3/14/14

Mack – Nick Franklin



Consider this a part of a series of possible ballplayers that may wind up playing shortstop for the New York Mets in 2014.

Franklin was the 27th overall pick in the 2009 draft by the Seattle Mariners, out of Lake Brantley (FL) HS. He was the 3rd SS taken in the draft behind Grant Green (13th-Oak) and Joi Mier (21st –Hou).

Franklin has played his entire five year career in the Seattle organization, 264 games at SS, 218 at 2B, and 2 as DH.

His career stat lines are:

        Minors (5-yrs) - .287/.360/.459/.819, 1,545-AB, 46-HR, 172-RBI

        Majors (1-yr) -  .225/.303/.382/.686, 369-AB, 12-HR, 45-RBI

More importantly, his fielding percentage at shortstop is:

        Minors (5-yrs) –261-games,  65-E, .943

        Majors (1-yr) – 3-G, 0-E, 1.000

Franklin is no longer a shortstop.

From BP on 5-28-13:


No matter where he plays in the field Franklin is a bat-first player. He is limited at shortstop, offering only modest range and an arm that earns below-average to fringe-average grades. He has decent hands and solid instincts but they are not enough to make him a palatable defender on the left side of the infield long term. If he is shifted to second base permanently, a position he has played extensively in the minor leagues, Franklin could be an average defender with an average arm for the position. Offensively, Franklin stands out for his ability to make consistent hard contact and drive the ball to all fields. He has a line-drive swing that will max out with 15-18 home runs a year, but should also generate 30-plus doubles at his peak. Franklin’s swing is simple and compact from the left side, allowing him to work counts and hit for a high average. From the right side, Franklin’s swing has a tendency to get long, adding more miss to his game and resulting in less punch. Franklin projects as an above average to plus hitter with good power and the ability to steal 10-15 bases a year thanks to average speed and decent base running instincts. Franklin will need time to adjust to major-league pitching but once he settles in he should be a solid everyday option for the Mariners.

4 comments:

Tom Brennan said...

No matter? Terry gave Ruben a big vote of confidence yesterday - relax, your our guy, even Hall of Famers have bad years. (And oh, by the way, you're inexpensive, Ruben, so work with us here, OK? We'd like to get away with Cheap.")

Mack Ade said...

Morning. I'm just posting the facts and what others have said.

Didi at 7am.

Bob Sugar said...

Brennan,

How could TC give him a vote when he is batting under 100 this Spring and has made 3 errors? Understand they are trying to have relax but he us a big boy. Save it if you ask me. Did DeGrom hurt his trade value giving up a home run yesterday.. Didn't help. Morning boys

Reese Kaplan said...

Isn't a "vote of confidence" from management what usually happens just before the ax falls? I read that statement as Sandy Alderson ordering him to make the declaration to keep the prices down on Drew, Franklin, Gregorius and Owings.