BRADENTON, Fla. — Maikel Franco was scheduled to make the hour-long bus ride from Clearwater to Bradenton and be the Phillies' designated hitter against the Pirates on Friday.
Instead, Franco was told to make a U-turn and head across the way to the minor-league complex.
The highly touted prospect was among three players optioned to the minor leagues on Friday. Joining Franco were pitchers Joely Rodriguez and Nefi Ogando.
Franco, a 22-year-old corner infielder, came into camp on the heels of a big season in winter ball — he had hit .337 with six doubles, four homers and 16 RBIs in 22 playoff games in the Dominican Republic — but that success did not carry over to Florida. He had just six singles in 30 at-bats. He struck out four times and did not draw a walk.
“He was disappointed,” general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. “And I’m glad he was. It shows he has goals. I told him we weren’t disappointed in him, that he’s going to be fine and when the time comes for him to be here and stay, that’s when we’ll bring him.”
Franco also struggled in a big-league audition in September. He hit .179 (10 for 56) with just two doubles in 16 games. He struck out 13 times and drew just one walk. All this after hitting .324 with 11 homers, 47 RBIs and a .924 OPS over his final 55 games at Triple A last season.
Manager Ryne Sandberg said Franco’s swing was too big in September and in this camp. He wants Franco to simplify his approach, make solid contact and use the middle of the field. Amaro believes Franco pressed and tried to do too much during his time in camp and in the majors in September. That’s not uncommon for a young player.
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“He didn’t get the steady at-bats in camp like he did in the Dominican,” Amaro said. “It’s time for him to go to minor-league camp, get regular at-bats and get into the flow of playing every day games.”
Even a better showing in camp probably would not have won Franco a spot on the opening day roster. The Phillies probably would have opted to start him at Triple A to ensure that he would not become a free agent until after the 2021 season. Franco needs to spend about 40 days in the minors to push his potential free agency from after 2020 to after 2021. That extra year of control is very valuable to a team.
In the end, Franco made the decision easy for the Phillies by showing he needed more time regardless.
When Franco is ready for the majors, he could play either third base or first base. He could come quickly as a first baseman if Ryan Howard is moved.
Third base, for now, belongs to Cody Asche. Someday down the road, he could move to left field, but Asche is on target to make his second straight opening day start at third.
“It was always his spot to lose,” Amaro said. “I believe in Cody. I believe he’ll be a mainstay for us. Physically and emotionally, I think he’s one of the guys we want to build around. He’ll continue to have to prove he’s worthy of that, but he’s got that potential.
“Guys like (Jake) Diekman, (Ken) Giles, (Justin De Fratus), (Domonic) Brown — these are the guys we hope to build around, and we hope they keep showing us that they can be those guys.”