Cody Asche heating up with two weeks of spring training left

People like to compare Cody Asche with Chase Utley, in that they're both infielders, and they're both left-handed, but the truth is, the comparison is not really apt. Asche has yet to showcase anything close to the level of talent Utley had even early in his big league career, and though this is not to say Asche can't still improve and make a big impact, to draw any parallels right now is far-fetched.

Asche's spring training had been indicative of this point, until the past week, when the 24-year-old seemed to hit the gas.

In the second inning today against the Twins, Asche tattooed a pitch over the wall in right center, continuing a heated pace he'd attained earlier in the week. The third base job was likely Asche's at this point anyway, with his top competition, Maikel Franco, being sent down to minor league camp days ago.

Asche's lowly .229/.263/.457 slash line in 14 games with 35 AB has risen today already (at the moment it's .243/.275/.514), and he will still have two weeks to improve those numbers and stir optimism about the Phillies' near future in the hot corner.