The Phillies made a curious set of moves when they decided to non-tender two infielders. Staples that have been on the Phillies roster for what seems like forever are gone. Cesar Hernandez and Maikel Franco both got waived after Philadelphia decided not to pay their arbitration salary. Hernandez was scheduled to make $11.8 million while Franco was set to earn $6.7 million. The latter I believe is a player that teams should be jumping all over. Maikel Franco is a reclamation project worth taking.
Maikel Franco was a former top prospect and has had his moments. Franco had a great rookie year. .280 with a .343 OBP and 14 homers 304 at bats. That’s a solid big league player. Franco has been on a downward spiral since. This past year, Franco slashed a batting line of .234/.297/.409 with 17 dingers. He was a -0.8 WAR player too. However, the year before hit .270. The bat comes and goes. When Franco is on, he kills you and provides steady power.
While he didn’t live up to expectations in Philadelphia, Franco has some good things going for him. Defense isn’t one of him but the bat is streaky. Let me say this. Franco never felt love in Philadelphia. They always were shopping him or sending him down. That can affect a young player. Franco feels like a great change of scenery guy. Back against the wall in a better environment and Franco can do great things. I just love his swing. The way he loads up, Franco can be a great hitter when dialed in.
The Phillies are a mess. Don’t put this on Franco. They changed hitting coaches midseason and invested in that bum Bryce Harper. Gabe Kapler didn’t feel like he was making a positive impact either. Maikel Franco has the tools to be a star. He just doesn’t always play like one. There’s a quality third baseman in there somewhere. Whether he pans out for someone or not, this is a great buy low candidate.
