Franco off to hot start in winter ball

PHOENIX -- Maikel Franco is the one young major-league ready player the Phillies have with superstar potential, so they are obviously encouraged that he is displaying his immense talent right now with his winter ball team in the Dominican Republic.

"It's important for us for him to play well," general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said Wednesday at the general managers meetings. "It's important for him to play and play the kind of baseball we need him to play to give himself a chance to be on our club next year. He's no slam dunk to make our club."

Through his first 13 games with Gigantes del Cibao, Franco hit .302 with four home runs and 14 RBIs. In a game Monday, he slammed a couple of home runs and drove in 14 runs.

Amaro cannot say that Franco will be on the Phillies' opening-day roster for sure at this early stage of the offseason for a number of reasons. One is he likely wants to 22-year-old infielder to remain hungry for a starting role. Another is that the Phillies are committed to Cody Asche remaining at third base for a second straight season. Finally, the Phillies do not want to say they are going to release Ryan Howard when they are trying so hard to trade him.

Franco did get his first taste of the big leagues last season and he hit .179 with two doubles and five RBIs in 16 games. It's impossible to read too much into that short stint because he was not playing every day and it's likely he will have growing pains at the big-league level if he does make the team out of spring training.

"Defensively, he's ready to play," Amaro said. "That's not a problem. But as Charlie Manuel says all the time, 'You have to be awfully good to be an everyday major-league player.' When he's ready to do that he will be in the big leagues and he'll be in the big leagues hopefully to stay."

Amaro also praised Asche's rookie season, which saw the 24-year-old third baseman hit .252 with 25 doubles, 10 home runs and 46 RBIs.

"I would say Cody is going to be our third baseman," Amaro said. "I think it's his to have and to lose as far as where it stands right now. Cody has actually done very well. Cody had a very good rookie season.

"I really like the way he played. I think he struggled early defensively and made adjustments and got better. The same thing with his offense. I think he's going to be a good, solid major league player."