Phillies All-Decade Team of the 2010s: Breaking down the legends
Maikel Franco
The Phillies third base position has been incredibly weak for years with seven players playing at least 50 games at third base during the 2010’s decade. Seventeen players made at least 20 appearances at second base during the decade, including Ty Wiggington, Michael Martinez, and Cody Asche.
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The fact that Maikel Franco comes out on top in the all-decade team is a testament to how badly the Phillies have lacked any consistency at the position for years. Since trading Scott Rolen there have been eight men who played at least 100 games at third base, and Franco still leads all of them in most of the offensive categories.
A highly-touted prospect signed out of the Dominical Republish, Franco made his much-anticipated debut in 2014, getting his first hit off Stephen Strasburg on Sept. 5 in the third inning. His first home run came in May 2015 after starting the year in the minors, going yard against Randall Delgado in a 6-0 win over the Diamondbacks.
Franco’s 2015 rookie season would prove a disappointment with only 14 home runs, though there was some light at the end of the tunnel. The following two seasons he’d hit 25 and 24 home runs respectively, but his batting average and lack of consistency were an issue.
Fast-forward to 2019, and Franco saw himself back in the minor leagues, demoted for his poor hitting. The man who hit 102 home runs, collected 583 hits, and legged out 110 doubles to lead Phillies third basemen in the decade will likely be non-tendered or traded to a team willing to give him more time to develop.
Honorable Mention: Placido Polanco