Cubs Prospect Profile: Christian Franklin |
As we inch closer to cracking the Cubs' top 20 prospects, we move away from the pitching side and back into the hitting. This is the area that carried the Cubs farm system for years, and judging by many of the prospects last season, it does appear that the hitting is going to be strong again.
When you look at the organization as a whole, the OF is where the most significant problem lands, and not necessarily in a bad way. The Cubs not only have a log jam of OFs in the Majors, but plenty of OF prospects in the Minors who can all land a job elsewhere. The problem is, how will these guys gain an opportunity on this team unless they are traded? The bottom line is simple: barring a catastrophic meltdown in which the Cubs just sell, sell, sell, most of these players will be considered Minor league players unless they are traded to a different organization. No. 21 prospect Christian Franklin is one of those guys, as he continues to make some noise in the Minors. A fourth-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft out of Arkansas, Franklin had one of the best pure bats in College and continues to display some of the best all-around tools in the Cubs Minor League system. During the Razorbacks 2021 World Series run, Franklin was not only a massive part of their success, but you could make the case that he was the most productive bat on that team. When you look at the talent on that team, that alone is telling, so for the Cubs to get him in round four goes down as a massive steal. Immediately after drafting him, the Cubs wanted to get him in their lineup, and after hitting .237 with one homer and eight RBIs in 24 games, Franklin made a lasting impression that would only help the Cubs later on. Then came Spring 2022, when Franklin not only suffered an injury but a season-ending injury. He Tore his Petella Tendon and missed the entirety of that season. It was a massive loss for a player with so much potential, but he didn't let that tear him down, as he put the work in to return to the diamond in 2023. Although he didn't play as many games as he would've liked in 2023, Franklin still saw action in 98 games and hit .254 with 12 homers and 56 RBIs. Fast forward to this season, and Franklin set a new career high in games played with 99, an average of .268, but saw his power take a massive dip as he only hit five homers and drove in 38. Normally, the decline in power would be a massive red flag, but Franklin did several other things well, including taking his walks, as he worked 71 walks compared to 89 strikeouts. He also swiped 34 bases after stealing less than 20 in his first two seasons combined. The increase in walks, decrease in strikeouts, and the massive uptick in stolen bases was a pleasant surprise as this was the first time in Franklin's career that he proved he was more than just a power bat. Everyone knew that Franklin had the perfect mix of power and speed, but it all came down to harnessing it. The more aggressive he got, the less likely he was to tap into that power, as he produced some of the best exit velocities in the minors. The more he can harness his overall skill set, the better he will be, as he has the potential to be a top-15 guy by the end of next season. Despite him losing a step or two since he added strength, you would never guess it, as he had such a massive jump in stolen base success. Part of that was his instincts on the bases as he reads pitchers well and gets great jumps on the pitcher. That instinct also plays well in the OF, where he gets great jumps on the ball in the center but may be ticketed to a Corner OF spot before too long. Franklin is one of those guys who does a lot of things well, but you can't look at him and say he is elite at anything. Most teams would rather have a player good at many things than be elite at one thing and not very good at others. If you had to pick out a player comparison for Franklin, you could say he is a poor man's version of Julio Rodriguez in Seattle.
