Maikel Franco Archives | Baseball Essential

Five MLB Signings That Flew Under the Radar

Feb 8, 2020

Major League Baseball, Offseason, Opinions & Predictions

Major League Baseball free agency is pretty much over. All the big names have signed, and few bang-for-the-buck players remain available. Given how quickly the offseason shaped up, a handful of MLB signings fle...

Five MLB Players Entering Make-or-Break Seasons

Robbie Stratakos

Feb 18, 2019

Major League Baseball, Opinions & Predictions

Every year in Major League Baseball, players compete for jobs in spring training and/or battle to keep them in the regular season. Here are five MLB players entering make-or-break seasons in 2019. Miguel Anduj...

Relax Philadelphia, Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

Ryan Waterman

May 30, 2017

Opinions & Predictions, Philadelphia Phillies

If you're a fan of the Philadelphia Phillies, the past month has been absolutely brutal. Through their first 20 games, Philadelphia seemed to be living up to the expectations that many fans had for this seas...

Philadelphia Phillies: Previewing Maikel Franco’s 2016 Season

Chris Dougherty

Mar 3, 2016

Opinions & Predictions, Philadelphia Phillies

I'd imagine Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco would share the feelings of eternal high-school football sensation Boobie Miles if asked whether or not the buzz surrounding his expected success in...

Are the Philadelphia Phillies ready to compete?

Charles Mule

Dec 13, 2015

Major League Baseball, National League, National League East, Opinions & Predictions, Philadelphia Phillies

Less than one month into his tenure as the Philadelphia Phillies general manager, Matt Klentak has been forced to answer one of the toughest questions anyone can ask: When will the Phillies be competitive again...

MLB’s service-time guidelines aren’t fair, but they’re fairly controversial

Evan Altman

Dec 9, 2015

Chicago Cubs, Features, Major League Baseball, Opinions & Predictions, Philadelphia Phillies

I once got pulled over on a dark stretch of rural highway by a cop who had been following me for a good five miles. Having seen him turn onto the road behind me, I took my speed down to what I believed was an a...

Philadelphia Phillies: What Does Tomorrow Hold?

Chris Dougherty

Nov 24, 2015

Features, History, National League East, Offseason, Opinions & Predictions, Philadelphia Phillies

The mild chill in the air on that fateful late-October evening when Brad Lidge closed out the first Philadelphia Phillies World Series championship in 25 years was one that most who weren't inside Citizens Bank...

Philadelphia Phillies offseason wish list

Charles Mule

Nov 3, 2015

Features, Headlines, Major League Baseball, National League, Offseason, Opinions & Predictions, Philadelphia Phillies

Credit: Mitchell Leff / Getty Images North America After a dreadful 2015 season in the City of Brotherly Love, it is obvious the Philadelphia Phillies will need some help heading into the 2016 season. The P...

Five Reasons to Keep Watching the Phillies in the Second Half

Jackie Budko

Aug 13, 2015

Features, Major League Baseball, National League, National League East, Opinions & Predictions, Philadelphia Phillies

It doesn't matter how many more games the Phillies win, they will still continue to be one of the worst teams in baseball. Since the end of the All-Star Break, Philadelphia has one of the best records in baseba...

This Should Be the Last Trade Deadline for Hamels in Philly

Drew Peabody

Jul 29, 2015

Features, Headlines, Major League Baseball, National League, Opinions & Predictions, Philadelphia Phillies

Cole Hamels has an enormous contract and a pedigree of excellence that makes him attractive to any major league team looking for that ace to push them to a World Series title. The 2008 NLCS and World Series MVP...

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