Franklyn German
Detroit Tigers
Position: RHP Height: 6-4 Weight: 250 Born: 1/20/80
| Year |
Team |
Level |
G |
GS |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
K |
W-L |
ERA |
SV |
| 2000 |
Modesto |
A |
17 |
14 |
72.0 |
88 |
55 |
44 |
37 |
52 |
5-5 |
5.50 |
0 |
| 2000 |
Vancouver |
A |
9 |
2 |
20.1 |
13 |
4 |
4 |
10 |
20 |
1-0 |
1.77 |
0 |
| 2001 |
Visalia |
A |
53 |
0 |
63.1 |
67 |
34 |
28 |
31 |
93 |
2-4 |
3.98 |
19 |
| 2002 |
Midland |
AA |
37 |
0 |
41.1 |
28 |
14 |
14 |
27 |
59 |
1-1 |
3.05 |
16 |
| 2002 |
Toledo |
AAA |
23 |
0 |
22.2 |
15 |
4 |
4 |
7 |
31 |
1-1 |
1.59 |
13 |
| 2002 |
Detroit |
ML |
7 |
0 |
6.2 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
6 |
1-0 |
0.00 |
1 |
Background
Generally speaking, minor league closers aren't great prospects. But there is the occasional exception, and Franklyn German is one. Signed by Oakland out of the Dominican Republic in 1996, German was a gaunt kid at first, but is now a hulking force on the mound. He struggled when used as a starter in the lower minors, but converted to relief in 2001 and improved dramatically. He was dominant in the Double-A Texas League in '02, then was traded to Detroit as part of the Jeff Weaver/Carlos Pena three-way transaction between the Tigers, the Athletics, and the Yankees. He pitched scoreless ball in seven games with the Tigers down the stretch, and is now considered Detroit's Closer of the Near Future.
Scouting report
German brings serious heat to the plate. He works consistently at 95-96 mph, and has been timed as high as 99 on occasion. His fastball has great movement, and he made big strides in keeping the ball down in '02, giving up no home runs all year. He also has a split-finger pitch, a slider, and a changeup. The splitter looks like the best of his secondary offerings at this point, although the slider has promise as well, and he did a better job throwing both for strikes this past season. Note the improvement in his control numbers as the season wore on; he did an especially good job with his command during his brief major league exposure. German must work to keep his control consistent, but in terms of pure stuff, he has few peers. He's been accused of immaturity at points in the past, but that seemed less of an issue in '02.
Performance
When used as a starter from 1998 through 2000, German struggled badly, with ERAs ranging from 5.50 to 6.13. But he converted to relief late in '00, and has improved his performance every step of the way since then. His strikeout rates are particularly high since moving to the bullpen, while his walk rate began to come down last year. His high strikeout rate and low hit rate are clear indicators of his nasty stuff. If he maintains his control at even a decent level, he is poised for quick success in the majors.
Health record
German hasn't had any serious physical problems. He's picked up a lot of body size with physical maturity, and will have to be careful with his weight as he gets older.
What to expect
German will enter spring training with a reasonable chance for the closer role. At this point nothing is guaranteed to him; he must continue to show the improved control that marked his performance in '02. If he does, he could pick up saves quickly for the rebuilding Tigers. If not, he'll slot in middle relief. In the long run, he projects as a fireballing closer in the Armando Benitez mode if he keeps his command together.
John Sickels is the author of the 2002 Minor League Scouting Notebook, and is now working on the 2003 Baseball Prospect Book. His biography of Bob Feller will be published next spring. He lives in Lawrence, Kansas, with his wife, son, and two cats. You can send John questions or comments at JASickels@aol.com, or you can visit his homepage at JohnSickels.com.
