Once considered to be the Phillies top prospect, Maikel Franco could find himself back in the minor leagues
Phillies manager Pete Mackanin has admitted the organization has considered sending third baseman Maikel Franco to Lehigh Valley. The Phillies third baseman is hitting .209 with six home runs in his fourth major league season.
If Franco is demoted the organization could call upon one of their top offensive prospects to fill his spot on the 25-man roster.
Nick Williams, the reigning International League Player of the Week, is the hot name should that scenario play out.
Pete admitted that sending Franco to triple A has been discussed. Would not elaborate. Hope is he gets going here
— Jim Salisbury (@JSalisburyNBCS) May 30, 2017
Four weeks ago I proposed the idea of Franco playing in the minors to clear his head, and that idea brought much criticism. It’s clear now that Franco needs to learn how to be a hitter and not just a player with 30-home run power.
If Franco does go to Triple-A the Phillies have multiple options on their roster. If an outfielder is called up from Lehigh Valley Howie Kendrick could play either second or third base. Kendrick got reps at third during his rehab stint. Cesar Hernandez can play third, which allows Kendrick to return to his original position.
Nick Williams has been one of the hottest hitters in the Phillies organization and has a tremendous relationship with hitting coach Matt Stairs. Acquired in the Cole Hamels trade, Williams has six home runs over the last seven games for the IronPigs.
A less sexy move would be to call up an infielder like Pedro Florimon, a veteran who’s been in four organizations since 2011.
Philadelphia plays Miami tonight after another dreadful loss.