Future Watch: Maikel Franco Rookie Baseball Cards, Philadelphia Phillies – Ever since Maikel Franco burst on the scene for the Philadelphia Phillies, fans got a real jolt. Their team is struggling but this budding “superstar” (teammate Cody Asche’s words) has been extremely solid in all facets of the game.
However, the 22-year-old rookie has already had his share of ups and downs. He started out this season as the 56th rated prospect in the league by Baseball America. In his first 66 at-bats he has 3 homers and 10 RBI. Despite his average slipping to .212 he has just 9 strikeouts, clearly showing he has a future in the league. That’s a total the Phillies hierarchy and manager Ryne Sandberg can live with.
At 6-1, 213, the Dominican native is expected to play a corner position and be power-hitter for the next decade. The Phillies may have struck gold when they signed him. He appears to be the Phillies best third base prospect since Scott Rolen back in 1996. His arm isn’t as strong as Rolen’s but it’s more than adequate to get the job done.
The Phillies were smart and had him play winter ball in the Dominican Republic. He performed well above average and appears to be that last hurdle for him to make it to the big leagues and stay there.
Franco’s first home run was memorable. So memorable, in fact, that a fan pushed an old lady out of the way to get the souvenir.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZexBHQV2v4
That was despicable. Here’s a minor league blast he had a few years ago.
Maikel Franco’s first mainstream baseball cards were released in 2012 products. However, his first autographed trading cards appear in several 2013 products including:
Future Watch: Maikel Franco Rookie Baseball Cards, Philadelphia Phillies Image Gallery
- MLB Future Watch: Zach Neto Baseball Cards, LA Angels - April 19, 2024
- NFL Future Watch: Demario Douglas Football Cards, New England Patriots - April 18, 2024
- NHL Future Watch: Pavel Mintyukov Hockey Cards, Anaheim Ducks - April 16, 2024