The Maikel Franco Experiment is Over
What happened to the best eight-hole hitter in baseball? After getting off to a scorching start – seven home runs, 22 RBI, 14 walks, and a .252 average through his first 103 at-bats in March and April – Maikel Franco has been the exact opposite kind of hitter.
He’s had 116 at-bats since the beginning of May, and during that time he’s hit a terrible .095 with only two home runs, 10 RBI, and eight walks. That’s brought his line for the season down to .205/.277/.374.
That’s right. The Phillies Opening Day third baseman, who has since lost his job due to his poor play, is sporting a .205 batting average. In his last 30 games, he’s been even worse, hitting only .140.
He has quickly gone from the best eight-hole hitter in baseball to the worst third baseman in baseball.
Literally. That’s not a joke. According to baseballreferece.com, the Phillies have a -1.4 WAR for third base, with Franco’s -.9 WAR for the season making up the bulk of that.
As previously mentioned, he’s been so bad that it’s rare for him to start anymore. Scott Kingery has seen some action at third base this season, but with the injuries to Andrew McCutchen and Adam Haseley, and the fact that Odubel Herrera has been on administrative leave for weeks now, Kingery has seen more time in center field.
But with Roman Quinn finally back from injury – though for how long is anyone’s guess – Kingery expects to slot in as the everyday third baseman moving forward.
It’s not really a surprise that the Phillies have fallen out of first place when their third baseman is this bad. But, then, can the fans be surprised that this is how Franco is playing? After all, it seems like it’s every year that he has a hot stretch in the beginning of the season that gets you thinking, “this is the year we finally get the Franco we were promised. This is the year he puts it all together.” But then he goes right back the Franco we all have come to know, and he gets worse every year.
At only 26 years old, he’s still young. But why continue with this experiment any longer? It just isn’t worth it anymore. Kingery needs to play every day, and when the team is 100% healthy next year, third base could be his main position.
It’s a shame about Franco. He was once thought of as one of the cornerstones of the Phillies rebuild, but is instead fizzling out and is going the way of previous flame-outs like Dominic Brown, J.P. Crawford, and Darin Ruf.
Featured Image: via Twitter (@mattrappasports)
Discover more from Philadelphia Sports Nation
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Categorized:Phillies