Cardinals giving Tanner Franklin a chance to start – and he is making the most out of it
By Rob Rains
When Tanner Franklin met with teams before the amateur draft last July, he was repeatedly asked the same question.
“They asked what I thought I was, and I said, ‘I’m a starter, and would love that opportunity,’” Franklin said. “A lot of teams were iffy on it. I’ve always known I was a starter. I had the build. I had the stuff. I had the stamina, everything.
“I’ve just been waiting on the opportunity.”
Franklin only needed one team to agree to give him that chance, and the Cardinals turned out to be the team, selecting Franklin with the 72nd overall pick in the draft.
Franklin knew why teams were questioning him – he had only started four games during his three years pitching in college, the first two at Kennesaw State in Georgia and last year at Tennessee.
“We were all on board,” Calhoun said. “It’s hard to walk away from 100 but it plays even better than that. He’s making us look really good.”
The 6-foot-5 Franklin, who will turn 22 later this month, has made eight starts for high Class A Peoria, where he has struck out 39 batters in 27 1/3 innings while walking 14, compiling a 3.29 ERA.
In his most recent start on Friday night at Beloit, Franklin worked 4 1/3 scoreless innings. He has allowed a total of one run in his three starts in May, covering 10 1/3 innings, limiting opponents to a .167 average.
Like Doyle, who is pitching at Double A Springfield, the Cardinals are working with Franklin to develop and refine his secondary pitches, knowing he will need more than his overpowering fastball to be successful in the major leagues.
“I could go out here and stick to what I’ve been doing throughout college and have success but in the long run of this game you can’t do that as a starter,” Franklin said. “You have to have different pitches, different looks, to keep hitters uncomfortable.
“I’m learning how to pitch. In college it was just go out there and throw as hard as you can and see if you can strike guys out. Here you’ve got to work for it. You’ve got to think through every pitch. You’ve got to read batters in the box and figure out where their hot zones are.”
“At the end of the day I haven’t done this since my senior year in high school (in Jefferson City, Tenn., a town of 8,500 residents) and that’s a lot different than professional ball,” Franklin said. “I feel like I’m adjusting to it well and my body is responding well.”
Franklin, who was not drafted out of high school, said he had opportunities to go to junior colleges and start but he wanted to move away from home, so he picked Kennesaw State.
He found himself working in the bullpen his first two years there because he couldn’t throw enough strikes – walking 40 batters in 38 1/3 innings combined over those two seasons.
“I was on the struggle bus,” Franklin admits now. “I had the tools, I had the potential but I didn’t know what to do with it. I went to Tennessee and they made the simplest adjustment you can think of, just getting everything going toward the plate and simplifying it, and it started coming together.”
Franklin walked only nine hitters in 38 1/3 innings at Tennessee, one out more than the number of innings he pitched total his first two years. He struck out 52 of the 163 hitters he faced.
“When I went to Tennessee I thought higher of myself than I actually was, but I’ve always done that,” Franklin said. “I walked into a room with seven other guys who threw just as hard as I did, that strike out just as many guys, and I thought, ‘OK it’s a level playing field. Everybody is going to be competing.’
“We were successful because we competed with each other, not against each other, and that was a big thing. Now, I feel like I’m being challenged by the competition but also by the other pitchers on our staff. We’re doing a very good job of helping each other out.”
Franklin’s father, Jim, was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 11th round in 1993 and pitched in the minor leagues for two years before an injury ended his career, his son said.
“Our scout in Georgia told me he (Franklin) had an unbelievable arm but just hadn’t figured it out,” Calhoun said. “I saw the same thing (in the fall of 2024) but then before the season in February his delivery was completely different and he was throwing a bunch of strikes, throwing 97 to 100. He went from not knowing if he was going to throw enough strikes to getting big outs in the SEC.
Franklin is appreciative of the Cardinals buying into his quest of becoming a starter, and he hopes he is showing that he was deserving of that opportunity.
“He’s got a powerful fastball,” said Peoria manager Roberto Espinoza. “That’s not a secret. He’s making the transition to starting, and we’re not going to rush him to get him to 100 pitches or six innings. We are going to take the proper route to get to that.”
Doyle and Franklin were two of the 21 players the Cardinals selected in the 2025 draft. Here is a rundown of how the other 19 are doing in their first full season in the organization:
Ryan Mitchell (2nd round) – Picked in between Doyle and Franklin, Mitchell was a shortstop in high school but the Cardinals have him playing center field in low Class A Palm Beach, where he is one of only eight teenagers in the Florida State League. The 19-year-old Mitchell is the only players the Cardinals have drafted and signed out of high school since 2021. He has struggled to make contact, striking out 53 times in his first 123 at-bats.
Jack Gurevitch (3rd round) – A first baseman from the University of San Diego, Gurevitch was recently promoted from Palm Beach to Peoria after hitting six homers in 106 at-bats while posting a .274 average. He homered twice in his first 22 at-bats for Peoria.
Cade Crossland (4th round) – A lefthander from Oklahoma, Crossland has started seven games at Palm Beach, where he has struck out 43 in 32 innings but has also issued 25 walks.
Ethan Young (5th round) – The righthanded Young has made eight starts at Palm Beach after being drafted out of East Carolina. He has 35 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings but also has allowed 35 hits and 15 walks.
Matt Miura (6th round) – A speedy outfielder drafted out of the University of Hawaii, Miura has yet to play this season while recovering from a hamate injury. He is expected to begin getting in games next week at Palm Beach, where he stole seven bases in 21 games at the end of last season.
Payton Graham (7th round) – A right-handed pitcher, Graham was selected out of Gonzaga even though he was recovering from Tommy John surgery after pitching in just one game last season. He is working his way back with the rookie Florida Complex League team, where he has a 1.86 ERA after three starts with 14 strikeouts and just three walks in 9 2/3 innings.
Ryan Weingartner (8th round) – The first of three shortstops in the draft class, Weingartner, from Penn State, leads Palm Beach with 12 stolen bases but has only posted a .221 average.
Michael Dattalo (9th round) – After an injury-delayed start to his season, Dattalo, out of Dallas Baptist, has played only five games so far this season. He is expected to play primarily at third base for Palm Beach.
Ty Van Dyke (10th round) – The right-handed Van Dyke has been Palm Beach’s most effective starter so far this season. The Stetson product has a 1.64 ERA after seven starts and in 33 innings has only issued eight walks while striking out 35. Opponents are hitting just .167 against Van Dyke, who was promoted to Peoria on Monday.
Jalin Flores (11th round) – A shortstop coming out of Texas, Flores has been at Peoria all season, where he has split time between shortstop and third base. He has posted a .260 average with five homers and 30 RBIs in 32 games.
Kaden Echeman (12th round) – Pitching out of the Palm Beach bullpen, the right-handed Echeman has appeared in 10 games with 30 strikeouts in 20 2/3 innings but the Northern Kentucky product has struggled with his control, issuing 15 walks.
Jake Shelagowski (13th round) – The righthander out of Saginaw Valley (Mich.) State made seven relief appearances for Palm Beach before making his first career start on Friday night. He has struck out 27 batters in 26 2/3 innings while only walking nine.
Anthony Watts (14th round) – A product of Iowa, the right-handed Watts has only made two relief appearances for the rookie Florida Complex League team, working an inning in each outing.
Trevor Haskins (15th round) – The third of the three shortstops drafted by the Cardinals, Haskins has been used at both third and shortstop so far this season for Palm Beach. Haskins, who played at Stanford, has three home runs but also struck out 27 times in his first 76 at-bats.
Alex Breckheimer (16th round) – A 6-foot-5 righthander from Kansas, Breckheimer has been working as a reliever at Palm Beach. He has 30 strikeouts in 23 1/3 innings and walked 12 over his eight appearances.
Cameron Nickens (17th round) – Nickens, selected out of Austin Peay, has played first base, left field and right field at Palm Beach, posting a .272 average with 20 walks and 23 strikeouts in his first 91 at-bats.
Dylen Driessen (18th round) – Another right-handed reliever at Palm Beach, Driessen has appeared in nine games with 18 strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings. Driessen, who pitched for South Dakota State, has held opponents to a .175 average.
Liam Best (19th round) – A product of Appalachian State, the right-handed reliever also has struggled with his control at Palm Beach, issuing 11 walks in 13 1/3 innings with 12 strikeouts in his first 10 appearances.
Chase Heath (20th round) – A local product out of O’Fallon, Mo., who played at Central Missouri, Heath has been the primary catcher at Palm Beach. He had a .227 average with three homers and 14 RBIs in his first 110 at-bats this season.
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Photos of Tanner Franklin courtesy of Peoria Chiefs
