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| Born: 10/02/1997 (Age: 20) | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Height: 6′ 3″ | Weight: 215 |
| Mechanics |
| Tall with a thick lower half, little projection left; semi windup, above-average arm speed, three-quarters arm slot, some head whack on foot strike, will get offline, falls off to 1B side, mild effort in delivery. |
| Evaluator | Nathan Graham |
| Report Date | 08/15/2018 |
| Affiliate | Bowling Green Hot Rods (Low A, Rays) |
| Dates Seen | 7/9/18 |
| OFP/Risk | 45/High |
| Realistic | 40; Middle Reliever |
| MLB ETA | 2021 |
| Video | Yes |
| Pitch Type | Present Grade | Future Grade | Sitting Velocity | Peak Velocity | Report |
| FB | 50 | 55 | 92-94 | 94 | Heavy with some late life, works low in the zone but can miss bats when elevated; Will play above-average with improved command. |
| CB | 50 | 60 | 78-80 | 80 | Current average offering but has potential to be a true out-pitch. 12-6 movement, has depth, will bury down and away to right handed hitters; Struggles at times with consistency of release point, will hang a few when not right. |
| CH | 30 | 40 | 85-86 | 86 | Currently below-average, lacked feel, only a handful shown in my look. |
| Overall |
| Rays’ third-round pick from 2016, Franklin is tall with classic build of a starter. However, with his current limited arsenal a future move out of a starting role is likely. The delivery features good downward plane giving the fastball some late life. Short relief stints should also make the velo tick up a notch making the pitch above average. Pairing that with a curve that has a potential of missing bats give Franklin a profile of later inning bullpen arm. |
| Born: 03/01/2001 (Age: 17) | |
| Bats: Switch | Throws: Right |
| Height: 5′ 10″ | Weight: 189 |
| Primary Position: SS | |
| Secondary Position: | |
| Physical/Health |
| Athletic frame, broad shoulders, squarish body. More mature frame than you’d expect at 17. |
| Evaluator | <!– –> Jeffrey Paternostro |
| Report Date | 08/15/2018 |
| Dates Seen | 8/9, 8/12 (DH) |
| Affiliate | Princeton Rays (Rookie, Rays) |
| MLB ETA | Risk Factor | OFP | Realistic Role | Video |
| 2021 | High | 70 | 60: First-division SS, occasional all-star | No |
| Makeup |
| Good and he knows it, even keel. |
| Tool | Future Grade | Report |
| Hit | 60 | Slightly open stance, leg lift with a bit of a dip/hitch with the hands, premium bat speed, can let it eat. Stays back well on off speed, good knowledge of the strike zone, doesn’t sell out for power, confident working back up the middle or opposite field. Barrels everything from the left side and bat stays in the zone a long time. Right side is a little rawer. Similar mechanics, but less barrel control, beats balls into the ground. Not uncommon for a young switch hitter, and I’d expect that to improve with more exposure to lefties. 6 might look conservative in 12 months. |
| Power | 60 | Plus raw. Ball explodes off the bat, enough loft to get to all of it. Won’t be a huge power guy, but 20+ homers at maturity is very possible. |
| Baserunning/Speed | 50 | Digs from 4.1-4.3, good second gear, expect him to be an average runner at maturity. Speed plays up in the field. |
| Glove | 50 | Not a dynamic shortstop, but gets it done. Smooth around the bag, ranges well into the 5.5 hole. |
| Arm | 55 | Above-average arm strength, but accuracy can be scattershot on the move. May get to more balls than the arm can make plays on, but enough arm to stick on the left side of the infield. |
| Overall |
| Despite not being able to legally buy cigarettes yet, Franco has already established himself as one of the elite prospects in the game. Should probably already be in full-season ball and is less risky than you’d think due to the advanced bat and ability to stick at the 6. Conservatively he’s one of the top 25 prospects in the game, and these grades may look low this time next year. Stuff him to all your friends. |
| Born: 07/16/1999 (Age: 19) | |
| Bats: Left | Throws: Left |
| Height: 6′ 1″ | Weight: 196 |
| Primary Position: CF | |
| Secondary Position: | |
| Physical/Health |
| Average build, good frame, could probably add 10-15 more pounds of good weight, but not a ton of physical projection left. |
| Evaluator | <!– –> Jeffrey Paternostro |
| Report Date | 08/15/2018 |
| Dates Seen | 8/7-8/8 |
| Affiliate | Kingsport Mets (Rookie, Mets) |
| MLB ETA | Risk Factor | OFP | Realistic Role | Video |
| 2021 | High | 60 | 50; Everyday center fielder | No |
| Tool | Future Grade | Report |
| Hit | 50 | Can get a little handsy during his load and lose bat control, popped up some easy cheez. Tough to ding him too much at the end of a long amateur/pro season. Swing can get long and leveraged. Enough bat speed to cover above-average velocity, can exploit aggression early in counts. May end up pop over hit. |
| Power | 55 | Ball jumps, backspin and loft, plus raw, should get to most of it. |
| Baserunning/Speed | 55 | 11.4 on a triple, good second gear, looks like a present plus runner, would expect him to give some of that back in his 20s, but the frame looks close to a finished product. |
| Glove | 55 | Can really go get it, strong instincts, runs to the spot, will adjust routes on the fly, reads ball well, goes gap-to-gap with ease, got a 25% bucket play in RCF on a glide. Doesn’t have that explosive closing kick, but everything else looks like a sure shot CF. |
| Arm | 60 | Plus arm strength, good carry, accurate. Didn’t get to see him really air it out, and have heard plus-plus thrown on him here. |
| Overall |
| Broad base of skills, five-tool center field projection, may lack a carrying tool for stardom, but the makings of an above-average regular here. Would like to see how he adjusts to full-season ball, might answer some lingering questions about the ultimate hit tool. Going to get Brandon Nimmo comps because of the background, organization, and draft position, but better center field tools than Nimmo at the same age. Less raw than you’d think given the background, .260, 20 home run type that can play CF everyday. |
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