Box Score Recap – 6/23/2013

Box Score Recap

Maikel Franco with 4 hits, just a double short of the cycle. Guy’s mashing so far in AA, with an OPS of 1.441 in four games. Zach Green is also raking so far – OPSing 1.209, though with 11 Ks in 31 PAs, with the usual late June SSSSS (Short Season Small Sample Size) caveat.

2012 High School draftee Drew Anderson with six hitless innings for Williamsport. 2013 pick Lee Ridenhour did his part with two more hitless innings, before fellow 2013 pick Rob Marcello gave up the first hit, a solo homerun, with 2 outs in the ninth.

Here’s the affiliate Scoreboard from MiLB.

http://www.milb.com/scoreboard/index.jsp?sid=milb&org=143&ymd=20130623

6-23-2013

158 thoughts on “Box Score Recap – 6/23/2013”

      1. It is good sign to see him hit the ground running in AA considering he struggled for a while when he first made the jump to A ball.

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        1. There was an article posted awhile back that said franco’s early struggles had more to do with it taking him awhile to assimilate to a new country moreso than anything else. I think we often forget how tough that must be for 17, 18, 19 year olds from latin america.

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    2. Well that’s a little premature. His start has been great so far. If he keeps his line from Clearwater or better then he’s going to be up there in the rankings

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      3. Buddy Franco hasn’t made it yet. He’s 17 AB’s into AA. The arm bar could be a real problem if pitchers start trying to pitch him inside. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGHTQXWDEdM Look how his lead arm is extended through out the swing path. It creates a longer path to the ball and could make it harder to turn on pitches inside. Also seems like it’s causing him to use more of his upper body when he swings. I’m not saying that he can’t hit with it but this is the area of concern that the evaluators are seeing.

        Ashame you can’t find minor league heat maps. It would be really helpful in seeing how Franco fairs with different pitch locations.

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        1. Is there a policy I missed that said minor league pitchers can’t pitch inside? These guys are trying to make it too, and many of them are good, I’m sure they pitch him inside plenty.

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          1. It isn’t that they can’t go inside it is that there is a combination of that many lack the ability and stuff (because of the bat speed it is going to be controlled plus velocity inside) and the fact that they are all working on their own developmental thing. Minor league pitchers are not working off scouting reports for the most part (they may have some memory of how they faced a guy before), because exploiting minor league hitters is not how you get to the majors, knowing how to pitch and executing what you want to do is how you become a good pitcher.

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            2. The point is that pitching is not adjusting to him. If minor league pitching adjusted to him they would be training to get Maikel Franco out, not how to get batters out. Many holes only exist on the major league level (think Brown’s old swing) because the talent level and scouting reports are far above those in the minors. Not many guys in hi-A can come inside with mid-90s heat. Every team has a reliever or two who can so that and probably a starter as well.

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            3. You’re kidding yourself if you think minor league pitchers don’t have scouting reports on every hitter they face, especially the better ones. Pitchers have been trying to bust Franco inside for two years, and sometimes they get him out. But, sometimes he turns on those pitches, or they miss–just like they will in the Bigs. It’s really pretty amazing how hitters with reputed terrible swing flaws in the minors (Howard and Utley both come to mind here) manage to carve out good or excellent major league careers.

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            4. Major league pitchers will be able to be more consistent inside. That’s why they are major league pitchers.

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        2. There’s obviously a lot of “load” in that swing. Bring his hands up and back, certainly a bit long. However, he’s 20 years old and still fully in growth mode in AA. I’m absolutely positive that our coaches and scouts have taken notice of mechanical improvements that he can continue to make as the season progresses. I think the promotion will do wonders for him. His pitch recognition seems to be quite advanced for his age, even despite the amount of time it takes him to load up and commit on a pitch. I really think just simplifying the moving parts and decreasing that sway he has as he loads up will turn this kid into a monster. Obviously, that’s a WHOLE lot easier said than done, but he’s made huge strides already as a minor leaguer. The rest of this year should be viewed as a project where Franco is concerned. There’s no question that he’s sticking at third, so really it’s just an issue of ironing out the kinks and allowing him to tap into the boundless raw physical potential he possesses.

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  3. Im excited big time about Franco , In my humble , liking baseball alot played in highschool , occupational therapist self , He looks like the real deal , like as good as Howard or Utley a couple years ago , Ive heard comparisons between him and Beltre , bring it on , Beltre has 360 homeruns and has a cannon for an arm , and i dont think has ever stolen more than 10 bases ever , so how many 3rd baseman , steal alot anyway. Franco arm bar top 20 prospect ,suck it brad

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      1. Sorry man , I didnt realize you wrote this , I was listening to the rome show the other day and somebody on there named Bode said suck it brad and they got such a kick out of it they kept replaying it , so it got stuck in my head , and i just wrote while venting some anger, Sorry again man it had nothing to do with you and hopefully it didnt piss you off to much sorry

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    2. Beltre has stolen more than 10 bases 6 times in his major league career, and 20 twice while he was in the minors

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  4. Is it a coincidence that Valle is hitting better since taking over full time catching duties?

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    2. Whatever it is that Seb is doing, it’s good to see. If he, Collier, and Gillies can all finish over .250 BA and all continue getting XBHs then I call that success. If Hewitt paces them all in numbers though, I am not sure if that is an indictment on their collective ability (or lack thereof) or of Hewitt’s proper use of the tools at his disposal from his personal tool shed.

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  5. Having good foot speed has nothing to do with thirdbase, its your laternal quickness, if you have quick reaction, then you can be a good third basemen, you live in san fran, does your third basemen run fast?? sandoval.

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  6. I heard the call on Franco’s triple went like this: Franco hits a long fly ball over the CF’er’s head. the CF smashes into the wall. He’s down folks. he’s down. the LF’er and RF’er run over to collect the ball. they run into each other. 2 other guys down. Nobody is moving. The SS runs all the way to the CF track. Franco’s rounding 1st. He picks up the ball and throws to the 2nd Baseman. The 2B has stepped in a chuck hole. Of no, he’s down. Franco is rounding 2nd on his way to 3rd. The 1st baseman is running out to get the ball. He picks it up. He throws to 3rd. it’s going to be close even with the limp armed 1st baseman throwing it. Franco dives into a head first slide. The ball is there… Franco is there…. the umpire’s in a good position to see the call… man, it’s going to be close…Stop right there…before we go any further….

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    1. ‘….holy cow!, look at him go. This boy can really fly! He’s rounding first and really turning it on now, he’s not letting up at all, he’s gonna try for second; the ball is bobbled out in center, and here comes the throw, and what a throw! He’s gonna slide in head first, here he comes, he’s out! No, wait, safe-safe at second base, this kid really makes things happen out there’.

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    2. Actually, I was at the game and was pleasantly surprised how fast Franco made it to 3B. I expected him to run like a catcher, but he doesn’t. He was going around the bases as fast as Cartwright, who was on 1B when Franco hit the triple. Franco may not be a speedster, but he really didn’t look like a leadfoot, either. Don’t know if anyone else was at Sunday’s game and cares to venture a rating on his speed. Perhaps a 35?

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      1. It is still close to 20 speed (at least on all home to first times I have heard), but less of the Billy Butler, Ryan Howard version of 20 speed. It isn’t that he is a lumbering oaf he just isn’t fast.

        It is important to realize that because of historical notions of speed the scale is very skewed. The major league average is probably around 40 if not a touch lower.

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        1. He’s probably slow to first but able to pick up momentum as he rounds the bases. He’s got 8 triples over his career, and they can’t all be the results of misplayed balls in the outfield.

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            1. Franco is very quick with his feet at 3B from what I’ve seen. In the 20 or so games I’ve seen him play in person, I’ve seen him snag several hard hit balls that I thought demonstrated plus range.

              As for baserunning, he is slow to first base, but he does move better once he gets going. I don’t believe his speed will be a detriment until much later in his career.

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          1. Franco is probably a 1-13 (maybe 1-12) with Howard and Young at 1-8 for the Strat-O-Matic (best baseball game ever) players out there…

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  7. But seriously folks, Holland is banging on the A+ ceiling and screaming to let him back into AA. In his 7 starts at CLW, he has 1.31 ERA. the 6’5″ 205 pound lefty, has given up 6 runs in 41 1/3 innings. If he controls his BBs, he’ll be fine. He’s 23 years old until the end of the season. He’s showing he’s ready to move up. If he fails (again), then A+ will be his life.

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    1. Really Bellman, he is not good. He is just dominating because he is older. He is as fringy as prospects get.

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      1. I’m looking for any bright spot. After watching the Phillies get their butts kicked by the Mutts, I’m irritated. I live in an area where the Red Sox and Yankee fans rule but I work with a bunch of Met fans. I’ll be living in hell for weeks because of this weekend. I came within a hair lip of asking for Holands to be promoted to the big club (just kidding of course) but there can’t be a Philly fan out there that is happy with the big club. But I digress… Wrong thread.

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        1. Hmmmm. I grew up in Connecticut – it sounds lke you live somewhere between New Haven and Hartford.

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        2. mets aren’t exactly in a position to talk trash. harvey and wheeler are huge bright spots, though.

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      2. Have you had a chance to watch him pitch this year? I don’t care what level he’s pitching at, if he can maintain 1.72 BB/9 as he progresses, he can be a useful lefty arm out of the bullpen. From what I remember he flashes a low 90s fastball, with a bit of a loopy (but major league average) slider, and a pretty decent change in the high 70s. When we drafted him, he had 5 offerings, but obviously a couple got axed because they weren’t up to snuff. My questions would be: how much break is there on his slider, how do righties fare against his change, and does his fastball have enough movement to get it by big league hitters. He was noted previously for some pretty horrendous mechanics, so maybe he’s finally figuring that part out. Who knows, but we could sure use another arm with options in the big league pen.

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  8. Bellman never saw this kid. But if i heard right he is about 88 on the gun, Remember when he was drafted, most though why this kid, does he have good enough stuff and command to win. at big league level??

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    1. If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits 88mph, you’re gonna see some serious sh!t.

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    1. I have to agree with this. They both have high ceilings: top-of-the-rotation lefty starter vs. All-Star slugging third baseman. It’s hard to say which I’d prefer if they both reached these ceilings, although I’d probably lean toward the everyday player.

      More importantly, however, is that Franco appears at this point to be the more likely to reach that potential. (Biddle will be a very good pitcher for a very long time, IMO, but if he continues to struggle with command, he will not be a No. 1). So I’d have to leapfrog Franco into the top spot.

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      1. I agree. Franco is making me rethink my order. If he succeeds at AA, at age 20, there really is no question he is the #1. I think Biddle would need to be moved to AAA and succeed, to hold onto #1.

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        1. Just pure coincidence, but two of the Phillies’ best ever Latin signings could be named Franco.

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          1. Yeah. I remember reading about the Phenoms, Julio Franco and Juan Samuel, in Bill Conlin’s column a few years ago.

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            1. Ugh, I forgot Bell was a Phillies signing. If I had a time machine …

              1984 Phillies

              CF – Samuel
              2B – Sandberg
              LF – Bell
              3B – Schmidt
              SS – Franco
              C- Virgil
              RF – Wilson
              1B – Matuszek

              Four of those top 5 guys are in their early to mid-twenties.

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            2. After listening to Wheels do play by play the other day, and all this reminiscing (including a Juan Samuel reference), I can’t help but miss the days of Sammy hitting one in the right center field gap and hearing Harry the K belt out a “he’s rounding first, heading for second, look at Saaaaaammy run, he’s gonna glide into third with a stand up triple”

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            3. They thought Sandberg was a 3rd baseman, and Samuel was the better 2nd base prospect. That’s why they traded Sandberg.

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            4. Funny story about Len Matuszek. I met him a couple years ago at a bar in Bali; I was wearing a Phillies shirt and we got to talking. When I told my buddy back in Philly the story, his immediate reaction was, “How the hell does that bum Matuszek afford trips to Bali!”

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            7. Wow, I’ve never even heard of him. He put up an .878 OPS in 136 games in 1984. Walker nudges out Matuszek at 1st and hits sixth behind Franco. Nice memory!

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  10. Nice to see Zach Green draw three BBs in two days after that three strikeout 0’fer. He also smacked two doubles and a HR in the past two days. You really couldn’t have asked for a better start from this guy.

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    1. would love to get scouting report on his swing. Has size to be power bat and from all accounts good arm at 3B. You wonder if lack of contact last year was his mechanics (swing) or cognitive (pitch recognition).

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      1. Reports were (don’t have much this year) that it is a long swing. Plenty of leverage but susceptible to pitchers who can change speeds.

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          1. I’m just hoping to see that K rate go down — the good news is it went from over 40% to 35% this weekend 🙂

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            1. I read that they have worked on his swing. I saw him at spring training and his swing was not long. I think this is more of a pitch recognition issue with this young 19 year old. He has shown he has the power now he needs to learn more plate discipline. I believe he will get there. 3 BBs in 3 games gives me cautious optimism .

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            2. Agreed, his swing looked very fluid to me and not particularly long but he is a big guy in the Rolen mold. He would have played at LWood this year if Walding wasn’t already there. Two more 3B drafted this year so we’re loaded with 3B now. We’ll see….

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        2. Matt it seems most of hitters undoing is a long swing. You wonder why coaches are not addressing this sooner in their careers.

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          2. Swing mechanics are not the easiest to alter, especially when a kid is having success with it. It is also one of those things that is not really evident to a large extend until pro-ball. For those of us without great scouting eyes it really only becomes evident when you see him face a guy who throws a good enough breaking ball from the same slot as his fastball and the hitter can’t cheat a little bit on the fastball. Additionally it is something that is really only exploited on the major league level where pitchers are pitching to scouting reports and exposing weaknesses.

            It is just one of the many reasons on why professional baseball is hard.

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            6. And some players do succeed in the big leagues with a long swing. Greg Luzinski’s swing was very quick and short, and Schmidt’s was much longer, but Schmitty had the better career. Werth had a pretty long swing. Howard has a long swing as far as lefties go. Guys with great athleticism can compensate for mechanical flaws; in fact those flaws sometimes become strengths allowing players to exploit pitches win they have favorable counts or guess right.

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            7. It really shows itself when the fastballs speed up and not really before that. They have to cheat a little to catch up to it and that makes them all front footed for a change up which all the better pitchers can throw.

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          3. It starts in little league when everyone with a mouth yells keep your back elbow up!!!! When they really mean keep your hands/shoulder up. when your back elbow is up(above 45 degrees) you need to drop it before you swing and it leads to a long looping swing.

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  12. Mayo on Philly hopeful SIgnee Encarnacion: Rank: 12 — Bani, Dominican Republic
    Height: 6’2″, Weight: 185 Pos: 3B DOB: 8/9/1997 Bats: R, Throws: R
    Scouting Grades* (present/future): Hit: 4/5 | Power: 4/6 | Run: 3/4 | Arm: 5/6 | Field: 4/5

    Arguably the best right-handed hitter on the market, Encarnacion has tons of raw power, a short stroke and good balance at the plate. He’s known for spraying line drives all over the field, but he also has home run power, especially to his pull side. Encarnacion has impressed scouts with his ability to square the ball up and make hard contact every time he gets into the batter’s box. However, some wonder if the teen has a true position on defense. For now, Encarnacion is at third base, but that could change in the future. A regular in the International Prospect League, Encarnacion was a standout at the MLB International Showcase in January, notching four hits in seven at-bats. One of the youngest players on the market, Encarnacion won’t be able to sign until he turns 16 on Aug. 9. Scouts like his makeup, aggressive nature and approach to the game. He reminds some of Adrian Beltre.

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    1. I’ve got a pen if he needs one.

      This sounds like a prospect to dream on. Please make this happen, RAJ.

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    2. I think they may be also looking at another Ven prospect. Not rated as high but still very good. An Emmanuel DeJesus, lefty pitcher. Has anyone heard anyhing new about that?
      They have the apprxo $1.6M in allocation money , plus the standard this year for each club, of $700K on top of that. So with the total of $2.3M maybe they will get their guys.

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    3. Why torture yourself. if this kid wants more than a million, he wont be with us. let it go.

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      1. The club has been aiming higher the last couple years, with Tocci and the two big $500k+ signs last year. I don’t think it’s outrageous to think they might commit in the neighborhood of $1mil at this point, especially if they are as enamored with the guy as people have been saying. If there’s a bidding war much above $1mil, I wouldn’t expect them to last, but the guy seems fairly limited and maybe other teams don’t see a position for him to be worth as much as the Phils.

        I’m not sure I like them going out of there way to sign a high priced 16-y-o power hitting 1B, but better $1mil than $125mil.

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        2. Whatever they do; they need to do SOMETHING. They need to start going after the big/blue chip hitting prospects. I always hear that it’s always better to spend less on more prospects because the probability is more will fail than succeed, but the club is at a crossroads where it needs bona fide stars seeing as the team has been going downhill ever since the World Series loss in ’09. Go out and spend the 1MM or so on 2 prospects and hope for a 50% fail rate. We already have 250-500M prospects and even if they make it we will most likely only hope for them to become solid starters…not necessarily game changers.

          I’m not saying that we can’t spend less and get a star, but they are usually worth that much for a reason. All obvious stuff, but I think we should be putting it into practice.

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          1. Going downhill since 2009?
            Wins by season:
            2009 – 93
            2010 – 97
            2011 – 102
            2012 – 81

            No. They went downhill after 2011.

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            1. I thought since we were all fans of the club you would understand my point. The hitters have all been going down hill since 2009. I was taking about impact hitting. How about you go gather up the run and hr totals since then.

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  13. The corpse has a pulse?? Larry Greene third straight game with two hits…BA over .200…be still my heart

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    1. Based on some of the comments on this site, you would have thought that Greene should have been released already. Luckily, the club’s management understands that it can take a while for a prospect to put it together, especially one just out of high school and they don’t give up that quickly. .

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      1. Nobody has suggested he should be released or that the Phillies should just give up on him. What has been said, and still seems very true, is that LGJ seems like a misfire for a #1 draft pick — a misfire of the same magnitude as Hewitt, with the difference being which tool was focused upon. At least Hewitt always had a good work ethic and seemed very interested in improving his game and overcoming the problems caused by his less-than-stellar hand-eye coordination and pitch recognition skills. LGJ, on the other hand, managed to show up out of shape at each of his STs, since becoming a pro. That, as much as his very slow start with the bat and numerous Ks this season, is very troubling. He could still develop. Lack of dedication to improving his body and becoming the best ballplayer he can be seems a big part of the problem. LGJ has to fix that himself. If he had the desire of an Asche or Hewitt, he might well turn his career around. Limping into the season, because you think getting into playing shape is something to be done on company time, rather than your own off-season time, is simply not going to get it done. Baseball is too competitive for that approach.

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        1. Allentown, I get your point. However, many if not most kids coming out of high school are immature and it can take several years for them to “get it”. I am just advocating patience with our youngest prospects, whether the problem is hand-eye coordination, lack of enough maturity to show up in shape or inability to make accurate throws.

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          2. Doesn’t Greene have a family…that is.. a child with wife! Should be no issues with maturity. I think he bolts baseball in January and goes to Alabama on a football scholarship with Mr Saban.

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            1. If you think that having a wife and /or a child when you are a teenager means that you have no issues with maturity, then you have not seen much of life, my friend.

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            2. That is true anymore, but have seen much of life to realize that surely doesn’t mean responsiblity and maturity.

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        2. Allentown, let me quote you from Gregg in ‘Hot or Not’ from June 20th. “its very hard to think that Larry Greene will turn it around. Between the brutal numbers and showing up out of shape to Spring Training, I have about written him off.”

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  14. It looks like the Phillies made a mistake in not signing Andrew Susac. His line in AA is .273/.381/.483. He may turn out to be a better player than Tommy Joseph.

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    2. Why do you say that? On a recent Baseball America chat, someone asked who were the top 5 catching prospects in minor league baseball. I recall Austin Hedges being mentioned as #1, D’arnaud was #2 and Tony Sanchez/Tommy Joseph were #5/6.
      Andrew Susac was not mentioned.

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  16. Quinn has been really scuffling lately, needs to get on another hot streak or he may be repeating Lakewood next season.

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    1. If he can improve his numbers a bit while cutting down on the K’s a little more then he might resurrect his prospect status.

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      1. Hewitt also had 20 errors! in the outfield last season. This year its 2. Still almost no chance he’ll be a major league regular, but its possible he can actually see a major league game now.

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  18. So Harold Martinez has hit pretty well in the 3 games he has played since Franco went up to Reading.

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      2. I love Hmart I buy all of my fish there. Oh that Hmart. Yeah I must admit I really need to stick to my day job because I really thought he was going to move quick through the system.

        So chalk it up to another KOD by me. As it turns out the scouts concerns about his ability to generate bat speed were pretty much on the money. The dreaded metal bats of college I can’t wait til they do away with them. Our American Legion program already has.

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  19. Does MILB have the correct name for Tyler Buckley. MILB lists his name as Tyler Tyler Bulkley. He was so good, they named him twice. Or is it what’s your name boy, Forrest, Forrest Gump sir?

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    1. Rhink what Sal could have been if he had some money to spend these last 10 years or so.
      Oh the humanity of it all!

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  21. Any recon or knowledge if the Phils are in on Miguel Gonzalez, the RHP Cuban defector toiling down in the Mexican Super League waiting for the tariff on importing goods to be lifted so he can sign with an MLB team?

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      1. The only one that comes to mind is Josue Perez who we signed after his deal fell through with the Dodgers. $850K at age 21. A cautionary tale to say the least.

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    1. His English is really not too bad also. Did the interview without an interpreter. That is impressive for someone so young from the Dominican.

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      1. agreed. His english in interview was much better than I expected because of interpreter stories we were hearing about during all star game (home run hitting contest). I honestly dont think he even needs interpreter.

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    1. Say what you want about the man, Bill Conlin, but back in 2010 he pegged Franco as the best prsopect then in the Phillies org. after watching him in the GCL for 50 games or so.

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      1. I miss Bill Conlin’s coverage of the Phillies and especially the farm system. He wrote some outstanding stuff over the years on the topic and the various players that went thru it. He was one of the few beat writers (in any city) that really took the time to understood and write about the minors at a time when the internet wasn’t available or was still relatively new.

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  27. And this from BA today

    Maikel Franco, 3b, Phillies: Welcome to Double-A, Maikel Franco. Since his promotion to Reading, Franco is 8-for-17 with two home runs, including a 4-for-5 game yesterday with a triple (yes, a triple) and a home run. He also hasn’t struck out yet in his first four Double-A games. All of the arrows continue to point in the right direction for the 20-year-old Dominican third baseman, one of the breakout stories of the season.

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      1. I don’t understand the obsession over the arm bar swing. It was a comment by Jim Callis that he thought he would be good but not elite. No one said he was going to completely fail.

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          1. Ahh yes judging success on placement on a list. Here is BA’s range around 50
            45. Casey Kelly, rhp, SD
            46. Max Fried, lhp, SD
            47. Yasiel Puig, of, LAD
            48. Addison Russell, ss, OAK
            49. Allen Webster, rhp, BOS
            50. Lance McCullers, rhp, HOU
            51. Gregory Polanco, of, PIT
            52. Nolan Arenado, 3b, COL
            53. David Dahl, of, COL
            54. Noah Syndergaard, rhp, NYM
            55. Courtney Hawkins, of, CWS

            Franco is better than Kelly (TJ surgery), Hawkins (lots of miss), Dahl (not by much), and McCullers (I think he is a reliever). Now people jumped these guys as well so to say Franco isn’t Top 50 isn’t a death sentence.

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            1. Matt. this kid mc clullers has really nice numbers for a 19 year old. 65 innings 49 hits 72 stikeouts. 1.92 era, I was looking at him the other day wondering why the phillies took watson over him, he was picked right after the phillies picked watson. He is in low a ball right now at 19 and kind of dominating. He did get 2.4 million compared to watsons 1.4 I believe thats what they gave watson.

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            2. It was the money, essentially he would have been the Phillies draft had they taken him (Watson was 1.3 million, McCuller 2.5 million). He doesn’t really have a changeup and the delivery has some violence. It is one of the best fastballs in the minors and when I say I think he might end up in the bullpen (which is a fairly common opinion), he is a guy you could project Kimbrel type numbers on. He is the main reason the Astros took Correa over Buxton (I think Buxton is better but Correa is a year younger on the same level and is not a slouch)

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  29. Bad morning for the draft picks.
    Cord Sandberg, Jan Hernandez and Trey Williams: 0 for 11, with 7Ks.

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    1. Watch the video above first to get a picture of it first. What happens is that Franco’s front arm starts extended as the bat starts to come into the hitting zone. Now watch this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1SD_5IDW8g , Brown keep his arms bent and then extends into the ball in the hitting zone. When your arm is already extended it makes it more difficult to bring the bat head inside during your swing and so it makes it difficult to adjust and get the bat into the zone to make good contact on a pitch. This isn’t a fatal flaw for Franco but it is a whole that pitchers with premium velocity and command will exploit. If they miss inside he will take it for a ball and if they miss out he will crush it. It does make him slightly less of a prospect because there is a weakness to the swing. But it is the kind of thing that separates an elite hitter from a very good one (in other words his ceiling is more All-Star than superstar).

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      1. Got it. He raises his arms before swinging which might throw off his timing as well. Definitely not a picture perfect swing.

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  31. When Matt Harvey was drafted in 2007 by the Angels, at 118, he was not ranked as high as Shane Watson and Mitch Gueller were last year. Does this mean we will see the same performance from Watson and Gueller in 5 years as Harvey is doing now?

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  32. @DannyKnoblerCBS: One scout on 20-year-old Phillies prospect Maikel Franco, just promoted from A to AA: “Best impact bat I’ve seen in minors this year.”

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    1. From Keith Law

      Safe to say preseason breakout potential Maikel Franco is for real? Was promotion to AA too soon?
      Klaw (1:14 PM)

      Yes, I’m in. I was surprised at the promotion, though. I didn’t view him as the type of advanced hitter (in terms of approach, pitch recognition, etc) who could move quickly like that. I hope to see him in July once I’m settled.

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    1. I saw his name and wanted to find a scouting report on him, looks like he is low to mid 90s in high school. has room to grow is really all I could find on him.

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  34. Franco is 3 for 4 tonight with a double. He’s hitting over .500 since his callup. Just sick.

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