Phillies: Maikel Franco Off to Another Hot Spring Start

Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco is off to another hot start in spring training, reminding us of his start this time last year.

Maikel Franco has just five spring training at-bats for the Phillies through Monday’s game against the Rays, but he has made them count. He has already racked up four hits, three of which were home runs, to go along with four RBI.

In Saturday’s game against the Yankees, Franco ripped two home runs, one of which was an inside-the-park home run after the ball trickled under the fence. He followed up Saturday’s 2-for-3 performance with a two-RBI game Monday that saw him hit another home run, this one being a monster shot to left at Spectrum Field.

Franco spent this offseason and his time in camp so far trying to improve his discipline and approach at the plate. New hitting coach Matt Stairs is attempting to shorten Franco’s swing and hit more balls into the gaps. So far, the approach has been working.

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“That’s a good sign for what’s to come from him,” manager Pete Mackanin told Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “I’m looking forward to seeing him continue that approach. I think he’s going to be working towards a good year.”

Teammate Michael Saunders also likes what he sees from Franco so far this spring. He said to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com:

"“A lot of raw power,” Saunders said of his early impressions of Franco. “You can tell during his batting practice so far this spring that he’s got an approach of hitting low line drives. It seems like he’s staying on fastballs to the big part of the park. But, obviously, he has a lot of raw power and a lot of talent.”"

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Franco’s hot start this year is reminiscent of spring training last year. In 22 games last spring, Franco hit nine home runs and drove in 23 runs. He posted a .294/.333/.721 line, giving fans plenty of hope for Franco’s sophomore season.

Unfortunately, Franco couldn’t translate his spring success to the regular season. He did finished 2016 with 25 home runs and 88 RBI, but his .255/.306/.427 line left a lot to be desired.

Heading into the 2017 season, Franco is hoping to improve his approach in the hopes to make him a better hitter overall.

If his start to the spring is any indication – which it rarely is – he may be in for a boost to his numbers this year.

Next: Phillies 2017 Season Preview: OF Nick Williams

If Franco’s hot start doesn’t carry over to the regular season, there are always other options out there.