Maikel Franco (3B, PHI) - Waiver Wire Analysis

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OWNED IN: 7% of Fleaflicker Leagues

ANALYSIS: Let the youth movement in the City of Brotherly Love begin! Maikel Franco is the first of a laundry list of talented players within the Philadelphia Phillies organization to make it to the show in 2015. What is there to like about Mr. Franco you might ask? Let us start with a career .280 BA, .785 OPS and no more than 81 K in any one season in the minors. Let us then progress to his career 2.3 K/BB ratio with an OBP sitting at .329. What does this all add up to? Franco is the undisputed 3B of the Philadelphia Phillies for the next decade.

Now that Franco has been shown to you as he truly is, the bottom line is that he currently plays for a lousy team. Or are they really that far off from being contenders? Sure the Phillies have made bad decisions before, but this franchise seems to have a different feel these days. Ryan Howard is even starting to come around (probably because he can't go anywhere else).

Franco has all the tools to be a RBI threat at any spot in the order but lacks the speed or power to be a cornerstone in the lineup offensively for the time being. Franco can be the heralded "glue guy" to any roster as his contributions will shine brightly across the board. The K/BB ratio is going to be reliable the whole year unlike many young players who tend to K a lot early on in the majors.

Franco is going to get every opportunity to succeed early and often. The Phillies will almost surely put him around talented hitters such as Chase Utley and Ryan Howard to alleviate some of the pressures early on. This guy can hit and it is his time to prove it. Conservatively expect a .290 BA with 15 HR and 70 RBI with excellent ratios and no signs of early setbacks or regression. Take comfort in knowing you made the right decision by buying in on Franco in fantasy leagues.