Photo by Ed Delany, MMN
No. 12 Franklyn Kilome, RHP
B/T: R/R Age: 24 (6/25/1995)
Height: 6’6” Weight: 175 lbs
Acquired: Trade from Philadelphia for Asdrubal Cabrera (7/28/2018)
ETA: 2020 Previous Rank: 12
2019 Stats: DNP (Recovering from Tommy John Surgery)
At the time he was acquired by the Mets at the 2018 trade deadline, Kilome was already a fairly well-known and well-regarded prospect. Despite signing for a relatively unexceptional $40,000 bonus out of the Dominican Republic as an eighteen-year-old, Kilome quickly rose through the Phillies system. His best minor league season came in 2017, when he pitched to a 2.83 ERA in 24 starts and reached Double-A. This strong performance resulted in Kilome receiving national attention as a prospect, with him being ranked as the 68th best prospect in baseball by Baseball Prospectus prior to the 2018 season.
However, Kilome’s profile was not without causes for concern. Hidden behind ostensibly good ERAs, which were achieved on the back of his impressive raw stuff dominating weaker competition, were significant command issues and a lack of a usable third pitch. Early in Kilome’s career, these issues manifested themselves primarily in his surprisingly mediocre strikeout and walk rates and his relative struggles against left-handed batters.
However, these issues became most apparent once he began to face advanced Double-A competition. With strikeout and walk rates among the worst of his career (18.8% and 11.6%, respectively) and the emergence of even more exaggerated platoon splits (righties hit .223/.304/.309 against him, while lefties hit .275/.371/.441), Kilome’s ERA rose by almost a run and a half to 4.24 prior to his trade in 2018.
At the time of the trade, considering his struggles in Double-A, Kilome seemed destined for the bullpen at some point in the near future, albeit as a potentially dominant reliever. However, upon joining the Mets organization, both his change-up and command seemed to drastically improve, leading to much more encouraging results. While his ERA was only marginally better following the trade (4.03), Kilome’s WHIP, K%, BB%, and FIP all would have been career bests if they were maintained over a full season. Considering that this improved performance occurred over just 7 starts, there is certainly the possibility of small sample size playing a part.
However, as the following video from Minor League Baseball illustrates, it is clear that Kilome’s improved change-up became a major weapon against left-handed hitters:
Unfortunately, Kilome would not be able to build upon his strong conclusion to 2018 during the following season. In October of 2018, he underwent Tommy John surgery to repair a torn UCL, ending his 2019 season before it even started. All reports indicate that he is progressing well in his rehab from surgery and he has already made his first spring training appearance, indicating that he should be ready to go for the start of the regular season.
When healthy, Kilome’s fastball-curveball combination can be electric. His fastball velocity, which sits in the 92-95 MPH range and tops out at 97 MPH, while very good, doesn’t reach the eye-popping levels of some other pitchers coming through the system over the past decade. However, the pitch plays up due to its very high spin rate and the excellent extension Kilome gets from his 6’6″ stature and long stride. In fact, his fastball’s 2450 RPM average spin rate is tied with Matt Allan for the highest among Mets prospects and is on par with the spin rates of elite pitchers such as Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer, and Walker Buehler.
His curveball doesn’t have quite as impressive of a spin rate (also 2450 RPM, which is more average for a breaking ball), but is generally regarded as an above average to plus pitch. As has been mentioned, Kilome’s change-up is a work in progress, but appeared to be on the path to being at least an average pitch prior to his injury.
Kilome is already on the Mets 40-man roster and only has one minor league option left. Assuming he comes back fully healthy, Kilome should begin the season at Triple-A Syracuse, although it is unclear whether he would be used as a starter or a reliever. It would be interesting to see if he could maintain his late-2018 improvements in the rotation, but, with the Mets having some decent starting pitching depth in Michael Wacha, Stephen Gonsalves, and David Peterson, Kilome may be better able to contribute to the big-league team in 2020 out of the bullpen.
Either way, Kilome should become an important contributor to the Mets in the near future and, barring any setbacks or innings limits, is likely to take the mound in Queens at some point in 2020.
Previous Rankings
13 Jordan Humphreys – RHP
14 Junior Santos – RHP
16 Freddy Valdez – OF
19 Alexander Ramirez – OF
20 Ali Sanchez – C
