Franchy Cordero

Franchy Cordero Vargas

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 175 lb.

• Debut May 27, 2017

• Born September 2, 1994 in Azua, Azua D.R.

BR page

Biographical Information

Outfielder Franchy Cordero reached the majors with the San Diego Padres in 2017.

Originally an international free agent signing in 2011, Franchy's stock was much on the rise when he belted 17 home runs with the El Paso Chihuahuas in 2017. He debuted on May 27, batting .228/.276/.424 with three home runs and nine RBI in 30 games. He made the Opening Day roster as a backup in 2018, seeing semi-regular action with injuries to Wil Myers and Manuel Margot. On April 20, he blasted a 489-foot home run that was the longest ever hit by a Padres player since the introduction of Statcast. In the game, against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field, he also made a costly defensive play with two outs in the bottom of the 8th. Tyson Ross was working on a no-hitter - a feat no Padre has ever accomplished - but pinch hitter Christian Walker hit a ball towards Cordero in center field that he misjudged and let fall for a one-run double. It usually would be a routine play and it turned out to be the D-Backs' only hit of the game. Worse, it tied the game at one, ending Ross's brilliant outing with a no-decision. Cordero did atone himself somewhat, however, by laying down a sacrifice bunt in the top of the 9th that contributed to a three-run rally that gave San Diego a 4-1 win. He hit 6 homers in April, but forearm pain and elbow surgery ended his season early, finishing .237/.307/.439 with seven homers in 40 games. In 2019, he only played nine times, going 5-for-15, as injuries spoiled his season. He only played 15 games in the minors, including rehabilitation outings.

He was involved in the first trade of players after the resumption of training camp following the suspension of activities due to the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020. With little chance of making the Padres' roster, he was traded to the Kansas City Royals on July 16th along with prospect Ronald Bolanos in return for LhP Tim Hill. He had a poor season with the Royals, however, playing just 16 games and hitting .211 with 2 homers and 7 RBIs when the opportunity was there for him to grab a starting job, but a broken hamate bone in early August kept him out until the final week of September. On February 10, 2021, he was the most recognizable player obtained by the Boston Red Sox when they traded young OF Andrew Benintendi to the Royals in return for four players, with P Josh Winckowski and two players to be named later completing the deal. During spring training, Cordero was on the COVID-19 related injured list from February 22nd until March 30th. After batting .179 in 34 games with Boston, Cordero was optioned to the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox on May 27th. After hitting .329 in 44 games in Triple-A, Cordero was recalled to Boston on July 22nd. He was optioned back to Worcester on August 16th.

Further Reading

• Mike Petriello: "The most interesting rookie you need to know more about: Padres' Cordero runs like Gordon, hits as hard as Gallo", mlb.com, April 22, 2018. [1]

Related Sites

• Franchy Cordero on mlb.com