5 Minor Details: Maikel Franco still crushing the ball

1. Reading's Maikel Franco, The Inquirer's No. 1 ranked Phillies prospect, continues to crush the ball. Franco was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle in Wednesday's 8-0 win over Altoona. He was 3 for 4 with a double, home run, two RBIs, three runs scored, and a walk.

Franco, who turns 21 on Monday, was moved across the diamond to first base for the first time in his career. He's expected to play there for the rest of the season.

2. Outfielder Cord Sandberg, the Phillies third-round pick this year from Manatee High in Bradenton, Fla., has gotten off to a slow start in the Gulf Coast League, but Phillies director of player development Joe Jordan is high on his ability. Sandberg signed for a $775,000 bonus and chose the Phillies over a football scholarship to Mississippi State. He entered the weekend hitting .203 with two home runs and 12 RBIs in 153 at-bats.

"He has a chance to be everything the scouts feel, but he needs to play," Jordan said. "He is probably 1,000 games behind guys who only played baseball."

3. Righthander Perci Garner went from being relegated to the bullpen at high-single-A Clearwater to earning a win a few days later in his first start for triple-A Lehigh Valley.

A second-round pick from Ball State in 2010, Garner pitched well for much of the year but went on a four-game slump, allowing 15 earned runs in 161/3 innings for an 8.27 ERA. Things got so bad that he was sent to the bullpen for two days. Lehigh Valley needed a starter on Monday, and Jordan felt a change of scenery might help Garner. So Garner was the starting and winning pitcher in Monday's 8-2 victory over Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Garner allowed six hits (all singles), along with two earned runs while striking out seven and walking two.

Garner started Saturday for Reading, allowing two earned runs in 42/3 innings.

4. Mitch Walding, a third baseman for Lakewood, entered the weekend hitting .224 with one home run and 42 RBIs in 402 at-bats. He had struck out 121 times and had a .609 OPS.

"His numbers don't show it, but he has come a long way," said Lakewood manager Mickey Morandini. "He has great hands, good foot work, a plus throwing arm, and he is starting to get it offensively."

5. Lefthander Hoby Milner entered the weekend 11-6 with a 3.94 ERA in 23 starts for high-single-A Clearwater. Miller was a seventh-round pick in 2012 from the University of Texas. Not an overly hard thrower, he had 99 strikeouts and 38 walks in 1321/3 innings.

- Marc Narducci and Matt Gelb