Maikel Franco’s Hot Start Continues for Phillies
By Jim Salisbury | NBC Sports Philadelphia
Published at 11:41 PM EDT on Apr 7, 2018
He’s going to have to do it for more than two games in a row. But after watching Maikel Franco in the first two home games of the season, one has to wonder if he might be starting to get it.
by Matt Breen, Staff Writer @matt_breen | mbreen@phillynews.com
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Maikel Franco hit his first home run of spring training on Sunday. It was a beautiful shot to left field, a nice way to begin perhaps the most crucial camp of his career. But it was the placement of his left foot — the one that guides Franco’s swing — that might have been the most promising sight.
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Hitting coach uses statistical data to identify, strengthen weaknesses at plate
By Todd Zolecki MLB.com @ToddZolecki
March 5th, 2018
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Before John Mallee ever stepped into a batting cage with a Phillies hitter, he knew him.
He knew his strengths and weaknesses. He knew his tendencies. Mallee knew these things because after the Phillies hired him as their hitting coach in November, he dug deep into the numbers.
The Athletic
By Meghan Montemurro Feb 21, 2018
With a new Phillies coaching staff in place this spring, The Athletic is chatting with each of manager Gabe Kapler’s eight-person field staff for a Q&A.
CLEARWATER, Fla. – Phillies hitting coach John Mallee is in a familiar position.
His big-league coaching career has involved working with some of the best players in the game during the early stages of their careers – Giancarlo Stanton, Jose Altuve and Kris Bryant, to name a few. A Chicago native, Mallee, 48, joins the Phillies with an opportunity to mold a young, promising lineup that bolstered Philadelphia in the second half of last season. Some questions and answers have been edited for length and clarity.
By Jose de Jesus Ortiz –
Jose Altuve leads the major leagues in hits (102) and is second and third in batting average (.336) and stolen bases (26), respectively.