By Robert Masusock
AVG\OBP\OPS: .245\.294\.689
HR: 12 RBI: 39
Through the first month of the season it appeared Cody Asche had finally reached his potential with an average just over .300 and a more than respectable .753 OPS. Still missing from Asche’s game was plate discipline. He struck out 17 times in 21 games and walked a mere 5 times through April. As the season progressed things didn’t get better and it was more of the same from Cody as he failed to top a .250 average for any month the rest of the season. That’s not to say he didn’t impress with the eye test and doesn’t have any potential left. He displayed a great attitude when he was sent back down to the minors to learn a new position in order to make room for a rookie named Maikel Franco, a potential cornerstone for years to come. When he was called back up on May 29th he was the new starting left fielder for the Phillies in a game against the Colorado Rockies and not once did Cody complain.
Learning a new position Asche experienced some bumps in the road, as anyone would expect at first, but as the season progressed he appeared to get more comfortable. This comfort appeared to carry over to his offensive game during the month of September and into October with the 25 year old hitting 5 dingers with 15 RBI. This power stroke appeared to be a change in Asche’s mentality to more of an “all-or-nothing” approach as he also saw his highest amount of strike outs of any month(s) with 24. On the flip side he also had the most walks of any month(s) of the season with 8 but still had an on-base percentage below .300.
Asche possesses the athleticism to pull off playing left field in the major leagues. He was able to get comfortable as he played more and made some nice catches out there. What will determine his future on this team is his bat. Asche has shown small flashes but has never sustained a high level of play and as his career 3.5 strikeout to walk ratio and .301 on base percentage will indicate, he needs to work on being more patient at the plate.
There’s a lot of work to be done but he is still only 25 and won’t be 26 until June 30th, so the jury is still out. That being said, I would consider this a “do or die” season, if Asche wants to have a career as a Phillie. With Aaron Altherr, Odubell Hererra, and prospect Nick Williams impressing since entering the Phillies’ system the outfield is beginning to get crowded and Asche is running out of time. I personally, have my doubts and don’t see Asche being a long-term piece of the Phillies’ future as anything more than a solid utility man, if anything. Let’s hope he makes a fool out of me and impresses this season.
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