Christian Franklin

Christian Franklin
Franklin with the South Bend Cubs in 2023
Baltimore Orioles – No. 27
Outfielder
Born: (1999-11-30) November 30, 1999 (age 26)
Overland Park, Kansas, U.S.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
August 4, 2026, for the Baltimore Orioles
MLB statistics
(through 2026 season)
Batting average.180
Home runs0
Runs batted in1
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams

Christian Franklin (born November 30, 1999) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball for the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Amateur career

Franklin grew up in Overland Park, Kansas, and attended Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Missouri. He batted .361 over his junior and senior seasons with 18 RBI and 14 runs scored.

Franklin became the Razorbacks' starting left fielder as a freshman and was named to the Southeastern Conference (SEC) All-Freshman team after batting .274 with 41 runs scored, 34 runs batted in and 12 stolen bases. After the season, he played summer baseball for the Santa Barbara Foresters of the California Collegiate League. As a sophomore, Franklin batted .381 with four doubles, a triple, three home runs and RBI in 16 games before the season was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Franklin was named a preseason First Team All-American by Baseball America and by the National College Baseball Writers Association going into his junior year. He was named the SEC Player of the Week on May 3, 2021, after driving in 10 runs in three games against LSU and was a second team All-SEC selection at the end of the regular season. In the opening game of the 2021 NCAA Division I baseball tournament, Franklin had a run-saving catch followed by a home run to spark a come from behind win over NJIT.

Professional career

Chicago Cubs

Franklin was selected in the fourth round with the 123rd overall pick in the 2021 Major League Baseball draft by the Chicago Cubs. He signed with the team on July 16, 2021, and received a $425,000 bonus. Franklin was assigned to the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League Cubs to begin his professional career, where he played four games before being promoted to the Low-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans. Over 24 games between the two teams, he batted .237 with one home run and eight RBI.

Washington Nationals

On July 30, 2025, the Cubs traded Franklin and Ronny Cruz to the Nationals in exchange for pitcher Michael Soroka. He made 31 appearances for the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings, hitting .290/.382/.427 with four home runs, 23 RBI, and eight stolen bases. On November 18, the Nationals added Franklin to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. Franklin was optioned to Triple-A Rochester to begin the 2026 season. He appeared in 93 games with the Red Wings in 2026, batting .249 with 17 doubles, two triples, six home runs, 39 RBI, 17 stolen bases and a .735 OPS.

Baltimore Orioles

On August 3, 2026, Franklin was traded to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for Joe Glassey. He made his MLB debut the following night as the starting left fielder in a 3–1 home win over the Los Angeles Angels. His first plate appearance in the third inning resulted in a leadoff walk and he eventually scored on a Pete Alonso single.

References

  1. ↑ "Hogs strike gold with KC pipeline". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. February 19, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Who is Arkansas left fielder Christian Franklin?". HawgSports.com. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Christian Franklin has five-tool potential". November 29, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Christian Franklin continues to shine this summer". HawgSports.com. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  5. ↑ Kirk, Otis (February 1, 2021). "Christian Franklin Isn't Fazed by Any Additional Pressure This Season". KNWA-TV.
  6. ↑ Roulier, Pete (March 16, 2020). "Franklin showed major improvement from the plate". 247Sports.com.
  7. ↑ "National recognition for Franklin and Moore". February 2021.
  8. ↑ "Christian Franklin, Arkansas baseball look to build off last season's hot start in 2021". NCAA.com.
  9. ↑ "Franklin Named Preseason All-American By NCBWA". KARK-TV. February 18, 2021.
  10. ↑ Allen, Nate (May 4, 2021). "Franklin earns SEC Player of the Week honors". The Sun Times. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Franklin gets bat untracked at LSU". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. May 5, 2021. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
  12. ↑ "SEC superlatives: Several Hogs high on league honors list". May 25, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Franklin's save sparked Arkansas". June 4, 2021. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Arkansas uses 7-run 4th inning to beat NJIT 13–8 in regional". ABC News.
  15. ↑ "Chicago Cubs select Arkansas baseball's Christian Franklin in fourth round of MLB draft". Southwest Times Record. July 12, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  16. ↑ Rill, Jake (July 16, 2021). "Cubs sign first-rounder Wicks". MLB.com. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  17. ↑ McGraw, Mike (August 23, 2021). "Cubs manager Ross says Contreras could DH this week". Daily Herald. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Cubs Trading for Nationals Righty Michael Soroka (UPDATE)". July 30, 2025.
  19. ↑ "Nationals Select Three Players To 40-Man Roster". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  20. ↑ "Nationals Option Another Top 30 Prospect to Minors in Latest Roster Move". si.com. Retrieved March 28, 2026.
  21. ↑ Rill, Jake. "After solid MLB debut, new O's OF Franklin making strong early impression," MLB.com, Wednesday 5 August 2026. Retrieved 5 August 2026.
  22. ↑ Wakai, Brad. "Nationals Trade Top Prospect Christian Franklin to Orioles, Land Another Pitcher". SI.com.
  23. ↑ "Pete Alonso hits 2-run single and trade-depleted Orioles beat Angels 3–1," The Associated Press (AP), Tuesday 4 August 2026. Retrieved 5 August 2026.
  24. ↑ Rill, Jake. "Alonso, Povich lead way to win as new era begins in Baltimore post-Deadline," MLB.com, Tuesday 4 August 2026. Retrieved 5 August 2026.