Christian Franklin, Iowa Cubs' Forgotten Outfielder, Has Made Big Strides This Spring

Christian Franklin was the Cubs' fourth-round selection in the 2021 draft. At the time, it felt like the Cubs got a bit of a steal. Franklin was a draft-eligible "sophomore" from the SEC who had a good run of production; you'd tend to find these types higher in the draft. The reason I used the quotations around sophomore is probably a bit of the reason why Franklin was picked when he was. He got an extra year of eligibility due to the pandemic-shortened 2020 collegiate season. As of late May 2021, MLB Pipeline had him targeted as a potential fourth outfielder. Even so, it felt hard to think there were really 122 better prospects in the draft, and not to think that the Cubs kind of got a bit lucky he was there. 

Between 2021 and today, Franklin has had success at every stop. Offensively, he's been 25-30% better than average at every stop along the way. He's displayed really strong plate discipline and strikeout numbers, which has been a major driver in his offensive ability.

If you were to look for some negatives, they would generally come with his power numbers; Franklin's never been a big slugging guy. As someone who, defensively, is likely more suited for a corner spot, this can be a bit of an issue when we consider his ceiling. The former Razorback's highest isolated slugging has been a .162, during his stay at High-A South Bend. Since then, he's been well below .100 and hasn't displayed the oomph you'd really want. While this isn't immediately disqualifying, it makes the road that much more difficult to traverse. 

This season has seen Franklin enter another gear. While his raw numbers aren't mind-blowing, they are just good enough to kind of hide the true story. Sporting a 116 wRC+, a 22 K% and a 17 BB%, Franklin's line is consistent with what he always does. It would be easy to come to the conclusion that nothing had changed. 

All you would have to do is peek under the hood, though, and you'd begin to see what improvements he's made. Baseball America, in a post from April 7th, highlighted Franklin as a Statcast standout. These numbers are two weeks old. and in the early part of the MiLB season, two weeks can mean a lot. With that said, they highlight many of the early indicators someone would look for to suggest that there was something different. The outfielder was a standout early in making contact against all types of pitches, making hard contact, and—generally speaking—being a menace to opposing pitchers. 

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If you were worried that this was small-sample stuff, all he's done is keep it up. Looking at Franklin's up-to-date (as of this writing, April 22nd) batted-ball profile suggests there is no letdown. He's making a lot of hard contact; swinging at the right pitches; and making some real strides. Amazingly enough, his wOBA of .388 seems unlucky so far, as his expected wOBA is .413, To compare to the I-Cubs' other two outfielders, Owen Caissie has an xwOBA of .404 and Alcantara has an xwOBA of .355. Both are great, yet Franklin outpaces both.

In the Baseball America article, one thing to note is that Franklin attributes the difference in contact quality to using a larger bat. This isn't the first Cubs outfielder to switch to a heavier bat and see their level of contact quality increase. The parent club's starting center fielder, Pete Crow-Armstrong, has seen similar results. This isn't the only change, however.

From a mechanical standpoint, there's been a bit of a change over the last year. Below is Franklin during ST in 2024. Franklin hits a home run off of Chasen Shreve to left field. Note both his hands, and his load. It's a simple load that really doesn't engage the lower half of his body well. It's not a bad swing, by any means, but it could probably be better, especially for someone of Franklin's stature. This isn't Ivan Brethowr (who stands 6-foot-6). This is someone who, at best, scrapes 5-foot-10. He can't use natural leverage or size to his advantage in the same way.

Compare that swing to the one below. This comes from April 14th of this year, roughly a year later. Franklin will drive a ball to deep left-center field. What I'd pay attention to:

1. His hands are in a slightly different area. 
2. His engagement of his lower half. He isn't going with a super funky leg kick, but there is more motion on the front foot. He's not just toe-tapping, but lifting. This is helping to create momentum and weight transfer—or, in other words, power.

This is important for someone in a smaller package; they need to find ways to create power. It suggests that the strong batted-ball numbers aren't random. They're not an accident. They're planned, and they're the results of real changes, in terms of trying to do more damage per swing.

Franklin's hot start seems more than a minor heater. A heavier bat, a better lower half in his swing, strong plate discipline and pitch recognition make Franklin a deadlier hitter. I'll stop short of claiming that Franklin needs to be placed alongside Owen Caissie and Kevin Alcántara on top-100 lists. He's a few years older, much smaller, and probably doesn't offer the same high-end outcomes as the previous two. But the more that Franklin hits this way, the more I'm convinced that the Cubs have a big-league player on their hands, and possibly one who could offer starting upside. 

I'm getting some Mike Tauchman vibes from Franklin. This isn't meant to be a stylistic comparison, but it's a thumbnail sketch of what Franklin could be. Tauchman was (and is) a quality member of a big-league outfield. He's capable of being your team's corner outfielder, but could moonlight some in center field. The bat was always approach-over-power, but you could find just enough home runs to make it play as a platoon piece.

That Franklin isn't pulling the ball a ton in Triple-A gives some pause on how much power he'll flash at a higher level, but the approach shouldn't be a concern. That's why I keep coming back to that Tauchman vibe. The good news for the Cubs is that Franklin is just 25, and carving out a six-year career even as a fourth outfielder would be very valuable.

How the Cubs handle their embarrassment of riches in the minors remains to be seen. Franklin probably can't replace Caissie or Alcántara in a trade for (say) Sandy Alcántara in July, but he could make the Cubs more comfortable moving one of those guys, or be used as a really interesting second piece in a trade for a team who's interested in what the batted-ball profile says. Regardless, Franklin has come a long way. He's gone from a fourth-round selection, to an interesting prospect, to someone I think I've slept on for too long. Don't make the same mistake. 

What do you think of Christian Franklin? Do you think the changes to his swing are the catalyst for his strong batted-ball data? What kind of a ceiling do you think he has? Let us know in the comment section below.

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