This post has been a long time coming, but I’m finally here to get you familiar with a very intriguing arm on the GCL roster and his name is Franklyn Kilome. The 19 year old Dominican stands 6’6″ and tips the scales at 175lbs. He sports an old school style delivery with his hands going up and over his head while maintaining good balance and a low amount of effort.
Kilome is still growing into his large frame and the lanky right-hander still has plenty of room to add some bulk. He’s shown very good coordination when moving off the mound and has some athleticism about him. The coordination part is key for me. I can’t begin to tell you how many kids you see at this level with similar size and age, but they look awkward and almost goofy to the point where chewing gum and walking at the same time is quite the chore.
Kilome has nice velocity with his fastball and throws from a high 3/4 slot, sitting comfortably 89-92 mph and topping out at 93. While this pitch doesn’t have a ton of life, he is able to move it all over the zone and does a very good job staying on top and using his size to generate good downhill plane. He also throws a very heavy sinker that sits in 87-90 mph range and this pitch has been his most effective offering. He will throw it in any count and he really leans on it with men on-base to get ground ball outs. There is still a lot of work to be done when it comes to his breaking stuff. There doesn’t seem to be a real feel for his slider and it’s a show me offering at best up to this point. He’s been able to get by without it so far due to his fastball and sinker combo with consistent command. Kilome gets crafty at times too by dropping his arm angle to a true 3/4 slot which really disrupts opposing hitters ability to pick up the ball out of his hand.
Obviously there is a long way to go in his development, but with his frame, sinker and most importantly, his fastball command, there is a lot to like about his game. With more innings and some coaching up, this is a kid who should make some noise in this system sooner than later.