Maikel Franco

Maikel Franco is a professional baseball player who plays in Major League Baseball. He is from the Dominican Republic. As of the 2021 season, he is signed with the Baltimore Orioles. He has also played for the Philadelphia Phillies and the Kansas City Royals.

Player Profile

Franco was born Maikel Antonio Franco on August 26, 1992. His hometown is Azua in the Dominican Republic. He is Dominican and he stands 185 cm tall and his last listed weight is 102 kg. He plays the position of Third Baseman and he plays right-handed, batting and throwing with his right hand.

He made his MLB debut in September 2014.

Career

In 2010, he signed to play with the Philadelphia Phillies as an international free agent, receiving a $10,000 signing bonus. That year, he debuted with the Gulf Coast Phillies. Other teams he has played for include the Lakewood BlueClaws and the Williamsport Crosscutters.

In 2013, he played with Clearwater Threshers and the Reading Fighting Phils. At the end of the season, he was awarded the Paul Owens Award. He was also named the Phillies Minor League Player of the Year.

MLB.com ranked him as one of the top prospects for the 2014 season. He was called up to play in the majors in September 2014. It was a game against the Atlanta Braves. In 2015, he moved back to playing for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. In May of that, he was once again called to play in the major league.

He was once again optioned to play in the Tripe-A in August 2019. In that year’s season with the Phillies, he batted .234/.297/.409. By December of that year, he was signed to a one-year contract to play for the Kansas City Royals. He was non-tendered a year later in December 2020.

In March 2021, he was signed by the Baltimore Orioles. He appeared in 104 games for the Orioles. They released him in August of the year. He would go on to sign with the Atlanta Braves, playing 10 games for them.

He signed a Minor League contract with the Washington Nationals in December 2021.

Career Highlights

• 2013 – Paul Owens Award
• 2013 – Phillies Minor League Player of the Year Award
• 2014 – MLB.com Top 100 Prospects