It was spring training when Matt Stairs first noticed the numbers, and the Phillies hitting coach was not sure if they were accurate. Then he watched video to understand more. With a 2-0 count, major-league hitters owned a .350 batting average. But Maikel Franco hit .167 with a 2-0 count, a mere three hits in 18 at-bats.
“We talked to him in spring training about it,” Stairs said. “We talked to him in spring training about almost giving him the red light — the take sign — on 2-0 pitches. He was getting himself out, hitting choppers to third.