Ben Francisco Stats & Scouting Report

AB	1579
AVG	.253
OBP	.323
SLG	.418
HR	50

Full name Louis Ben Francisco
Born 10/23/1981 in Santa Ana, CA
Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 195 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School UCLA
Debut 05/01/2007
Drafted in the 5th round (154th overall) by the Cleveland Guardians in 2002.

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UCLA sends a lot of players to pro ball, but the Bruins won't be much of a factor in this year's draft. Francisco is the team's best prospect this year, and even he missed the latter part of the season with a broken collarbone. A solid college player who plays hard and can run, hit (.368-6-37) and field, Francisco was leading the Pac-10 in stolen bases (20) at the time of his injury.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Aside from a down year in 2004, when he skipped a level up to Double-A, Francisco has been one of the most consistent hitters in the system since he was drafted in 2002. His track record extends beyond pro ball, as he hit .330 in two seasons at Cypress (Calif.) JC before earning all-Pacific-10 Conference honors in each of his two years at UCLA. One of the best athletes in the system, Francisco drew comparisons to Torii Hunter from Triple-A International League managers for his bat speed, energy and defensive prowess. Scouts aren't completely sold on Francisco's power, but it's at least average. He's a well above-average runner with good instincts on the bases. He has the range and arm to play all three outfield spots. Lefthanders give Francisco a tough time, and he has trouble picking up pitches against them. While he is a patient hitter, he needs to do a better job at working deeper counts. When he gets behind in the count, he seldom works out of it with positive results. Francisco has a wide skill set of tools, but hasn't been given a full-time opportunity with Cleveland, mainly due to their deluge of outfield talent. He'll provide an insurance policy as a fourth outfielder or return to Triple-A again to wait in the wings.
After winning the short-season New York-Penn League batting title with a .349 average in 2002, Francisco missed the first two months of last season. He broke the hamate bone in his left wrist during spring training and required surgery. Once he returned, he continued to show all the tools he flashed in his pro debut. Francisco is a natural hitter with doubles power. He employs a pure swing with a direct path to the ball. He uses the entire field and shows potential as a leadoff hitter. Francisco is aggressive at the plate, but he's not a free swinger. He's an above-average runner who possesses good instincts and reads pitchers well. Defensively, Francisco is still a little unrefined and has fringy arm strength. He doesn't profile well in any of the three outfield slots because he lacks the arm for right, the range for center and the power for left. He'll split time in left and center this year, when he could skip a level and go to Double-A.
At the time of the 2002 draft, Francisco was recovering from a broken collarbone that caused him to miss the last two months of the season at UCLA. He showed no sign of the injury as a pro, winning the short-season New York-Penn League batting title. Francisco is a doubles hitter with occasional power. He has enough range and arm to cover ground in center field. He has above-average speed and understands the game, so he projects as a basestealer at the major league level. At times he became overly pull-conscious and got away from his strength, which is to hit the ball up the middle and the other way. After exceeding expectations in pro debut, Francisco is expected to start to the 2003 in high Class A.

Minor League Top Prospects

After transferring from southern California junior college powerhouse Cypress to UCLA as a sophomore, Francisco established himself as a well-rounded center-field prospect. He missed more than 20 games with a broken collarbone, but still managed to lead the Bruins in hitting and steals last spring. In his pro debut, he led the NY-P in hitting while finishing fifth in steals. Francisco has a little pop and controls the strike zone effectively. "He has great balance and is a very good athlete," New Jersey manager Tommy Shields said. "He hits the ball straightaway real good. He must have hit 12 balls from gap to gap against us."