capable hitters. They will be tasked to continue their growth behind the plate as effective game managers, which could be their final hurdle before reaching the majors.
Knapp will begin the season at triple-A Lehigh Valley. The 24-year-old had four hits including a home run this spring in 16 at-bats. He was the Phillies' minor-league player of the year last season after hitting .360 in 55 games at double-A Reading.
Alfaro, 22, is ticketed for double-A Reading after missing most of last season with an ankle injury. He was acquired last July from Texas as part of the Cole Hamels trade. Alfaro had five hits this spring in 17 at-bats.
"It doesn't matter if it's rookie league or double A. It doesn't matter if it's in the big leagues. It doesn't matter where I play. I just want to be the best," Alfaro said. "I just want to give 100 percent all of the time. I always want to help my teammates. I never think how close I am. I never worry about that. They make the decisions. I'll just play hard wherever I go."
A strong season and continued development could have the catchers fast tracked to the majors, where the Phillies do not have a long-term catcher in place. Carlos Ruiz and Cameron Rupp will enter the season as the team's two catchers, with Rupp expected to receive most of the playing time. This will likely be Ruiz's final season with the team as they are not expected to exercise their club option for 2017. Rupp appears to be a placeholder for the prospects.
If Knapp and Alfaro continue to progress, the Phillies could be forced to transition one of the catchers to a new position. Both appear athletic enough to handle the outfield or play first base. Phillies general manager Matt Klentak said the team still considers them as catchers.
"They both have a confidence about them and leadership qualities about them that are important at that position specifically," Klentak said. "It's time for them to go play, finish their development, get their ABs, get their reps, work on their defense behind the plate and just prove they're ready for the next step. I think they both handled themselves very well."
Knapp and Alfaro leaned this spring on Ruiz as the veteran passed on everything he knows about managing pitchers, a baseball art form called "game calling." The understudies talked to Ruiz about how to handle certain situations, how to attack hitters, and what pitches to call in specific counts.
Alfaro said he wanted to learn from everyone, even the infielders. He would ask a lot of questions, wondering what the game looked like to a shortstop and what does it take for a catcher stick in the big leagues.
"In the minor leagues I want pitchers telling me they want me to catch them," Alfaro said. "I really love catching and I really love playing the game."
Manager Pete Mackanin allowed the prospects to have full control this spring when they were on the field. Knapp said he would talk each game to the catcher he was replacing and see what their approach was. It is all about paying attention, Knapp said. He would watch from the bench, observing a pitcher's style and the hitters he was facing.
A catcher's job, Knapp said, is to make a pitcher happy. If the pair are not on the same page then success is out of reach, he said.
"I think it's nice to get that freedom to do what you want," Knapp said. "I consider myself a pretty intelligent ballplayer. So I know what I'm doing. It's just the experience of doing it every day."
Knapp and Alfaro will now take their spring lessons to the back fields of the Carpenter Complex, where they join the organization's other prospects for the final two weeks of camp before flying north. The prospects will catch nine innings each day before starting another season. The major leagues feels close, Knapp said.
"I just have to be ready for the call," he said.
