The last time fans of the Philadelphia Phillies saw Maikel Franco in a meaningful game, he was writhing on the field in pain, holding his wrist. The results of the less meaningful games, the spring training ones, demonstrate the fans and manager Pete Mackanin have nothing to worry about.
Franco’s blistering spring—one of the best in club history—so far indicates that his wrist is completely healed. In 11 games, he has a .367 batting average with six home runs and 14 RBIs. The beauty of Franco’s game is that he has hit at every level he’s played, including a .280, 14-home run first season in MLB a year ago before the late-August injury. So the numbers he has posted are not a fluke.
Last year, the Phillies kept him in the minors through May to add another year of protection to any long-term contract status, but when he was called up, he hit .302 in his first 300 plate appearances. He trailed off a little near the end and was hitting .280 when the wrist injury occurred, but he had shown flashes of brilliance in an otherwise dull season for the Phillies. In a three-game series at Yankee Stadium against the New York Yankees, he hit three homers and drove in 10 runs.
Now, halfway through spring, he has more homers than the entire Yankees roster. No one is suggesting he will finish that way, but his start indicates last year’s bad wrist is better than ever. Following his numbers will be one bright spot for Phillies fans this summer.