When will the Phillies see Maikel Franco? Where will he play when the day comes? That question might need to be answered soon, and the Phillies are exploring possibilities now. The Phillies appear to be looking at the possibility of moving Cody Asche out of third base as the time to promote Maikel Franco could be drawing near.
Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly reports:
Asche was seen taking balls off the bat – he charged them and tracked them back to the wall – in left field after he concluded his regular work at third base.
The left-field workout, Asche's first since early spring training, was not a recreational exercise. It was all business.
“I wanted him to do it,” manager Ryne Sandberg told CSNPhilly.com. “It could be helpful down the road adding versatility.”
How soon down the road might that be? If the Phillies wait just about two more weeks, the Phillies would gain an extra year's control of third baseman Maikel Franco.
Franco is hitting .333 with one home run and 11 RBI at AAA Lehigh Valley so far this season. Franco has an OPS of .883 in 84 at bats, not a small sample size. While first base was seen as an option for Franco, the Phillies seem content in keeping him at third base. Franco dabbled at first base a little bit this season, but has mostly played third base.
Adding Asche to the infield would make it even more crowded. The Phillies already have Ben Revere and Odubel Herrera, and though he is currently at AAA, Domonic Brown figures to be in the Phillies' plans at some point. While adding Asche to the outfield would create an all-lefthanded outfield, the right-handed Franco could be the right-handed balance that the Phillies have tried to get from Jeff Francoeur thus far.
Earlier this offseason we learned that Asche was doing some preparations in the outfield. Asche moved permanently to third base after a rough year in Class A Williamsport at second base. Asche's defense has mostly been solid at third base, but Franco was rated the top defended in the International League at third base last season.
