Royals infielder Maikel Franco has two secret weapons: laughter and a short memory
Kansas City Royals designated hitter Jorge Soler doesn’t exactly wear his emotions on his sleeve. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound chiseled AL home run champion can internalize his thoughts and feelings so well that his manager likens his countenance to that of a statue.
But even the unflappable Soler can’t keep up his stone-faced facade when within earshot of third baseman Maikel Franco.
Cast off by the Philadelphia Phillies this offseason after three seasons of 20 home runs or more, the 27-year-old Franco came to the Royals in search of a fresh start. But he’s maintained the same energetic and lighthearted outlook he’s always had on a game that’s as much a mental grind as a physical one.
After a frustrating at-bat, when Soler feels angry at the world, Franco’s humor might as well be kryptonite — disarming and de-escalating without fail.
“Franco is pretty good about joking and keeping everybody relaxed,” Soler said with assistant strength and conditioning coach/Latin American coordinator Luis Perez translating from Spanish to English. “He’ll be the ringleader when it comes to making you forget about what happened in the at-bat.”
Anything specifically funny about Franco’s comments, jokes and quips?
“Everything,” Soler said.
A native of the Dominican Republic, Franco joined the club this offseason already having familiarity with Soler, Salvador Perez and Adalberto Mondesi. During the winter, he trained in Miami with Perez and Soler and special assignment hitting coach Mike Tosar.
Starting with his initial introduction to his new city at the Royals’ winter Fanfest, Franco has placed an emphasis on blending in with his new teammates.
“Awesome,” Franco said of his fresh start in Kansas City. “This year has been a weird year, but at the same time it has been really fun. I know most everybody here and I’ve got a good relationship with everybody.
“I’m just trying to be me, go out there and play my game with a lot of energy, with a lot of patience, give everything that I have and try to just get better every single day and be around my players, my family here. That’s pretty much what it’s about.”
His defense at third base has been even better than expected after some early hiccups. He’s made some crucial stops and started several highlight-reel double plays.
Through 29 games this season going into Tuesday night, Franco batted .245 and was tied for second on the team in home runs, with five. His 15 RBIs ranked third on the team.
Thirteen of his first 26 hits this season were extra-base hits to contribute to a .462 slugging percentage. But he’s still hoping to find more consistency at the plate as evident by a .283 on-base percentage.
Franco seems to be blessed with the ability to compartmentalize his at-bats.
“At some point you’re going to get mad, you’re going to get pissed off, but I’m just trying to lead you to forget about that because it’s not going to come back,” Franco said. “At the end of the day, if you always just think about what you did in the last at-bat, you probably can’t let it go. And maybe the next at-bat will be so quick and you will not be prepared for the next at-bat.”
He tries to share that blessing with teammates by forcing them to smile or laugh and forget about the frustration overwhelming them at the moment.
Mondesi, who has struggled mightily at the plate this season, recently asked him why he reacts the way he does, Franco said.
“As a player when you’re not doing good, you feel sorry about yourself,” Franco said. “You’re going to have those days like that. Anything you can do quickly to forget about that and be ready for the next day and try to have some fun, that’s the way I am.”
Franco insists he’s always had the same approach to the game and doesn’t intend to go about it any other way, claiming, “I’m not going to change my personality and my energy for nothing.”
Royals manager Mike Matheny has certainly noticed Franco’s calming presence in the dugout, particularly among Soler and Mondesi.
“There’s always a lot of banter and conversion going on,” Matheny said. “Franco always seems to be right in the middle of it. He has been a joy to have around.”
Franco’s ability to move on from at-bat to at-bat shouldn’t be misconstrued as him not caring. After a bad at-bat, when he has struck out or popped up, he’s been known to slam his helmet or roar out of anger. He’s even been seen tapping himself on the top of the head with his bat after missing a prime pitch.
He insists it’s only momentary. As soon as he steps back on the field to play defense, it’s forgotten. And he feels great about playing the next inning.
“You can see he’s out there kind of having fun all the time, which is great,” Matheny said. “I think it can be a gift.”
