I think it’s fair to say that no Royal was as much a roller coaster for Royals fan-opinion in 2020 than Maikel Franco. The initial signing was met with a collective, “Meh.” Entering his age-27 season the Dominican Republic native had failed to meet expectations so thoroughly in Philadelphia that they found themselves unable to trade him and unwilling to offer him arbitration after he had made a little over five million dollars in 2019. So they cut him and in swooped Dayton Moore.
Franco did not start the season well. Through the first two games he failed to record a hit, striking out four times, and looked entirely lost at the plate.