Biddle and Franco Headed to Futures Game
June 27, 2013 - Eastern League (EL1)
Reading Fightin Phils News Release
READING, Pa. - Reading Fightin Phils starting pitcher Jesse Biddle and third baseman Maikel Franco have been named to the 15th Annual SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game on All-Star Sunday, July 14 at Citi Field in New York. They can be seen live on MLB.com, ESPN2, and ESPN2 HD and followed live on XM Radio's MLB Network Radio.
The two were selected by Major League Baseball, in conjunction with the Major League Baseball Scouting Bureau, MLB.com, Baseball America, and the 30 Major League Clubs.
An Eastern League All-Star, Biddle will join the U.S. Team after a first-half with the Fightins where he is 3-7 with a 3.29 ERA in 14 starts. His 91 strikeouts rank first in the Eastern League while he is tied for the lead in complete games after throwing two this season. The 21-year old is also among leaders in batting average against (2nd-.190) and highest strikeout per nine innings ratio (4th-10.32).
Earlier in the season, Biddle was named Eastern League Player of the Month for April after a torrid start where he went 2-1 with a 1.74 ERA and 40 strikeouts over 31.0 innings. The southpaw's standout outing during that period came when Biddle took a perfect game into the seventh inning and set a modern day Reading franchise record with 16 strikeouts, besting the mark of 13 held by Adam Walker (2001) and Randy Wolf (1999).
Ranked as the top prospect in the Philadelphia Phillies system by Baseball America, Biddle was taken in the first round of the 2010 draft.
Franco will represent Reading on the World Team following his breakthrough 2013 season in Baseballtown and Clearwater (A+). The 20-year old set the Florida State League on fire by hitting .299/.349/.576 with 23 doubles and 16 home runs. At the time of his promotion on June 20, he led the league in doubles and was tied for the lead in home runs.
Franco has shown no signs of slowing down over his first seven games with the Fightins. The third baseman is hitting .483 (14-for-29) with three homers, seven RBIs, and five runs scored. Between Clearwater (A+) and Reading, Franco leads the Phillies minor league system with a combined 19 homers. Since June 9, he's been on a 14-game hitting streak across both levels where he is hitting .446 (25-for-56).
The Dominican Republic native was signed by the Phillies as an amateur free agent on January 13, 2010 and was listed as the no.8 prospect in the farm system by Baseball America.
It will be the second straight year where Reading will have two members sent to the Futures Game. Last year, pitchers Julio Rodriguez and Lisalverto Bonilla played for the World Team in the game.
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