Prospect Insider Top Story--Nick Franklin - 美國職棒

http://0rz.tw/vBmka

By Jason A. Churchill

開始對我們家新秀產生濃厚興趣是這兩年的事，原因？大家都知道。
前幾年是關心心酸的，出產的好貨都是送給別人用，哪會有動力？所
以都在看別隊的新秀。XD

這兩年因為 Z的關係，農場新秀冒出頭的不少。今年是我們第一次在
一個新秀評比中在各隊入選最多人的一次，雖然各家標準不同，但是
我們農場有長足進步是不可否認的。

會選擇先翻 Nick Franklin，一部份是因為去年其實我對第二籤沒這
麼喜歡（笑）我想在這版上已經不是秘密了，另外一部份是因為去年
一開始我也不覺得Franklin有好到需要我們用27籤選，他反而是我去
年選秀中盯的最緊的一個，一直到今年二月，我才終於知道為什麼我
們會用27籤選他，我也跟andy說他應該一定會入選接下來各大新秀評
比的百大，好險第一個沒讓我破功。XD

另外一個，大家都知道現在這個位置原本該站的是哪一個人，自從那
個人以後，水手的三遊就像被詛咒一樣再也養不起一個像樣的新秀。
Franklin當然不可能像那個人那麼強，但是他的確讓我們有了期望：
一個我們自己養起來的明星游擊手。雖然時間還長，很難斷定，但是
現在的他的確有讓我們期待的可能。

這篇外電我盡力翻了，但礙於程度有些地方翻的或許不是那麼好，請
多見諒。只是想讓版友們知道，水手的未來SS是有希望的。（笑）

這篇外電謝謝 andynanpa賢拜指點指證，特此致謝。（鞠躬）

-------------------------（正文開始）--------------------------

We haven't talked enough about Seattle Mariners shortstop prospect Nick
Franklin this season. Partly because of the progress of right-hander Michael
Pineda and partly because Dustin Ackley is a polished off "A" version of
Franklin at the plate, and might be able to handle the transition to second
base.

我們在本季對於西雅圖水手隊的游擊新秀Nick Franklin的討論並不充分。一部分是由於
右先發Michael Pineda，另一部份是由於Dustin Ackley在得到了新秀A級的評價，壓過了
Franklin並佔據大部分的討論版面，他或許能夠勝任移防後的二壘守備位置。

But there's a third reason that a 19-year-old kid tearing up the Midwest
League isn't getting raved about left and right here at Prospect Insider, and
it's because we're trying to temper the enthusiasm.

但第三個理由是這位19歲的游擊手本季踐踏Midwest League的表現，在Prospect Insider
這裡並未引起更加熱烈的討論且引起騷動，因為我們試著緩和這樣的情緒。

Why are we doing so? Because the exciting numbers Franklin is putting up in
Clinton mean less than most observers would assume. His 20 home runs mean
less for his future than if, say, James Jones had the same number of long
balls. Franklin's 23 steals doesn't tell us anything other than he's not a
slug on the bases, and his rate stats are a simple reflection of the polish
he brings to pro ball, rather than a promise of what else may be in the
offing.

為什麼我們會這麼做呢？即便Franklin在1A Clinton打出了令人驚喜的數字，但這不代表
多數新秀觀察者對Franklin未來的成績便會如此預估。他擊出了20支全壘打，這不足以代
表他的未來，如同我們假設James Jones也能打出相同數量的全壘打一樣。23次的盜壘成
功除了讓人知道他的跑壘並不緩慢外，無法告訴我們其他任何事情；Franklin的評價數據
只是單純反映他在職業生涯的精鍊與進步，並不是對他在未來的表現有任何保證。

But those 20 homers also mean he's not your average prep draftee, and,
frankly, it's time to get excited about Nick Franklin.

但是20支全壘打的表現，也代表他並非之前一般預測的平均水準的新秀。
現在我們確實能夠對Nick Franklin的表現感到興奮。

He's a very good player, and has ousted Carlos Triunfel as Prospect Insider's
No. 3 prospect in the farm system behind Ackley and Pineda, and is nipping at
Pineda's heels, too

他是個非常好的球員，並且已經超越Carlos Triunfel，成為Prospect Insider對水手農
場新秀評比的第三名，僅次於Ackley及Pineda，並且緊跟在Pineda之後。

He's displaying all the attributes of a kid that will move through the system
quickly and end up the club's starting shortstop inside two seasons. Though
I'd me much more impressed if he'd swap 75 or 80 points of slugging for 40
more points in OBP and better contact rates, but I'm done being that picky.

在這兩個球季中，他快速地經歷了兩個聯盟給予他的考驗，並且擔任起球隊游擊手的責任
；在這個過程中他展現了所有屬於他的潛質。假如他能將長打所得到的分數降低到75到80
分左右的水平，換取在上壘率方面多得40分以及更好的contact，我會對他更為印象深刻
，但是我已經在對他進行挑剃的檢驗了。

Franklin is not going to hit 25-plus homers per year in the big leagues --
the pace he's on this season -- but he might be able to put up .370 or better
on-base percentages and hit for enough pop to warrant all-star consideration
in his prime years, and that's a really, really good player.

Franklin在大聯盟將不會成為一位年年打出25支全壘打以上的球員-按照他今年球季的成
長步伐來看-但是他的OBP或許能達到0.370甚至更好，而在他球員生涯裡，也可望每年穩
定地打出足以競逐進入明星賽的成績，這真的是位非常好的球員。

Let's take a closer look at what Franklin is up to these days:

讓我們來更清楚的觀察Franklin這一陣子所打出的成績：

He's minor league baseball's first and only 20-20-20 member this season -- 20
homers, 20 steals, 20 doubles -- and also has seven triples. The Florida
native is on the cusp of a LumberKings franchise record for long balls,
currently held by Dick Kenworthy when he belted 22 in 1961.

他在今年第一個小聯盟球季達到了20-20-20的數據-20支全壘打，20次盜壘，20支二壘安
打-同時打出了七支三壘安打。這位佛羅里達的球員達到了LumberKings長打記錄的頂尖里
程碑，隊史上前一位達到這個目標的球員叫Dick Kenworthy，他於1961年達成，當時他22
歲。

Yep, a 49-year-old home run record may go down to a "pip-squeak of a physical
specimen," as one scout put it jokingly, but that's the biggest reason
Franklin is a legit bg-league prospect; He's smart, works hard, understands
the game and brings all the leadership skills and intangibles to the ballpark
every
single day. He's methodical in his work and appears to be a bit of a
perfectionist, holding himself to a very high standard.

沒錯, 一個49年前的自家老紀錄也許就像某個球探開玩笑時說的"老的會發出怪聲的標本"
。但這個記錄被重視的最大理由，因為Franklin不過是位剛踏入職業生涯的一年級新秀。
他聰明、勤奮，瞭解怎麼打好比賽，並且將他所有的領導技巧及無形的才華帶到球場上並
發揮出來。他在他的崗位上表現得井然有序，有一點像是完美主義者，這些特質讓他能達
到如此高的標準。

But he also exudes oodles of confidence, a borderline cocky approach to
things. But it fits, which is why scouting director Tom McNamara wanted to
draft him so badly last June.
While you can contend that better players were available -- I certainly do,
even to this day -- there's no doubt that the player on the board at that
time with the best chance to become what scouts hoped he could be was
Franklin.

但他也展露了過多的信心，有點近乎驕傲自負。但他有本錢如此，這也是為什麼球探長
Tom McNamara在去年六月選秀上會如此想把他帶回水手的原因。
當你發覺你能跟更好的選手競爭，並且能夠追趕上他們的腳步時-即便是現在的我，也會
有這樣的反應-無疑地，這位去年水手選秀選進的新秀，現在有著極大的可能性，成為去
年各家球探報告裡所期盼他能成為的那位Franklin。

Scouts have opined this season that Franklin's work at shortstop isn't
concerning, despite the somewhat high error totals, and that he's "smooth,
sure-handed and makes the routine play look more routine than a blinking with
the wind blowing."

在今年已發表的球探報告裡，對於Franklin在游擊區的守備並不表示擔心-儘管他的失誤
次數過高-，還有他能”順暢、踏實、將一個很平常的守備做得更加樸實無華，比風吹過
所造成的瞬間閃爍更不引人注意”

I witnessed him making throws during spring training that most shortstops in
the bigs can't make -- the quick, nearly-underhanded flip on a slow roller,
the play deep behind second base with a decent runner in route to first,
among others -- and he's a quick learner, too.

在今年春訓時，我目睹他做出連大多數大聯盟游擊手都無法做到的守備動作—一個在二壘
後方的內野深處滾地球，緩慢滾動的速度足以讓有著不錯跑壘速度的打者上到一壘，他接
到後以快且近乎低肩的動作傳向一壘—他也是一位快速的學習者。

He's the kind of athlete, like Dustin Ackley and Kyle Seager, that will learn
how to do things taught to them quicker than the average young player. And
that learning curve could lead to a fast-track path to the show, including
potentially seeing Double-A West Tennessee next season, after a showing in
High Desert. Or not.

如同Dustin Ackley及Kyle Seager，Nick Franklin在學習如何將球打好這部分比其他一
般的年輕球員更為快速，他屬於這樣的運動員類型。學習曲線引領他以快速步伐向前邁進
，包括下個球季當他升上High Desert後，也可能在Double-A West看見他。或許不會。

When I asked an area supervisor why the Mariners wouldn't promote Franklin to
hitter-friendly High Desert, however, it became apparent that it's not so
apparent that Franklin will play a single game there -- even next year.
"He doesn't have anything to prove there," the scout said. "He's hitting,
developing ... my only focus would be to keep that going, keep challenging
him. I don't see a reason to play him there this year, and if they think he
can handle the Southern League physically, skip the Cal League next year,
too."

然而，當我詢問一位農場管理員：水手為什麼不將Franklin晉升到對打者較友善的High
Desert時，一個本來不是那麼明確的猜測：Franklin不會在A+打任何一場比賽，甚至是
明年-開始變得明確起來。「他已經不需要在這裡證明他自己了」一位球探說著。「他打
球、進步….我唯一關注的就是確認他會持續如此，我會持續刺激他、質疑他是否還能更
好。我找不到任何一個他明年繼續待在這裡的理由，如果他們認為Franklin在體能上已
經足以應付Southern League的比賽，明年讓他連Cal League也一起跳過吧！」

Yep, you read that right. Nick Franklin is on the fast track, and as long as
he remains healthy, is likely to see the big leagues before most other high
draft picks from the '09 class.

是的，你沒看錯。Nick Franklin正在快速成長進步，只要他保持健康，他將有可能比09
年選秀會上其他比他高順位的新秀更快進入大聯盟。

While I have heard conflicting opinions about how soon Franklin could see the
majors, it's not out of the realm of possibility that the M's get adventurous
and find room on the 40-man roster for him in September. This September.
Yes, he's 19 years old and there is risk to such a move, but after the
Midwest League playoffs are over, we could see the M's do something most
teams won't do with their Low Class-A prospects, which is put them in the big
leagues to set them up for 2011. And that's because the typical prospect at
that level is three-plus years from the big leagues.

當我聽到各種有關Franklin到底會多快升上大聯盟的矛盾意見時，聽見水手也有可能在今
年九月大膽地在40人名單中清出一個空位給Franklin。今年九月！是的，他才19歲，而且
這個舉動要冒很大的風險，但是當Midwest League的季後賽結束後，我們可能看到水手對
這位1A新秀做出大多數球隊不會對1A新秀做出的舉動：把他放到大聯盟為2011年做準備。
為什麼其他隊伍不會這樣做？因為對一個標準的1A新秀而言，起碼還需要三年以上的時間
才能升上大聯盟。

Franklin is not a typical Class-A prospect.

Franklin不只是一個單純的1A新秀。

With the chance that Franklin skips High Desert altogether -- and I don't
know what the chances of that occurring might be -- the kid could hit
Double-A at 20 with a great chance to replace Jack and Josh Wilson late next
summer as the everyday shortstop. And all it takes is more of the same.

隨著Franklin跳過High Desert的可能—我並不知道這件事應該發生的機率有多少—這個
孩子能在20歲就進入2A，並在明年夏天有絕佳的機會替代Jack Wilson及Josh Wilson成為
水手隊的先發游擊手。而這一切看來越來越可能會發生。


請各位多多指教，下一篇如果沒有意外，應該是Pineda。:)

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