Rangers Trade 3 Former 'Dads to Phillies
July 31, 2015 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Hickory Crawdads News Release
Hickory, NC - The Texas Rangers, MLB parent club of the Hickory Crawdads, have included three former 'Dads in a package of players traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for ace LHP Cole Hamels.
The trade includes former Crawdad stars in catcher Jorge Alfaro (2012,'13), outfielder Nick Williams (2013) and RHP Jerad Eickhoff (2012), along with fellow minor league RHPs Jake Thompson & Alec Asher. The Rangers also sent major league LHP Matt Harrison to Philadelphia in return for Hamels and left-handed reliever Jake Diekman.
Alfaro, 22, starred in Hickory in both 2012 and 2013. The No. 6 prospect in the Rangers system according to MLB.com, Alfaro hit .261 with 5 home runs and 34 RBI over 74 games his first year with the 'Dads before mashing 16 homers with 53 RBI and a .258 average as a South Atlantic League All-Star in 2013. The Columbian born catcher was selected to play in the MLB Futures Game each of the past two years, while also being named an MiLB.com Organization All-Star in 2013 & '14. Alfaro was limited to 49 games with the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders this year, batting .253 with 5 HR and 21 RBI before suffering a season-ending ankle injury on June 10th.
Williams, 21, was named a Post-Season All-Star and a 2-time SAL Player of the Week with the Crawdads in 2013. A 2nd round selection by the Rangers in the 2012 Draft out of Ball HS in Galveston, TX, Williams hit .293 with 17 HR, 60 RBI, and a team-record 12 triples during his 95 games played with the 'Dads. MLB.com's No. 5 prospect in the Rangers system was named an All-Star in Advanced-A Myrtle Beach in 2014 while also being selected to the All-Star team and the Futures Game in 2015. Williams in currently hitting .299/.357/.479 with 13 HR and 45 RBI through 97 games this year with Double-A Frisco.
Eickhoff, 25, went 13-7 with a 4.69 ERA (66 ER/126.2 IP) and 90 strikeouts as a member of the Crawdads rotation in 2012. A 15th round selection by the Rangers in the 2011 Draft out of Olney Central CC (IL), Eickhoff split the 2013 campaign between Advanced-A Myrtle Beach and Double-A Frisco before spending the entirety of the 2014 season with the RoughRiders. The Rangers No. 17 prospect according to MLB.com, Eickhoff began 2015 with 10 innings in Frisco before earning a promotion to Triple-A Round Rock where the right-hander has posted a 9-4 record, a 4.25 ERA (48 ER/101.2 IP), and a 93/33 K/BB ratio over 18 appearances for the Express.
Hamels, 31, joins the Rangers after having spent his entire career in the Phillies organization since being selected in the first round of the 2002 June draft. In his career, he has been a 3-time All-Star (2007, 2011, 2012), posted 200-or-more innings 6 times, had 6 different 10-win seasons, and was selected most valuable player of both the 2008 National League Championship Series and 2008 World Series. He has a 114-90 record and 3.30 ERA over 295 games/294 starts in his major league career. His 1844 career strikeouts are the 3rd-most of any active pitcher since the start of 2006, trailing only Felix Hernandez (2005) and Justin Verlander (1858). The 114 wins since the beginning of 2006 are tied with Tim Hudson for 2nd-most in the National League by any active pitcher in that span, trailing only Adam Wainwright (121).
Hamels has gone 6-7 with a 3.64 ERA (52 ER/128.2 IP) in 20 games/starts for the Phillies this season, holding opponents to a .233 (113-486) average with 39 walks and 137 strikeouts. He ranks among National League leaders in strikeouts (T6th) and strikeouts per 9 innings (7th, 9.6), and has received the 5th-lowest run support average (2.87 per 9 innings) in the majors in 2015. His only career start against the Rangers came on June 28, 2008 in Arlington, earning the win in the Phillies' 8-6 victory (7.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R-ER).
Hamels pitched his first career no-hitter in his most recent start on Saturday against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. He will be the first pitcher in major league history to throw a no-hitter in his last start before a midseason trade.
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