Mariners first round, 27th overall pick, switch hitting shortstop Nick Franklin signed today. He signed for $1.28 million, which is about $120,000 over slot. Not too bad. He’s not exactly our most exciting pick, but he’s still a very interesting, very young player.
He’s only 18 years old, so he’s got a long way to go, but he should be a solid player in the big leagues. There’s nothing about him that will jump out at you, but he does pretty much everything well. He’s a decent hitter with average speed, who profiles to have some power but not a lot. Once again, there’s nothing really special about him, but he doesn’t have any serious weaknesses.
Solid, switch hitting shortstops aren’t exactly easy to come by, which is what makes him such an attractive player and is a big part of why he was drafted so early. When a player is this young it’s hard to estimate when they’ll arrive at the big league level, but with Franklin I would have to think 2012 or so at the earliest. He’ll probably end up with the Pulaski Mariners within the next week or so.
You can follow me on Twitter here
Call to the Pen
FanSided
Halo Hangout
Nolan Writin'
Swingin' A's