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Outfielder Ben Francisco likely headed to Triple-A due to 'numbers game'
By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Wednesday, Mar 05, 2008
SARASOTA, FLA.: It didn't take Indians fans long to make a connection with Ben Francisco. It happened with his sixth big-league at-bat, when he homered to beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on June 29.
For a while, Francisco couldn't stop hitting. In his first 14 at-bats, he amassed seven hits, including three home runs and two doubles. No wonder the fans bonded with Francisco so quickly.
By season's end, Francisco had posted a .274 batting average with five doubles, the same three homers and 12 RBI in 62 at-bats.
He did not avoid returning to Triple-A, even after his stunning introduction to the majors, but after the minor-league season ended, Francisco came back to Cleveland and stayed with the club through September.
Tribe officials don't dispute that Francisco is good enough to play in the big leagues right now, but there's a problem: no room on the roster.
''Obviously, Ben is at the top of the list,'' manager Eric Wedge said. ''There are some parts of his game he needs to work on, but he's a tremendous hitter. With him, it's a numbers game more than anything.''
The numbers look like this: Wedge plans to start the season with four outfielders. David Dellucci and Jason Michaels will platoon in left, Grady Sizemore will play center and the right field job is Franklin Gutierrez's to lose, which he probably won't do.
There are two more numbers that affect Francisco's situation. Wedge has a choice of keeping one extra outfielder and two utility infielders or one extra infielder and two extra outfielders.
The Indians have opted to keep two infielders on the bench,
apparently in an effort to hang on to Andy Marte, the highly touted third baseman acquired two years ago for Coco Crisp. Marte has yet to show he can keep a big-league job, but he is out of options, and if he does not make the club this spring, he could be lost on waivers.
There is one other reason for Francisco not to make the team. If he earns a roster spot, he probably will spend most of his time on the bench, and he would be better served by playing every day in Buffalo.
Whereas it didn't take Francisco long to make a statement with his bat, his glove could use a little polish.
''Ben needs to utilize his speed on the bases and get better in left and right,'' Wedge said. ''He's most comfortable in center, but Grady is going to be out there every day, and Gutierrez also can play center.''
Unless there is an injury, it appears to be a foregone conclusion that Francisco will start the season in the minors. Though he has shown a good attitude so far, a player who already has spent parts of three seasons in Buffalo, knowing he can do better, might not be a happy camper.
''Going back to Triple-A is a tough deal,'' Wedge said. ''Usually people are not happy to be there, and I know that from managing. But if Ben goes back, it will be important for him to handle it appropriately.''
Another obstacle
Sometime in May, another impediment to Francisco's career might appear. Shin-Soo Choo's recovery from Tommy John (elbow) surgery should be complete. He is expected to be ready to play at either Triple-A or the big leagues, as needed.
Choo has at least one thing going for him that Francisco doesn't have: experience. At 25, Choo is a year younger than Francisco but has 192 big-league at-bats. That's not enough to make definitive judgments, but Choo has gotten more chances to show what he can do, and he has taken advantage of his opportunities.
In 45 games with the Tribe in 2006, after being acquired from the Seattle Mariners, Choo batted .295 with 11 doubles, three home runs and 22 RBI. He also stole five bases, showed off a strong arm and demonstrated he could run down balls in the outfield.
Had he not been injured, Choo would have received the call-up instead of Francisco when Dellucci went down with a torn hamstring last June.
''Choo is a little more comfortable in the outfield,'' Wedge said. ''He's a great option to have.''
The knock on Choo has been the difficulty he has demonstrated in hitting left-handers.
''I think he has improved,'' Wedge said. ''But I haven't seen enough of a sampling to know how much.''
Tribe operatives are taking great care to make sure Choo recuperates fully. But health issues alone don't fully explain Choo's slow return to the field. He is out of options and surely would be lost if his name appeared on the waiver wire.
To protect him, the Indians can keep him on the 40-man roster, from where he can be transferred to the disabled list before the start of the season.
''Choo is probably getting tired of that (batting) cage,'' Wedge said. ''But you have to respect the timeline (of his recovery). Next week, he should get on the field.''
Both Francisco and Choo deserve a chance to build careers in the majors, but they will have to wait their turn. That's not necessarily a bad thing.
''One thing young players have to understand,'' Wedge said. ''Their time spent in the minors is not something that should be sloughed off. It might be the last time for them to develop their skills. Gutierrez was a good example of that.''
Sheldon Ocker can be reached at socker@thebeaconjournal.com.
SARASOTA, FLA.: It didn't take Indians fans long to make a connection with Ben Francisco. It happened with his sixth big-league at-bat, when he homered to beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on June 29.
Get the full article here.
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