Player Profile: Christian Franklin
“He’s really, really strong.”
That’s what Pelicans hitting coach Roberto Vaz said about the 2019 International Free Agent signing out of Cuba, Felix Stevens. “It’s not surprising how hard he can hit the ball.”
Stevens has spent bits of the last three seasons in a Myrtle Beach Pelicans uniform. In 2021, he came up for five games late in the season after hitting .298 in the Arizona Complex League. Stevens got two hits in his first 15 at-bats before being injured in one of the final road games of the season in Charleston, cutting his Pelicans stint short.
He returned to the beach in 2022 and was an integral part of the team that took home the 2022 Carolina League South First-Half championship. Originally signed as an outfielder, the 6’4, 225-pound player spent 50 games at first base, becoming the team’s primary starter at that position.
The power was present as Stevens cranked 11 home runs in 73 games, tied for third on the team. But the average sat at just .222 and the power-first hitter struck out 96 times in 252 at-bats.
The season ended with a first-round exit in the playoffs, and Stevens returned to Cuba. He reported to Mesa, Arizona a few weeks early before spring training to gear up for his fourth season in the Cubs organization.
“The work he put in at spring training was gradual improvement,” Vaz said.
That improvement has shown in the early part of the new season, with Stevens reinventing himself at the Single-A level. Through the first 21 games, Stevens is hitting an impressive .311 with a .970 OPS. The power numbers are still there as Stevens has hit four home runs and driven in 14 runs, with a slugging percentage of .554, ranking fifth in the Carolina League.
“He’s been pretty consistent with his routine and pregame preparation,” Vaz said about how Stevens has progressed this season. “He listens to suggestions.”
Vaz said that this season, the emphasis with Felix has been to cut down his swings and misses, despite being a power-first hitter. So far, Stevens has struck out 27 times in his first 74 at-bats, a lower strikeout percentage than the year before.
After being primarily used as a first baseman last year, Stevens has widened his fielding ability by splitting his time between first base and left field. On April 20, Stevens showed off his glove with a diving catch in left field against the Augusta GreenJackets.
While his experience in Myrtle Beach has led him to be a leader on the field, Stevens is also a welcomed presence in the clubhouse.
“He’s a great teammate,” Vaz said. “He’s funny and the guys love him. You need to be able to have fun because it’s a long season. If you don’t love what you’re doing and love practice more than the game, it can get tough. The way that he goes about the game every day, that’ll make the length of the season shorter.”
Vaz mentioned that the goal is to push Stevens to the next level. Right now, he can do damage with fastballs and they’re working on being able to handle the breaking balls. The Pelicans will continue to rely not just on his power, but his energy to lead them to a successful first half.
Read more feature stories in our Beachbound & Down Blog linked below.
