Aaron Altherr facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Aaron Altherr |
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Altherr with the Phillies in 2017
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| Algodoneros de Unión Laguna – No. 64 | |||
| Outfielder | |||
| Born: January 14, 1991 Landstuhl, Germany |
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| Professional debut | |||
| MLB: June 16, 2014, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |||
| KBO: May 5, 2020, for the NC Dinos | |||
| MLB statistics (through 2019 season) |
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| Batting average | .219 | ||
| Home runs | 37 | ||
| Runs batted in | 150 | ||
| KBO statistics (through 2021 season) |
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| Batting average | .275 | ||
| Home runs | 63 | ||
| Runs batted in | 192 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Aaron Samuel Altherr (born January 14, 1991) is a German-American professional baseball player. He plays as an outfielder for the Algodoneros de Unión Laguna team in the Mexican League. Aaron was chosen by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2009 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft. He has played in MLB for the Phillies, San Francisco Giants, and New York Mets. He also played in the KBO League for the NC Dinos in South Korea.
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Early Life
Aaron Altherr was born in Germany. His mother, Michelle, was in the United States Air Force and was stationed there. His father, Frank, is German and used to play professional soccer in Germany. Aaron moved around a lot when he was growing up. He lived in places like Kansas City and Arizona in the United States.
Baseball Career
Starting with the Phillies
Drafted and Minor Leagues (2009–2012)
The Philadelphia Phillies picked Aaron in the ninth round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft. He was still in high school at Agua Fria High School in Avondale, Arizona. Aaron was a great athlete in high school. He played multiple sports and even led his high school to a state championship in baseball in 2008. He also had offers to play college basketball!
The Phillies offered him $150,000 to sign with them, which convinced him to start his professional baseball career instead of going to college. He began playing for the GCL Phillies, a minor league team. Over the next few years, Aaron played for different Phillies minor league teams. He worked hard to improve his skills, like hitting and stealing bases. By 2011, he was even named an All-Star in the New York-Penn League.
Moving Up (2013–2015)
In 2013, Aaron played for the Germany national baseball team. This was during the qualifying games for the 2013 World Baseball Classic. He was added to the Phillies' main roster, called the 40-man roster, in November 2013.
Aaron made his big league debut on June 16, 2014, with the Philadelphia Phillies. He came in as a pinch-hitter in a game against the Atlanta Braves. He was sent back to the minor leagues shortly after.
In 2015, Aaron was called back up to the Phillies. On August 19, he got his first ever Major League hit, which was a double that brought in a run! In the same game, he hit his first Major League home run.
A very exciting moment happened on September 25, 2015. Aaron hit an inside-the-park grand slam! This means he hit the ball so well that he ran all the way around the bases to score four runs without the ball leaving the field. It was the first inside-the-park grand slam in MLB since 1999! He even hit another home run later in that same game.
Later Years with Phillies (2016–2019)
In 2016, Aaron had an injury to his left wrist that needed surgery. This made him miss the first half of the season. But he came back strong!
On September 18, 2017, Aaron hit another grand slam. This one was special because it was against a famous pitcher named Clayton Kershaw. It was the first grand slam Kershaw had ever given up in his long career! In 2017, Aaron had a great season, hitting 19 home runs and bringing in 65 runs.
In 2019, something unusual happened. In a game where the Phillies were losing by a lot, Aaron was asked to pitch! He gave up only one run and even got two strikeouts. His fastball was pretty fast, reaching over 90 miles per hour! Soon after, he left the Phillies team.
Other MLB Teams
After leaving the Phillies, Aaron briefly played for the San Francisco Giants in May 2019. Then, he joined the New York Mets later that month. He even hit a home run in his very first game with the Mets! He played a short time with them before becoming a free agent.
Playing in South Korea
In November 2019, Aaron signed a contract to play for the NC Dinos in the KBO League, which is a professional baseball league in South Korea. He did very well there! In 2020, he helped the NC Dinos win the Korean Series championship. He re-signed with the Dinos for the 2021 season and continued to hit many home runs.
Recent Teams
In 2023, Aaron played for the Tri-City ValleyCats in the Frontier League. He hit 21 home runs and had 70 runs batted in during his time there. In 2024, he signed with the Algodoneros de Unión Laguna in the Mexican League. He even took a break from playing to be there for the birth of his second son!
International Play
Aaron has proudly represented the Germany national baseball team. He played for them during the qualifying rounds for the 2013 World Baseball Classic.
Personal Life
Aaron Altherr was born in Landstuhl, Germany. His mother, Michelle, is from Baltimore and was in the United States Air Force. His father, Frank, was a professional soccer player in Germany.
Aaron married his girlfriend, Samantha Chavez, on November 20, 2016. They have a son named Isaiah, who was born in 2022.
