Franklin Barreto, A's New Second Baseman, Hits First Homer This Season

It didn't take long for Franklin Barreto to make his presence known as the A's new second base starter.

In the top of the third inning of Friday's 5-2 win over the Mariners at T-Mobile Park, the 23-year-old smacked one over the fence to tie the M's at one apiece. This was his first home run of the season and the first run for the Green and Gold of the evening until the seventh.

A's skipper Bob Melvin said all Barreto required was some consistent at-bats. He got that chance when he was called up from Triple-A Las Vegas on Sunday.

"He's never really had that here at the big league level," Melvin told the media on Wednesday. "That doesn't mean that Jurickson's not going to play at all. You may see Jurickson take some ground balls at some different positions, maybe even take some in the outfield to create some versatility for him and different ways to get him in the lineup. But Frankie is going to probably get the majority of time at second."

"He brings a lot of power for a little guy," Melvin said. "He gives you some speed. He does a lot of things to help you win games. He's been a big prospect for us for a reason."

[RELATED: A's reliever Liam Hendriks added to All-Star team]

During A's Postgame Live, NBC Sports California's own Dave Stewart agreed with BoMel saying the young power guy just needed more exposure to the game.

And it's the perfect timing also. The A's are currently riding a nice little wave having gone 13-4 in their last 17 games.

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