Nick Franklin

The Rays acquired Nick Franklin in 2014 as part of the David Price deal when they preferred Brad Miller. Now they have both, at the detriment of Franklin’s playing time. Franklin has spent most of the past few seasons in Triple-A and has a .270/.360/.439 slash line in 1,140 plate appearances. That success has not translated into success at the big league level, as he has hit .203/.275/.348 in over 600 plate appearances. Franklin is a switch hitter but all of his power comes from the left side. He can earn a walk, but there’s a lot of swing and miss in his game as he has a long swing. Pitchers challenge him with a lot of heat early to get him to expand his zone late. He is likely going to serve as Kevin Cash’s swiss army knife in 2016, as he can play multiple positions, but he hasn’t shown enough bat or glove yet to man any one position full time.

For his career, Franklin is just over 500 plate appearances at the big league level. While that is not enough to make a definitive decision on his future, his overall .213/.289/.358 slash line does not inspire much. The switch hitter has a bit of a long swing, but the inconsistent playing time he got in Seattle before being traded to Tampa Bay could not have helped. He can work counts to draw walks, but he has been prone to striking out and even the everyday playing time the Rays gave him in Triple-A did not help much. Franklin has double-digit home run and stolen base potential should he be a starter, but he also looks a lot like Danny Espinosa in terms of profile and risk. His 2015 outlook is cloudy because the roster still has all of the same pieces that did not permit him to join the team until rosters expanded in September. It is not impossible for him to go back to Triple-A to start the season so he plays every day.

Franklin appears to be a man without a position after the Mariners signed second baseman Robinson Cano in December. The 27th overall pick of the 2009 draft, Franklin arrived in Seattle last year to take over second base from the sputtering Dustin Ackley. Franklin impressed early after his late-May callup, hitting 10 home runs and 13 doubles in his first 199 at-bats with an .830 OPS. He slumped terribly over the final two months, however, hitting two homers and seven doubles in his final 170 at-bats with a .517 OPS. Franklin struggled with offspeed pitches, posting a 27.4% strikeout rate. Even with the late-season fade, Franklin has upside, and he can still be an everyday player in the big leagues. Where that will ultimately be is uncertain, as the Mariners could trade him with Cano on board.

After posting a strong .896 OPS in 57 games at Double-A Jackson to begin the season, the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League provided a new challenge for Franklin that likely will lead the Mariners to return him to Triple-A Tacoma for the start of the 2013 season. Perhaps the most pressing issue for Franklin is that his contact rate dipped to 75 percent at Triple-A, six percent lower than his first-half results at Jackson. He improved into August and September, however, and then posted a .941 OPS in the Arizona Fall League. Just where he eventually fits with the Mariners remains to be seen. The knock on the "shortstop of the future" is his range, which is perhaps why the organization had him play more games at second base than short at Triple-A and in the AFL. In November, the Mariners traded for Robert Andino to provide backup infield duty, likely quashing any shot Franklin had at the Opening Day roster.

Franklin's 2011 was derailed by a couple of fluke injuries. First he suffered a concussion when a teammate's backswing smacked him in batting practice. Then he had a nasty bout of food poisoning that caused him to drop 10 pounds. Franklin played in the Arizona Fall League to make for the at-bats he missed. After a huge 2010 at Low-A Clinton, Franklin didn't show as much power at either High-A High Desert or Double-A Jackson last season. He's still wearing the “shortstop of the future” label, but the position is much more crowded than it was a year ago for the Mariners and he has more to prove. If Franklin impresses this season, which likely will start at Double-A, a September callup could happen.

The 27th overall pick in the 2009 draft, Franklin looks to be Seattle's shortstop of the future. The switch-hitter drafted out of high school showed good speed (26 steals) and good defense last season at Low-A Clinton, but more impressive is that his power translated to pro ball as he hit a franchise-record 23 homers and 22 doubles. He could start the season at Double-A this year, but he needs to improve his plate discipline after posting a 50:123 BB:K in 513 at-bats last year. He's still a couple years away from Seattle, but Franklin is only 20 years old.

A switch-hitting shortstop, Franklin was the Mariners' second first-round pick in the 2009 draft (27th overall). He has good speed and defensive skills and is expected to hit for average, though his power development remains a question. He was drafted out of high school, so he may take a little while to develop, but the Mariners thought enough of him to pay him about $120,000 over slot.