Phillies' Third Base Prospect Cody Asche Having Success in Arizona Fall League

Phillies fans have been hoping a third base prospect would come up through the farm system and contribute ever since Scott Rolen arranged a first-class ticket out of town.

The organization may have finally found something in 22-year-old Cody Asche who is coming off a 2012 season where he skipped Low-A Lakewood, had tremendous success in High-A Clearwater and was promoted to Double-A Reading where he finished the final 68 games of the season.

Asche batted .349, with two home runs, 31 R, 25 RBI, .378 OBP and an OPS of .825 in the first half of the season for Clearwater. Phillies' officials saw enough out of Asche to promote him to Double-A at the midway point in the season.  

In Reading, Asche hit just as well, increasing his power number significantly. He hit 10 home runs, scored 42 runs and drove in 47 while maintaining a .300 average and an OPS of .873.

Currently in the Arizona Fall League, Asche is hitting .299 with two home runs, nine runs, 10 RBI, .351 OBP and an OPS of .829. The biggest thing we can take from these numbers is consistency, something Phillies' third baseman have struggled to do for quite sometime now.  

So what does this all mean for the major league club?

Not much right now, Asche will most likely start the season in Triple-A, maybe even Double-A. He is still at least a year, maybe two away from contributing at the major league level. He still needs some seasoning at third base and the Phillies are hoping he will grow even more into his power stroke.

The Phillies are very, very, thin at third base and will most likely be making some sort of acquisition this winter. Kevin Youkilis and Eric Chavez are two names that may intrigue Ruben Amaro.

Keep an eye on Cody Asche, because he is one more solid season away from getting serious consideration for a shot to play in the major leagues.