Keep an Eye On: Phillies’ Prospect Maikel Franco

Spring training is here, and that means big questions arise. There are position battles about to begin and there will be to prospects looking to live up to the hype and earn their spot in April. The Philadelphia Phillies, a team that parted with their face of the franchise in Jimmy Rollins this offseason, are searching for a new identity. They don’t have much in a depleted minor league system on the horizon, but one prospect is knocking on the door. Is 2015 the year Phillies No. 3 prospect Maikel Franco finally breaks through?

Maikel Franco is the 22-year old third base prospect for the Phillies. He was signed out of the Dominican Republic as an International free agent and made his professional baseball debut state side in 2010. Franco’s first two seasons were a struggle, but by the time he arrived in Class A ball in 2012, he showed signs of the elite prospect on which the Phillies were banking.

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The 6 foot 1, 180 pound, power hitting righty through it all together in 2013. Franco slashed his way to a .320/.356/.569 line while smashing 31 home runs and driving in 113 over High-A and Double-A ball. He earned Mid-Season All Star honors in the Florida State League and was invited to his first of two MLB Futures Games. Franco headed into 2014 as the Phillies top prospect.

Franco was promoted to his first taste of Triple-A in 2014, and fell short of those No. 1 expectations. The final stat line (.257/.299/.428 with 16 home runs and 78 RBI) is a bit misleading. Yes, it is way off the progression the Phillies hoped for, but what it doesn’t show is that Franco did come alive with the bat once he got comfortable. He went for a .309/.326/.557 slash line with 10 home runs and 36 RBI over his last 46 games which was good enough for a September call-up. His first go in the bigs was not what he had hoped for amassing just ten hits in his first 56 Major League at bats.

Most scouting reports praise his power, but worry that his aggressive approach may hurt him. He has shown improvement, as a 2013 scouting report Mike Newman explains that he struggled to go to the opposite field and was seemingly a strict pull power hitter. Now it seems that his quick hands have helped catch his hitting tools up with his power and allow him to hit the ball to all fields.

Where he is aggressive at the plate, he seems to lack in the field. He is not fast and he often waits for balls to come to him, relying heavily on his cannon of an arm. Still, he made only 10 errors in 254 chances at the hot corner in his first Triple-A action, so he minimizes his mistakes. A career minor league fielding percentage of .948 doesn’t jump off the charts, but it isn’t worrisome for someone with Franco’s arm strength. His power bat and arm can make up for the few mistakes he will make adjusting to big league play.

Cody Asche was not what the Phillies needed at third base last season and Franco heads into spring training as his primary backup. Franco also played some first base last season, and although a career change is not in his future, his versatility could earn him a spot on the Opening Day roster, especially with a very questionable Ryan Howard manning first base. This is Franco’s chance to make his claim as the Phillies’ next third baseman. If he puts together a solid spring, the Phillies future could start on Opening Day.

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