The Pittsburgh Pirates announced on Wednesday morning that they have signed infielder Nick Franklin as a minor league free agent and invited him to Major League Spring Training.
The 27-year-old (turns 28 on March 2nd) Franklin missed most of last year with a right quad strain. He played just one big league game with the Milwaukee Brewers and a total of 26 minor league games. In 2017, he hit .179/.269/.283 in 66 games, split between the Brewers and Los Angeles Angels. Franklin is a career .214/.285/.359 hitter in 301 big league games.
On defense, Franklin was a shortstop coming up through the minors, though he has played just 60 innings there in the last three seasons combined. Over the last four years, he has played all nine positions, with most of his time coming at second base and left field during that time.
Between 2010 and the start of 2013, he was considered to be a top 100 prospect in all of baseball.
