While much of the discussion surrounding the Philadelphia Phillies over the last 12 hours has pertained to Alec Bohm’s wild night in a comeback win over the New York Mets, the man who amounts to his predecessor at third base had a noteworthy performance of his own Monday night.
Maikel Franco — currently the starting third baseman for the Washington Nationals — went 4-5 with a 396-foot home run, a double and five RBIs out of the eight hole Monday night, in an 11-2 win over the Atlanta Braves:
Still only 29, Franco is getting a chance to be the starter at third base in the absence of Carter Kieboom. Franco made the Nationals Opening Day roster after signing a minor-league deal with an invite to Spring Training. He’s part of a team that also includes former Phillies César Hernández and Victor Arano.
Of course, Franco spent parts of six seasons with the Phillies, hitting 102 home runs and posting a .733 OPS. He was non-tendered by the Phillies after the 2019 season, and has since played for the Kansas City Royals and Baltimore Orioles. He even had a brief detour in the minor-league system of the Braves at the end of the 2021 season.
The Phillies won’t see Franco and the Nationals until a five-game weekend series in D.C. in June.
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