Enigmatic

Maikel Franco appeared to be a cornerstone player of the Phillies' rebuilding process. 14 homers alongside a .280 average in 2015 with decent fielding at 3rd base seemed to mark him as a "keeper." But the club has seen him regress the last two seasons -- with his batting average dropping to .255 then .230, while his work habits were questioned.
Is he the kind of player who might benefit from new teammate Carlos Santana taking him under his wing? Can new manager Gabe Kapler help him unlock his still-untapped potential?
Keep in mind, he won't be 26 until August -- so he still has time to live up to his earlier promise, as the Phils firm up who their new core will be. The front office certainly has confidence in J.P. Crawford, who'll take over at shortstop from Freddy Galvis. 2nd baseman Scott Kingery will likely arrive mid-season. And Rhys Hoskins gave strong indications that he'll be a middle of the order bat for years to come. But will Franco earn a place alongside them -- or go down with the Ricky Jordans and Pancho Herreras, who never sustained impressive rookie years?

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