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Maikel Franco Is RAKING
By Jim Adair
Published:
In just 37 games in the majors this year, Maikel Franco has breathed tiny signs of life into the corpse that is the 2015 Phillies. Devourer of Worlds, Franco’s here to save the Phillies’ watchability:
In his first two games at Yankee Stadium, Franco went 6-for-8 with two doubles, three home runs and 10 RBIs. He’s the first player in baseball history with back-to-back five RBI games against the Yankees.
He became the youngest player since 1900 to notch a four-hit, two-home run effort in his first game at Yankee Stadium . He’s hitting .319/.368/.604. And those numbers jump to .415/.461/.805 in the month of June.
In a year when no Phillies are really playing at an All-Star level, Franco could turn one great month into an appearance in Cincinnati (the way Dom Brown did a few years ago). Maybe.
If he plays the rest of the season in full health, he’s on pace for 34 home runs and 99 RBI in only 126 games. He’s single-handedly given many people a reason to watch the Phillies this year, and he’s only 22. He could be the guy to build around.
When he's not writing about sports here or ranting about them on Twitter, Jim is probably watching X-Files on Netflix or drinking a beer somewhere. Jim has nothing against hockey, it's just not his style. He once met Duce Staley at a Sixers game.