Maikel Franco facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Maikel Franco |
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Franco with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in 2023
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| Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles – No. 23 | |||
| Third baseman | |||
| Born: August 26, 1992 Azua, Dominican Republic |
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| Professional debut | |||
| MLB: September 2, 2014, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |||
| NPB: March 30, 2023, for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles | |||
| MLB statistics (through 2022 season) |
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| Batting average | .244 | ||
| Home runs | 130 | ||
| Runs batted in | 467 | ||
| NPB statistics (through 2024 season) |
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| Batting average | .220 | ||
| Home runs | 20 | ||
| Runs batted in | 62 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Maikel Antonio Franco (pronounced MY-kell FRONN-koe) is a professional baseball player from the Dominican Republic. He was born on August 26, 1992. Maikel plays as a third baseman. He currently plays for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Before playing in Japan, he played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for several teams. These teams included the Philadelphia Phillies, Kansas City Royals, Baltimore Orioles, and Washington Nationals.
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Baseball Career Highlights
Starting in the Minor Leagues
Maikel Franco was born in Azua, Dominican Republic. He began his professional baseball journey in 2010. He signed with the Philadelphia Phillies as an international free agent. This means he was a player who could sign with any team. He received a $100,000 bonus for signing.
Franco started playing for the Gulf Coast Phillies in 2010. He played 52 games and hit two home runs. In 2011, he played for two different teams, the Williamsport Crosscutters and Lakewood BlueClaws. He hit three home runs that year. In 2012, he stayed with the Lakewood BlueClaws for the whole season. He hit 14 home runs in 132 games.
In 2013, Franco started with the High-A Clearwater Threshers. He was later moved up to the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils. He had a great season, hitting 31 home runs. After this season, he won the Paul Owens Award. This award is given to the best player in the Phillies' minor league system.
Before the 2014 season, Franco was considered one of the top 100 young players in baseball. He was invited to spring training with the Phillies. He competed for the starting third base spot but was sent to the minor leagues. He played for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs and hit 16 home runs.
Playing for the Philadelphia Phillies
Franco made his first appearance in Major League Baseball on September 2, 2014. He played his first game against the Atlanta Braves.
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In 2015, Franco started the season with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs. He was called up to the Phillies on May 15 to be their main third baseman. He hit his first major league home run on May 17. On June 23, he made Phillies history by having two games in a row with 5 RBIs. An RBI means a run scored because of a player's hit. On August 4, he hit a grand slam, which is a home run with all bases loaded. He finished the 2015 season with a batting average of .280.
In 2016, he hit a career-high 25 home runs. In 2017, he hit 24 home runs. In 2018, he hit 22 home runs and had 68 RBIs. He was one of the few players to hit 20 or more home runs for three seasons in a row. On March 29, 2019, Franco hit a home run on Opening Day. He played his last game for the Phillies in 2019.
Time with Other MLB Teams
After leaving the Phillies, Franco signed with the Kansas City Royals in December 2019. He played 60 games for the Royals in 2020. He hit eight home runs and had 38 RBIs.
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In March 2021, Franco signed with the Baltimore Orioles. He played 104 games for the Orioles that year. He hit 11 home runs and had 47 RBIs. After his time with the Orioles, he briefly signed a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves in August 2021. He played 10 games for their Triple-A team.
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In December 2021, Franco signed a contract with the Washington Nationals. He joined their main team for the 2022 season. He played for the Nationals until August 2022.
Playing in Japan
On December 1, 2022, Maikel Franco signed with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. This team plays in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in Japan. In 95 games for the Eagles, he hit 12 home runs and had 32 RBIs.
Franco re-signed with the Rakuten Eagles for another year on December 1, 2023. On May 31, 2024, he made history for the Eagles. He hit a pinch-hit, walk-off home run. This means he hit a home run that won the game in the last turn at bat, after coming into the game as a substitute.
