Gwinnett Stripers Fishing Report: Carlos Franco is Hitting His Stride

This story is featured in the July 16-Aug. 5, 2018 edition of the Gwinnett Stripers Fishing Report, available exclusively at Coolray Field.
As the everyday first baseman and clean-up hitter for the Gwinnett Stripers, Carlos Franco's role in his first full season with the club is clearly defined as a run producer at the plate and a sound defender in the field.
That wasn't always the case for Franco, a 26-year-old from Baní, Dominican Republic.

Signed as an amateur free agent by the Atlanta Braves as a tall, skinny 17-year-old third baseman in May of 2009, Franco never was much of a power hitter. In fact, he only hit nine long balls combined over his first five seasons.
His first four seasons were spent at the rookie level between the Dominican Summer League Braves, the Gulf Coast League Braves and the Danville Braves. In 2012, Franco - then rated as Atlanta's No. 21 prospect by Baseball America as well as having the "Best Infield Arm" in the system - was named Danville's Player of the Year by Atlanta after batting .271 with 11 extra-base hits and 20 RBIs in 50 games.
He was then promoted to Class-A Rome, where he hit just .229 with one home run in 2013. The next year, again with Rome in his age 23 season, he burst out for nine home runs and batted .255. In 2015, with Advanced-A Carolina, he hit a then-career-high 11 bombs.
It was around that time Franco started working out during the winter months with MLB veterans in Bani, a city about 40 minutes from the capital of Santo Domingo, the nucleus for Dominican baseball players. In recent years, he has trained with the likes of 12-year veteran infielder Erick Aybar, Hall of Fame outfielder Vladimir Guerrero and Cleveland Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez, among others. His personal mentor is 16-year veteran infielder, 2002 AL MVP and Baní native Miguel Tejada.
"He's given me a lot of tips, especially on fielding ground balls, the positioning, the hitting," Franco said. "It's awesome. I can thank him for everything."
Franco also credits Tejada for teaching him how to hit for power.
"He said, 'Don't' try hitting home runs, just try to hit the ball hard. Just see the ball, hit it,'" Franco recalled of Tejada's advice. "You don't have control of hitting home runs. You have control of hitting the ball."
Those words have translated in recent years for Franco, as he's added muscle mass and learned to use his power, according to Stripers hitting coach John Moses. In 2017, Franco hit a career-high 21 home runs between Double-A Mississippi and Gwinnett.
"He's got all the tools to be a power hitter," Moses said. "I think before, he was trying to be a contact hitter. His body has thickened up over the last couple of years. He's improved a lot from when I saw him five or six years ago when I came to this organization."
Learning to hit for power isn't the only transition Franco has made. After spending most of his life as a third baseman, he played in 66 games at first base between Double-A and Triple-A in 2017, and compiled an exceptional .990 fielding percentage (five errors in 512 chances). Franco said that while he felt a little uncomfortable in the beginning, he now feels "in control," carrying a .991 fielding percentage through 71 games at first in 2018.

"There was talk about him going to the outfield, and I think the transition was when Freddie (Freeman) got hurt last year and the Braves didn't have a backup first baseman," Moses said. "They slid him over to first from third, and I think he's developed into a good first baseman. He's picked a lot of bad throws. He just needs to improve a little bit more of the knowledge; where to play guys, sometimes where to go as the cut-off guy. But if he can improve like he has over this past year into the future, he can be really good at first."
It's all starting to come together for Franco, who is in his 10th season in the Braves' organization. In April, he was named Gwinnett's Player of the Month by Atlanta after hitting .250 with five doubles, four homers, 11 runs and 18 RBIs in 22 games to start the season. As of July 7, he ranked second in the International League with 54 RBIs and tied for third in home runs with 12. He was named a participant in the Triple-A Home Run Derby and was selected to the Triple-A All-Star game in Columus, Ohio, which he called "an honor and a new experience."
If there's one aspect of Franco's game keeping him from the next level, it's his strikeout rate. As of July 7, he led the IL with 120 strikeouts, about one-third of his at-bats and 21 more than the next-highest total. Moses explained that Franco is too often backing away from inside pitches, along with his trouble against left-handed pitching.
"You'll see him a lot of times backing off a pitch before it's even half way to the plate. He's got to start owning up to the inside corner," Moses said. "I think he's improved on the pitches away compared to past years. He's learning to go to left field and I think he's understanding his power - that he can hit home runs the other way. But he needs to start improving with the inside pitch; A lot of pitchers in the major leagues are going to find that out quick."
Yet Franco, who is one of the more soft-spoken players in the clubhouse, goes about his business and doesn't let the strikeouts bother him.
"I feel bad, but I don't express it," Franco said. "That's OK, that's baseball. You won't hit 4-for-4 or 3-for-4 every day. I try to just hit the ball and play 100 percent all the time."
Franco is one of the first into the batting cage every day, Moses said, trying to conquer those inside pitches. He also takes ground balls at first each day, trying to hone his new craft, he said. For now, Franco is taking Miguel Tejada's advice to heart, controlling what he can and letting the pieces fall into place.
"It's a learning process," Moses said. "I would love to see him have the opportunity to go up there (to Atlanta). In the time frame that he's been here, over the last couple of years he has improved greatly; It's night and day for me. I would love to see him get an opportunity and see what he can do. You just never know."