Cody Asche

Asche began last season as the Phillies' starting third baseman, but was shifted to the outfield when the Phillies decided to promote Maikel Franco from the minors in May. The Phillies were committed to keeping Asche in the outfield for the remainder of the season, but an injury to Franco gave him an opportunity to move back to third during the final month. The Franco injury was timely for Asche because he was being pushed out of the lineup by Aaron Altherr in left field. Asche's performance at the plate last year was basically a copy of his 2014 season. He hit a few more home runs, but with a slightly lower batting average. The Phillies will likely give him one more chance this season, but Roman Quinn and Nick Williams will be nipping at his heels in the upper minors, so Asche is running out of time to establish his value to the organization.

Asche spent his first full season in the majors last year earning fairly regular playing time at third base for the Phillies. His numbers were pedestrian outside of a solid month in May where he hit .317 with three of his 10 home runs. He lost playing time to Maikel Franco in September when rosters expanded. Asche does not make contact at a very high clip and lacks the power teams typically look for at third. His defense was also suspect at times. He is said to be a hard worker, so improvement this season is likely, but it would be unrealistic to expect a significant breakout. The Phillies have talked of giving Asche a look in the outfield in order to increase his versitility. That may be necessary to keep his bat in the lineup as Franco is the future for the Phils at third, and he'll have a shot at unseating Asche for the starting job this spring.

Asche received his first taste of the majors last season after hitting .295 with 15 home runs at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He got off to a solid start with the Phillies, but a poor September dropped his season-ending batting average to .235. However, he did hit five home runs over his 179 at-bats with the Phillies. If he can maintain that pace for a full season, he could finish with around 15 homers at the big league level. He is also likely to hit for a better average than he did in his brief stint with the Phillies last season. Asche does not project as a star player, but he does have the skills to be a solid contributor. In deeper leagues, that kind of player has value. The biggest concern for Asche is that he may simply be keeping third base warm for top prospect Maikel Franco. The two will compete for the starting job this spring, but early expectations are that the Phillies will give Franco additional time in the minors before turning third base over to him down the line.

Asche wasn't on any prospect lists at the start of last season, but a strong season between Single-A and Double-A last year has put him on the radar. He hit .324/.369/.481 with 12 home runs and 11 stolen bases in 518 at-bats between his two stops in the minors, with 10 of his home runs coming after the promotion to Double-A. The Phils believe Asche can be at least an average major league third baseman. He will likely open the year in Triple-A and could put himself into consideration for a promotion this season if he keeps hitting.