Welcome back to the 2015 Last Word on Fantasy Baseball Guide. Over the next several months we will be releasing player profiles, projections, position rankings, and a number of other articles that will help you dominate your fantasy league this season. Whether you play rotisserie or head-to-head; whether you have a standard draft, a snake or an auction league, and whether its keeper league or a one-year deal; we have all the fantasy information you need.
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FANTASY PROFILE: MAIKEL FRANCO, 3B, PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
LWOS RANKING 27, CAPTAIN’S VALUE: $-3.90
At the young age of 22, Maikel Franco has two major issues keeping him from being the Phillies 2015 Opening Day third baseman: questionable plate discipline and the painfully average Cody Asche. Franco ascended through the Phillies minor league system much quicker than most expected, and started out 2014 in AAA Lehigh Valley. He sputtered a bit to start the year but flipped the switch in the second half, enough to earn a September call up for a cup of coffee. As the top hitting prospect in Philadelphia’s farm system, there is a lot of hype surrounding the Dominican slugger, but it is unlikely that he starts the season in the big leagues.
As mentioned earlier, his biggest weakness is plate discipline. He has tremendous hand-eye coordination and pretty quick bat speed, which allows him to make a lot of contact, but he can be a bit free-swinging at times, so the contact he makes isn’t always good. This affects his BB% and K% as well. His pitch selection isn not great, so he does not walk much, but his contact percentage also keeps his K% down. His best asset is his power. Scouts put his raw power as high as 70 (out of 80), so he could potentially hit 30+ home runs in the majors if all goes well.
He is virtually useless in the stolen base department, as he is not fleet-footed at all. Despite this, he still displays solid defense at third base, so it appears he will stick there for the time being, but scouts predict an eventual move to first base further down the line. As it stands right now, Cody Asche is the Phillies’ starting third baseman, as mediocre as he may be. Even so, the Phillies are getting Asche some work in the outfield, so they are clearly trying to make space for Franco.
A mid-season call up for Franco seems to be the most likely scenario; probably after the Super Two deadline so Philly can control him until 2021. Once he gets called up, expect some power, with no speed and a a batting average around .240-.260.
| Year | Team | POS | G | PA | AB | R | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| 2014 | PHI | 3B | 16 | 58 | 56 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 0.179 | 0.190 | 0.214 | 0.404 |
| 2015 Proj | PHI | 3B | 475 | 449 | 34 | 15 | 33 | 2 | 21 | 81 | 0.259 | 0.294 | 0.416 | 0.710 |
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