Martire Franco
| IP | 655 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 4.562 |
| WHIP | 1.467 |
| BB/9 | 2.872 |
| SO/9 | 5.812 |
- Full name Martire F. Franco
- Born 02/25/1978 in Bani, Dominican Republic
- Profile Ht.: 6'0" / Wt.: 170 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Liceo El Limonal
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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Franco had three years and three months added to his age before the 2002 season, and then got slapped around a bit in his first stop in Double-A. He struggles to find the strike zone at times and ends up elevating his pitches, then running to back up third base. Maintaining a consistent release point would go a long way to alleviating his problems. Franco remains intriguing because of his 93-94 mph fastball with heavy sink. He gets it right in on hitters, leaving them with broken bats or stingers in their hands. With a little more polish, his slider can be an average or even plus pitch. His changeup is coming along as well. The Phillies think he'll be able to pull his repertoire together because of his strong work ethic and aptitude for pitching. Franco also tends to thrive in difficult situations because he's such a tough competitor. That makes him an eventual candidate for the bullpen, but for now he'll likely stay in the rotation to get more work in. His feel for pitching will serve as the ultimate factor in deciding where his future lies. Depending on how many young arms get sent back to Triple-A after spring training, Franco could pitch in either role there or start in Double-A.
