Forgotten Padres slugger is absolutely pummeling baseballs in Caribbean Series

Every winter, there’s at least one “wait… that guy?” moment that lights up baseball Twitter. This week, it’s Franchy Cordero — the former Padres power-project who’s currently treating the 2026 Caribbean Series like a personal Home Run Derby.

Cordero has been a centerpiece bat for Leones del Escogido (Dominican Republic), and the highlights are pretty ridiculous. Multi-homer damage, including a near-500-foot blast that reminded everyone why scouts used to put cartoon grades on his raw power. 

Padres’ old power gamble looks loud again as Franchy Cordero crushes the Caribbean Series

The loudest game came in the Dominican club’s absurd 16-15 win over Panama — a 31-run carnival where Cordero delivered both a two-run single and a momentum-swinging two-run homer, finishing with four RBIs. 

This is the exact version of Franchy that always haunted the Padres’ imagination: the prospect with top-shelf bat speed, legit athleticism, and power that doesn’t just clear walls — it embarrasses ballpark dimensions. The problem in MLB was never “can he hit it hard?” It was “can he get to it enough?” Seven big-league seasons told the story: huge tools, a ton of swing-and-miss, uneven contact, and the kind of inconsistency that turns upside into a suitcase you keep dragging from team to team. 

Cordero debuted in San Diego, flashed, got hurt, got squeezed by roster math, then eventually moved on — most notably as part of the 2020 deal that brought Tim Hill to San Diego. 

So no, this isn’t a “Padres blew it” victory lap. It’s more like a reminder of what that era of roster-building was: collecting volatile athletic bets and hoping your development pipeline could turn one into a stable everyday weapon.

In February, in a high-energy international tournament, Franchy Cordero is exactly that weapon. And for Padres fans watching him launch missiles again, it’s equal parts fun, frustrating, and familiar.