In 2018, Franklin's freshman year at Michigan, he appeared in 47 games in which he hit .327 with ten home runs and 47 RBI.[7] He was named Player of the Week once and Freshman of the Week three times throughout the season.[8] He played in theCape Cod Baseball League for theBrewster Whitecaps that summer.[9] As a sophomore in 2019, he batted .262 with 13 home runs and 55 RBI over 68 games.[10] He returned to Brewster after the season's end.[11] Franklin did not make an appearance during the 2020 season due to a collarbone injury and the season being cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[2][12]
Franklin made his professional debut in 2021 with theRome Braves of theHigh-A East, slashing .244/.320/.522 with 24 home runs, 61 RBI, and 19 stolen bases over 101 games.[17] His 24 home runs were most among Atlanta minor leaguers and were also tied for first place in the league.[18] Franklin was selected to play in theArizona Fall League for thePeoria Javelinas after the season.[19] He was assigned to theMississippi Braves of theDouble-ASouthern League to begin the 2022 season.[20] In early June, he underwentTommy John surgery which forced him to miss the remainder of the season.[21]
Franklin returned to action in 2023 with Mississippi, hitting .232 with 15 home runs and 46 RBI over 94 games.[22] Franklin missed the entirety of the 2024 season due to shouldertenditis.[23][24] On January 29, 2025, Franklin was released by the Braves organization.[25]
^abO'Brien, David (March 9, 2022)."After early struggles, Braves prospect Jesse Franklin emerging as another potential slugger".The Athletic.Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. RetrievedApril 4, 2023.As a three-sport high school athlete in Seattle, Jesse Franklin — linebacker/running back in the fall, rebounder/screen-setter in winter — didn't play as much baseball as most prospects from Sun Belt states. Throw in a broken collarbone from a skiing crash that sidelined him for the truncated 2020 college season at Michigan and the pandemic that erased the minor-league season that year, and perhaps it shouldn't have been surprising when Franklin struggled last year at the outset of his first professional season.
