Categories: AnalysisNewsPosts

Asche to Lehigh Valley; Franco Up Soon?

On Monday night, the Phillies sent Cody Asche to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. With the Iron Pigs, the second baseman-turned-third baseman will learn another position: left field. The Phillies are doing so to allow Maikel Franco the freedom to play third base every day once he’s in the big leagues.

Asche, 24, is hitting .245 this year with 2 home runs and only 4 RBI. His defense has not been strong at the hot corner, so the move makes sense.

Franco, 22, launched another home run with the Iron Pigs on Monday night. He’s hitting .341 with 4 homers and 18 RBI this season. His glaring weakness is his inability to draw walks – he’s gotten just 5 free passes all season, while striking out 24 times.

Pat Gallen

Pat joined Phillies Nation in July 2009, coming over from Examiner.com. As a previous employee of both Comcast SportsNet and the National Basketball Association, Pat prides himself on being a well-rounded individual when it comes to sports. However, the Phillies are first on the list. You’ll usually find Pat chiming in on the Phillies Nation Facebook or Twitter account, weekdays on 97.3 ESPN radio or hosting Phillies Nation TV. He’s also a Senior Writer for the site, and in his free time is a music enthusiast and Will Ferrell movie-follower. His favorite beer: Philly’s own Yards. In 2015, Pat moved on from Phillies Nation as a sports anchor and reporter for CBS-3 in Philadelphia.