The Revolution continues to solidify its 2021 roster. With Opening Day now just over three weeks away, the Revs announced the return of standout Carlos Franco and the addition of Justin Twine to the infield. The signings were unveiled by Revs manager Mark Mason on Monday’s Revs Hot Stove Weekly presented by Shipley Energy on SportsRadio 98.9 FM & 1350 WOYK.
Franco, 29, returns to the Revolution after re-signing last March. The slugging infielder made an immediate impact on the York lineup upon first signing early in the 2019 season, hitting safely in 11 of his first 12 games with six multi-hit performances while setting a Revs single-month record with a .424 average that June in his first month with the club. That included a Revs single game record-tying three doubles in his debut on June 12, 2019, in a 7-2 win over the High Point Rockers. The lefty bat helped immediately transform a dormant offense into one of the most potent batting orders in league history. In 84 games with York, the left-hand hitting slugger batted .319 with 101 hits, 34 extra-base hits (13 home runs), and 55 RBI.
Franco spent his first 10 pro seasons in the Atlanta Braves system. The Bani, Dominican Republic, native began his journey in 2009 with the Dominican Summer League Braves and reached Triple-A Gwinnett in 2017. During the 2017 season, Franco combined to slug a career-high 21 HR with 77 RBI between Gwinnett and Mississippi. At the time of his promotion to Triple-A Gwinnett, Franco led the Southern League in home runs, RBI, and total bases. Franco was an MiLB.com Organizational All-Star his last two seasons in the Braves system and was ranked the No. 13 prospect in the Braves system in 2013. In his career, Franco has a .251 average with 1,014 hits, 299 extra-base hits (89 home runs), and 545 RBI in 1,177 career games.
“He has a ton of power,” commented Mason. “He had a really great 2019 season for us once he got here. He’s a scary, scary hitter for the other team because he can do a lot of damage and he’s another strong left handed hitter for us. He’s a great guy to have around too, another great teammate. I’m excited to get him back.”
Twine, 25, enters his seventh professional season and first with the Revolution. The infielder spent the majority of 2019 at Double-A Jacksonville in the Miami Marlins system. Twine, a 2019 Southern League Mid-Season All-Star, batted .240 with 86 hits, 17 extra-base hits, and 32 RBI in 105 games.
The Texas native was originally drafted in the 2nd round of the 2014 MLB Draft by Miami out of Falls City High School. The 5-foot-11 righty bat had previously committed to playing college baseball for Texas Christian University but elected to sign with the Marlins. Twine has experience playing second base, third base, and shortstop with over 2,200 innings at second and a career .984 fielding percentage at the position. The former Marlins minor leaguer spent all previous six seasons in their organization—his best power year came in 2018 with 98 hits, 13 doubles, six triples, seven home runs, and 52 RBI shuttling between High-A and Double-A.
In his minor league career, Twine is a .236 hitter with 483 hits, 131 extra-base hits (23 home runs), and 211 RBI in 565 games.
“He’s a very versatile infielder,” remarked Mason. “He really fits the bill for how we like to move our infielders around. We’ll look at Justin probably starting out at second base when we come into the season. I was very happy to be able to land him, and he’s looking forward to getting here. He’s a guy with a lot of upside also. We’re excited to see some new blood in the ballpark this year on our team and some guys that should be able to really make a difference for us.”
Tickets for all 2021 York Revolution home games are available at www.yorkrevolution.com.
The Revs will continue to unveil player signings for the upcoming 2021 season live on Revs Hot Stove Weekly presented by Shipley Energy each Monday at 6:30 p.m. on SportsRadio 98.9 FM & 1350 WOYK. The next episode will air on Monday, May 10, immediately following The Baltimore Baseball Show with Dan Connolly and can also be streamed on 989woyk.com and on the go with The New WOYK app.