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Washington Nationals Editorial: Where Does Bryce Harper rank among NL East right fielders?

By Pablo Roa

Oct 3, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper (34) watches his home run ball during the eighth inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Washington Nationals won 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 3, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper (34) watches his home run ball during the eighth inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Washington Nationals won 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 29, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Aaron Altherr (40) hits an RBI single during the seventh inning against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies won 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 29, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Aaron Altherr (40) hits an RBI single during the seventh inning against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies won 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

5) Aaron Altherr (Philadelphia Phillies)

As the Phillies continue their long and frustrating rebuilding phase, there are several parts of the roster to be optimistic about. One of them is the outfield. While the Phillies lack the star power they had in the outfield not long ago, they have plenty of young outfield talent.

Right now, the outfield consists mostly of young players — talented, yet mostly unproven — who don’t even have a set spot in the outfield yet. In fact, as of now, it’s unclear who exactly will be the Phillies’ right fielder on Opening Day. For the purpose of this article, however, we’ll assume that Aaron Altherr is the Phillies right fielder.

Altherr, 25, finished his climb up the Phillies’ farm system last season and had 231 at-bats with the big league club. His stellar defense should help him earn a spot on the Opening Day roster in 2016, and if he can find more consistency at the plate, he should be able to have a better season in 2016.

During his time with the big league club last season, Altherr hit .241 with five homers, six stolen bases and 22 RBIs. Right now, Altherr’s focus is to have a strong Spring Training and make the Opening Day lineup in right field. But if he blossoms in 2016, he may have a chance to climb in these rankings next offseason.

Next: No.4

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