Everyone has their crush that never pans out.
Earlier this week, the Angels announced that they had designated Scott Kingery for assignment. The former Phillies top prospect was fighting to make LA’s roster but had a rough spring, slashing .138/.257/.172 with 11 Ks in 29 at bats. This post isn’t meant to be a retelling of the Kingery tale (that post will come out later today) but rather using Kingery as a springboard into a wider topic of discussion.
Every baseball fan has a prospect crush. The guy you religiously follow after you hear about him and convince yourself he will be everything he could be. The guy who you keep telling yourself will break out any day now even as he toils away in the Minor Leagues. You argue against anyone who doesn’t see it and hold out hope that one day everything will click. You ignore all the warning signs and put your faith into the tools or the MiLB stats that you are sure are forebears of good things to come.
Until one day, it’s time to admit defeat and admit that the guy you were convinced was destined for stardom was actually destined to be a foot note in the history of baseball. The latest rebuild era of the Phillies is ripe with options, from Maikel Franco to Cornelius Randolph to Adam Haseley. Maybe you were tantalized by the tremendous power of Dylan Cozens and were convinced that he and Rhys Hoskins were going to be the Phillies own version of the Bash Brothers. Or perhaps you were scarred by someone earlier than that, such as the “Baby Aces” or former number one overall prospect and untouchable in a 2009 trade for Roy Halladay Domonic Brown. There are budding options in the current organization too, as Mick Abel struggles to find his way in Lehigh Valley and Griff McGarry still can’t seem to throw strikes. Unlike their predecessors, these two still have the benefit of time on their side, but it is quickly running out.
Some prospects make the Majors. Many never do. But even those that never were may have been something in someone’s mind. So, our question of the day is: Which failed Phillies prospect hurt you the most? Personally, Jorge Alfaro had all the tools to be a standout catcher if he could ever learn how to actually catch. And not strikeout. And hit consistently.