Thursday, September 1, 2016

Getting to Know Astros CF Frankeny Fernandez

When I spoke with Greeneville Astros Manager Josh Bonifay this week about his centerfielder, the first words that came to mind were, "Exciting young player." Later that evening, I would find that the words "Most Valuable Player" could also be used to describe Frankeny Fernandez as the 19-year old Dominican earned those honors for the Greeneville club.

Frankeny Fernandez - August 2016
Photo by Jayne Hansen

Fernandez had a terrific freshman season in the Dominican Summer League in 2014, but was unable to replicate that in 2015. However, he displayed enough tools that I looked for a comeback year in 2016 and he didn't disappoint. Bonifay described Frankeny's season, "He's just been tremendous here all year. He's been a leader in the clubhouse. He leads our team in runs scored. He leads our team in RBIs. Tied for second in doubles with 10. I think he's got four homers, two triples [three after Wednesday's game]. He has 18 bags, going to try to get him to 20 bags [he accomplished this on Tuesday].

"He's been our most consistent player all year. The batting average isn't as high as you'd want, but when the game is on the line, you don't want anybody else at the plate. He's been just outstanding for us. Good leader. Good communicator. He helps with the staff in bridging the gap with some of the Latin players with the language barrier sometimes. Just very exciting. I love having him out in centerfield."

I really enjoyed getting to know Fernandez. He has an outgoing, charismatic personality and obviously loves playing baseball. And knowing that he mastered English in just one year should tell you everything you need to know about his work ethic. I would never, ever bet against his success.




Best of luck, Frankeny, and thank you for your time!

2 comments:

  1. Did Frankeny say it was Arauz he liked to watch play at shortstop?

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    Replies
    1. Yes! Sorry, he was so soft spoken; I kept trying to get the recorder closer to him!

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