Phillies: Comparing Mike Moustakas to Maikel Franco
The Phillies trade rumors are heating up before the deadline, and a name that keeps being mentioned is Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas.
For some time now, it has been clear that the Phillies would be buyers at the trade deadline. It has also been made clear that Maikel Franco is available as a part of any trade that the club would see as an upgrade for their team.
NBC Sports Philadelphia reported that the Phillies are interested in trading for the Royals’ Mike Moustakas. The clubs have engaged in talks and the Kansas City scouts have been monitoring some of the Phillies prospects.
This brings up the question: Would Moustakas be a better option at third base than Franco? We will examine each player’s 2017 and 2018 season, up to this point, on offense and defense before making a decision.
Offense
Moustakas and Franco have extremely similar slash lines this season. Moustakas is hitting .261/.317/.477 compared to Franco’s .258/.302/.442. The slight edge goes to Moustakas, but he is not a significantly better batter this year. His numbers are also slightly higher than his career slash line, so there is always the chance of regression to the mean.
If you factor in last season, the numbers begin to change, and that’s what the Phillies are likely looking at. From the start of the 2017 season until now, Moustakas is 23 points higher than Franco in batting average, 24 points higher in OBP, and 73 points higher in slugging percentage.
The biggest disparity between the two players comes in the power department. Between this year and last year, Moustakas has hit 54 home runs. Maikel Franco, in the same period of time, has hit 34.
It is easy to see why the Phils are interested in the Royals’ third baseman when you look beyond the 2018 season. He would be a significant upgrade in the power department. Even if the rest of the numbers are similar to Franco, the power alone is enough to win the Phillies a couple more games.
Edge: Moustakas
Defense
A lot has been made about the defense, or lack thereof, of Franco. It is something that is commonly mentioned when you read about the Phillies, and Philly.com reported that it looked as if he was the odd man out when Scott Kingery shifted to shortstop and JP Crawford to third.
Since Crawford went on the DL with a broken hand, Franco has looked pretty good at the hot corner. He has made a couple nice plays, this one landing him at number two in MLB’s Top Ten Plays of the Week.
More from That Balls Outta Here
- 11 Free-agent deals the Philadelphia Phillies wish fell through
- Phillies-Mets owners’ rivalry grows after shocking Carlos Correa deal
- Could Rich Hill become ‘Jamie Moyer 2.0’ in Phillies rotation?
- Does Bailey Falter have a future in Phillies’ rotation?
- Prospect Andrew Baker could help Phillies bullpen in 2023
Mike Moustakas is really not much of a defensive upgrade. His fielding percentage is .963 over the past two seasons, compared to Maikel Franco’s .958. In that same span, Moustakas has been charged with 19 errors; Franco, 21. Neither player has ever won a Gold Glove.
If you look a little deeper, Moustakas is better in the Total Zone Total Fielding Runs Above Average, or Rtot, which is the number of runs above or below average the player is worth based on the number of plays made (via Baseball Reference). This season, Moustakas’ Rtot is +3, compared to -5 for Maikel. Moustakas also measures better in defensive runs saved with three compared to Franco’s -9 this year.
Slight edge: Moustakas.
Decision
It is clear that Mike Moustakas, at this moment, is a better overall MLB third baseman than Maikel Franco. That is not to say that Franco’s career could not still be on the upswing, as he is only 25 years old in his fifth major-league season. The common thought is that baseball players are really in their prime at 26, so we have probably not seen his best.
More from Phillies News
- Phillies-Mets owners’ rivalry grows after shocking Carlos Correa deal
- Could Rich Hill become ‘Jamie Moyer 2.0’ in Phillies rotation?
- Does Bailey Falter have a future in Phillies’ rotation?
- Bryce Harper’s absence should lead to Phillies lineup tinkering
- Pirates’ bizarre Vince Velasquez hype video will make Phillies fans laugh
If the Phillies really do not see Franco as part of their future, then trading him away for any value can be looked as a positive. If they do not trade him and they acquire Moustakas from the Royals, then it is likely that Maikel will be seeing the bench anyway.
Moustakas is playing on a one-year, $6.5 million deal right now, not that money matters too much. The point being, they would not have to give up too much value in the form of prospects.
Next: Phillies set to sign Dominican pitching prospect
If the Phillies decide they do not want to pursue the big-name third baseman before the deadline, such as Manny Machado or Adrian Beltre, then Moustakas makes a ton of sense. He would likely be a cheap rental unless he far out-performs expectations in a Phillies uniform.