Maikel Franco
Franco with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in 2023
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles – No. 23
Third baseman
Born: (1992-08-26) August 26, 1992
Azua, Dominican Republic
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Professional debut
MLB: September 2, 2014, for the Philadelphia Phillies
NPB: March 30, 2023, for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
MLB statistics
(through 2022 season)
Batting average.244
Home runs130
Runs batted in467
NPB statistics
(through 2023 season)
Batting average.221
Home runs12
Runs batted in32
Teams

Maikel Antonio Franco (pronounced MY-kell FRONN-koe; born August 26, 1992), is a Dominican professional baseball third baseman for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has played in the MLB. He made his MLB debut with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2014 and played for them through 2019. He has also played for the Kansas City Royals in 2020, the Baltimore Orioles in 2021, and the Washington Nationals in 2022.

Career

Minor leagues

Franco was born in Azua, Dominican Republic. He signed with the Philadelphia Phillies as an international free agent in 2010.[1] He received a $100,000 signing bonus.[2]

Franco made his professional debut for the Gulf Coast Phillies that year. He played in 52 games and hit .222/.292/.330 with two home runs. In 2011, he played for the Williamsport Crosscutters and Lakewood BlueClaws. He played in 71 games, hitting .247/.318/.360 with three home runs. He returned to Lakewood in 2012 and spent the entire season there. He hit .280/.336/.439 with 14 home runs in 132 games.

Franco started the 2013 season with the High-A Clearwater Threshers. He was promoted to the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils in June.[3] He finished the season hitting .320/.356/.569 with 31 home runs. After the season, he won the Paul Owens Award as the Phillies Minor League Player of the Year.[4]

Prior to the 2014 season, Franco was ranked by MLB.com and Baseball America as one of the top 100 prospects in baseball.[5] The Phillies invited him to spring training where he competed with Cody Asche for the starting third base job.[6] He was sent to the minors on March 23, after Asche won the job.[7] Franco started the season with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, hitting .257/.299/.428 with 16 home runs.[8]

In 2019 with Lehigh Valley he batted .175/.283/.425 with two home runs and six RBIs in 40 at bats.[8]

Philadelphia Phillies

Franco was called up to the majors for the first time on September 2, 2014, and made his major league debut that day against the Atlanta Braves.[9] During his initial stint in the majors in 2014, Franco hit .179/.190/.214 with no home runs and 5 RBIs.[10]

Franco with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2019

Franco began the 2015 season with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs. He was called up to the Phillies to be their starting third baseman on May 15, after hitting .355 with four home runs and 24 RBIs with the IronPigs. He hit his first career major league home run on May 17 against Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Randall Delgado. On June 23, against the Yankees, he became the first player in Phillies history, since the RBI stat was invented in 1920, to have back-to-back 5-RBI games. On August 4, he hit a grand slam against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list on August 18 with a small wrist fracture, but he returned to play the last three games of the year. In 2015, he batted .280/.343/.497.[10]

In 2016, he batted .255/.306/.427 with a career-high 25 home runs.[10] In 2017 he batted .230/.281/.409 with 24 home runs.[10]

In 2018 he batted .270/.314/.467 with 22 home runs and 68 RBIs.[10] He was the only player in major league baseball with 20 or more home runs and 62 or fewer strikeouts, and he had 20 or more home runs for the third straight season.[11] On defense, he had the lowest Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) rating of all NL third basemen, at -12.[12]

On March 29, 2019, Franco hit a home run on Opening Day against the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park.[13] He was optioned to Triple-A on August 4.

In 2019 with the Phillies he batted .234/.297/.409 with 17 home runs and 46 RBIs in 389 at bats, and received 19 intentional walks (2nd-most in the National League).[8] On December 2, 2019 Franco was non-tendered by the Phillies, making him a free agent.[14]

Kansas City Royals

On December 27, 2019, Franco signed a one-year $2.95 million deal with the Kansas City Royals.[15] Overall with the 2020 Kansas City Royals, Franco batted .278 with eight home runs and 38 RBIs in 60 games.[16] On December 2, Franco was nontendered by the Royals.

Franco with the Baltimore Orioles in 2021

Baltimore Orioles

On March 16, 2021, Franco signed a one-year, $800,000 contract with the Baltimore Orioles.[17][18] In 104 games for the Orioles in 2021, Franco hit .210 with 11 home runs and 47 RBI's. On August 23, Franco was designated for assignment by the Orioles.[19][20] On August 25, Franco was released by the Orioles.[21]

Atlanta Braves

After his release by the Orioles, on August 31, 2021, the Atlanta Braves signed Franco to a minor league contract.[22] Franco played in 10 games for the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers, hitting .286. He became a free agent following the season.

Washington Nationals

Franco with the Washington Nationals in 2022

On December 12, 2021, Franco signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals.[23] On April 7, 2022, Franco's contract was selected by the Nationals, adding him to their opening day roster.[24] On August 26, 2022, Franco was released by the Nationals and became a free agent.[25]

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles

On December 1, 2022, Franco signed with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of Nippon Professional Baseball.[26] Franco re-signed a one-year contract for the 2024 season on December 1.

References

  1. ↑ "Power emerging for Threshers' Franco". M.milb.com. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  2. ↑ Daniel Barbarisi (June 24, 2015). "The Yankee Killer Maikel Franco Was Nearly a Yankee Prospect". WSJ. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Franco promoted to Double-A Reading". Philly.com. June 19, 2013. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Phils name top Minor League award winners". Philadelphia Phillies. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
  5. ↑ "2014 Baseball America Top 100 Prospects: The 25th Edition". Baseball America. February 20, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Top prospects Maikel Franco, Jesse Biddle invited to big-league camp". Philly.com. January 8, 2014. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Asche wins Phillies' third-base job; Franco sent to minors". philly-archives. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 "Maikel Franco Minor & Winter Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Maikel Franco bats seventh for Phillies in major-league debut". Philly.com. September 2, 2014. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 "Maikel Franco Stats, Fantasy & News". Philadelphia Phillies. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Maikel Franco Stats, Fantasy & News". MLB.com. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  12. ↑ "National League Leaderboards » 2018 » Third Basemen » Fielding Statistics | FanGraphs Baseball". Fangraphs.com. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  13. ↑ RotoWire Staff (March 29, 2019). "Phillies' Maikel Franco: Launches Opening Day homer". CBSSports.com. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  14. ↑ Breen, Matt (December 2, 2019). "Phillies cut ties with Cesar Hernandez, Maikel Franco; could set sights on Didi Gregorius". www.inquirer.com.
  15. ↑ "Royals make one-year deal with 3B Franco official". ESPN.com. December 27, 2019.
  16. ↑ "Maikel Franco Stats, Fantasy & News". MLB.com. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Orioles sign third baseman Maikel Franco to big league deal". Baltimore Sun. March 16, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Baltimore Orioles finalize 1-year, $800,000 deal with Maikel Franco". ESPN.com. Associated Press. March 16, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  19. ↑ Trezza, Joe (August 24, 2021). "O's call up No. 18 prospect Jahmai Jones". MLB.com. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  20. ↑ "Orioles promote prospect Jahmai Jones, designate Maikel Franco". Baltimore Sun. August 23, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  21. ↑ "Maikel Franco Stats, Fantasy & News". MLB.com.
  22. ↑ "Braves sign 3B Maikel Franco to minor league deal". Clayton News-Daily. September 6, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021. Alternative URL
  23. ↑ "Nationals Sign Maikel Franco To Minor League Deal". MLB Trade Rumors. December 12, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  24. ↑ Franco, Anthony (April 7, 2022). "Nationals Select Strange Gordon, Franco, Arano; Place Harris, Strasburg On IL". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  25. ↑ "Nationals Release Maikel Franco". MLB Trade Rumors. August 26, 2022. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  26. ↑ "NPB's Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles Sign Maikel Franco". MLB Trade Rumors. December 1, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
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