Philadelphia Phillies 2018 top prospect rankings: Nos. 6-10
By John Town
We are now getting to the top 10 prospects in the Philadelphia Phillies farm system, leading off with right-handed pitcher Franklyn Kilome at No. 10.
I’ve been following Franklyn Kilome ever since I started writing about the Phillies, and he has always been one of my favorite prospects. The potential is there for a top-tier pitcher; however, with each passing year, the chance he reaches that potential gets slimmer.
Kilome started off the year in High-A Clearwater, where his ERA was quite low at 2.59, as most pitchers’ ERAs tend to be in the Florida State League. He didn’t carry his high strikeout rate from Low-A with him as Kilome struck out 20.3 percent of opposing hitters compared to 26.0 percent in 2016. His walk rate did go down slightly, but it was still way too high at 9.1 percent.
Kilome got his chance to pitch in Double-A a month and a half after turning 22, but he certainly didn’t jump off the page. He had one great start Aug. 21 where he threw eight shutout innings, but even then he still walked four batters. Otherwise, Kilome allowed 15 runs, 11 walks, and 22 hits in 21.2 innings. He will likely need to return there next season.
At his core, Kilome still is the same prospect he has always been. His fastball has great velocity, reaching upwards of 99 miles per hour at times. Kilome also added a two-seam fastball to his repetoire this season that helps induce ground balls. His curveball is the best in the system according to Baseball America. He also throws a changeup, but it is still a below average pitch.
Kilome’s command is still lacking as he still needs to learn how to control his long arms and legs. When he gets out of whack, he throws all over the place, as indicated in his high walk total.
The pieces are still all there for Kilome to be an effective starter; it’s just a matter if he can ever put them together. Otherwise, his fastball-curve combo could be deadly in the bullpen.