Third straight year the Reds have taken a HS 3B in the second round. Weird.
Great power potential, I like the upside. Don't know much else about him.
Far and away the lowest rated on BA's Top 500 that has been drafted so far (#232)
Third straight year the Reds have taken a HS 3B in the second round. Weird.
Great power potential, I like the upside. Don't know much else about him.
Far and away the lowest rated on BA's Top 500 that has been drafted so far (#232)
Go BLUE!!!
From Baseball America. Does that sound like Juan Francisco?Kevin Franklin, 3b, Gahr HS, Cerritos, Calif. (@RealKJ44)
Franklin immediately stands out for his burly physique. At 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, Franklin has a thick lower half and a barrel chest. There aren't many major league third basemen with his build. He has above-average arm strength, but his lack of lateral quickness and occasionally stiff hands in the field may trigger an eventual move to first base. That's OK because Franklin's provocative power should allow him to move anywhere on the diamond. As you might imagine, his physique lends to a strength-oriented swing and Franklin shows towering raw power at times. He's mostly pull oriented right now, but if he becomes more consistent at the plate and learns to use the entire field, he could be a serious power threat. Franklin plays for Yak Baseball West and is committed to Arizona State.
Sounds a lot like Francisco. Hopefully his plate discipline will be better.Originally Posted by texasdave
With Rahier, Mejias-Brean, and Rosa - 3B seems a little crowded in the lower minors, no?
I wonder if there is any chance they can try to make Franklin into a catcher?
Great arm, stocky build, limited lateral movement, power bat. Hmmm...
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http://www.bbprospectreport.com/tag/kevin-franklin
Power and little else according to these guys. Power plays though. Video.
He's a longer term project, but that's okay with me. Could be a Ortiz.
Interesting preseason list of Top 50 Draft Prospects had Franklin at 50, with Lorenzen 9 spots ahead of him and Ervin 9 spots ahead of that:
http://bigleaguefutures.net/1/2012/0...-50-prospects/
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Edd Roush (06-07-2013)
The most recent list from that site has him at 164 as well.
Looks to me like the equivalent of a kid who throws 99 with movement but command and secondary stuff are uncertain. A project.
I really like the athleticism despite his size. If he can tone down his swing just a bit in order to gain more contact and more of a gap-to-gap approach, he could be a monster.
Fun selection.
That's my thoughts on Lorenzen and Franklin. At the very least, we've got some interesting players to follow. Definitely no Jeff Gelalich this time around.
Franklin was a member of the 2012 Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities USA Baseball's 2012 Tournament of Stars.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?...r_mlb&c_id=mlb
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I don't get it - could have taken Denney or another pitcher with this pick and drafted this guy later.
You can assume that they felt that he wouldn't last until their next pick.
I hope he can stick at 3b or, like someone said, move to catcher because first base will be occupied a while.
I like his swing. His glove looks decent, his footwork looks questionable. That odd little front foot ankle twist on his swing is unusual. Seems to really pop out at me everytime he swings.
Catcher or outfield seems like the right location for him eventually IMO. 1b and 3b...I don't think so. Time will tell.
Keith Law panned the pick, calling it one of the biggest reaches of the day. Says he only has one tool - power.
I'm starting the "Move Franklin to Catcher" campaign. That could be really interesting.
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