by Eric Stashin (aka The Rotoprofessor)

Prior to the season Aaron Altherr was one of our favorite sleepers. We actually had him marked as a “5-Star Sleeper”, saying:

“The Phillies have options for their outfield, which makes it easy to overlook Altherr (who arguably has the highest initial upside). Between Double-A, Triple-A & the Majors last season he combined to hit 19 HR with 22 SB. That shows 15/15 upside, at the least, which alone should explain to you why he’s an ideal late round flier.”

Altherr has been out all season due to a torn tendon sheath in his wrist, but he’s due back today and returns to an outfield that definitely has holes (outside of Odubel Herrera):

Left Fielders – .343 SLG (fourth lowest in the league)

Right Fielders – .367 SLG (third lowest in the league)

When you look at the cast of characters that the team has run out there it’s obvious that Altherr is going to return to an immediate opportunity. As we noted in our preseason write up, he brings potential in both the power and speed departments. He’s stolen as many as 37 bases in a season (2011) and was an extra base machine last season combining for 43 doubles, 9 triples and 19 HR. Playing half his games in Philadelphia, it’s easy to imagine him hitting 20+ HR.

He also showed a good command of the strike zone at each level in which he played (walk rate / strikeout rate):

Double-A – 10.8% / 15.4%

Triple-A – 9.2% / 19.2%

Majors – 9.9% / 25.5%

Sure there was a spike in the Majors, but his 9.6% SwStr% and 24.0% O-Swing% tells a bit of a different story. Couple that with a 22.4% line drive rate and it all comes together for the potential to hit .270+.

A strong average to go along with the potential to go 10/10 over the final two months? That seems like a no-brainer addition to any fantasy lineup. The upside is actually there for him to be a potential difference maker, and he’s available for free in the majority of formats. Don’t miss your opportunity, because by next week he will likely be a hot addition across the board.

Sources – Fangraphs, MLB.com