The Cardinals reportedly have an agreement with hard-throwing right-handed pitching prospect Branneli Franco for $800,000.
Franco is MLB.com’s #25 International Prospect. The Cardinals forfeited $500,000 from their signing pool for inking Willson Contreras, who rejected a qualifying offer from the Cubs in 2022, leaving St. Louis with an allotment of $5.152 million.
The 16-year old from the Dominican Republic is 6-foot-3 and his fastball sits at 91-93mph with solid tailing action that induces a lot of ground balls. There is potential for it to become a plus-plus offering as he matures and gains strength since he already has impressive arm speed.
His changeup is a straight offering that parks at 85-87 mph but benefits from having an arm slot identical to his heater. A slurvy high-70s breaking pitch is his go-to offspeed weapon, as it moves planes early out of his hand.
Peppering the strike zone at a young age bodes well for Franco’s projection as a starter moving forward. He has been praised for his poise on the mound and ability to mix up his offerings.
Mick Lite served for 12 years in the military and is now an entrepreneur and photographer. Has worked as the official scorer and social media manager for the River City Rascals, Statistician for the Missouri Monsters and St. Louis Attack arena football teams, and as the Team Photographer and social media consultant for the St. Charles Chill, SLU Hockey, St. Louis Slam, and Gateway Grizzlies.
