Wander Franco

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wander Franco
Wander Franco (51295526676) (cropped).jpg
Franco with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2021
Tampa Bay Rays – No. 5
Shortstop / Third baseman
Born: (2001-03-01) March 1, 2001 (age 20)
Baní, Dominican Republic
Bats: Switch
Throws: Right
MLB debut
June 22, 2021, for the Tampa Bay Rays
MLB statistics
(through 2021 season)
Batting average.288
Home runs7
Runs batted in39
Teams

Wander Samuel Franco Sr. (born March 1, 2001), nicknamed "El Patron", is a Dominican professional baseball shortstop for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2021.

Career[]

Minor leagues[]

Franco was ranked as one of the top international prospects in the 2017 international class.[1] He signed with the Tampa Bay Rays organization on July 2, 2017.[2][3] Franco made his professional debut in 2018 with the Princeton Rays. On July 14, 2018, Franco hit for the cycle while playing for Princeton.[4] In 2018, at only 17 years old, Franco was named the 2018 Appalachian League Player of the Year after hitting .374/.445/.636 with 11 home runs and 57 runs batted in (RBIs) over 245 plate appearances for the Princeton Rays.[5][6]

Prior to the 2019 season, Franco was ranked as the fourth best prospect in baseball by Baseball America.[7] He began the season with the Bowling Green Hot Rods.[8][9] He was promoted to the Charlotte Stone Crabs on June 25.[10] Franco was named to the 2019 All-Star Futures Game.[11] He finished the 2019 season with a .327/.398/.487 slash line with nine home runs and 53 RBIs.

Prior to the 2020 season, Franco was ranked the No. 1 prospect in all of baseball. On September 22, the Rays added Franco to their Player pool of players who would be eligible to play in the Major League Baseball postseason. Franco did not appear in an MLB game, and did not play in any minor league contests due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[12]

The Rays invited Franco to major league spring training in 2021, but he did not make the team, and began the season in Triple-A with the Durham Bulls.[13] In 39 games with Durham, Franco logged a .315/.367/.586 slash line with seven home runs and 35 RBIs.[14]

Tampa Bay Rays[]

2021[]

On June 20, 2021, the Rays announced that Franco would be promoted to the major leagues, prior to the team’s series against the Boston Red Sox. He was formally selected to the 40-man roster on June 22.[15] Franco made his MLB debut the same day.[16] In the game, Franco recorded his first career hit, home run, and RBI on a three-run shot off of Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodríguez in the fifth inning.[17]

On August 25, Franco reached base safely for the 26th consecutive games setting a record for the longest run by a player under 21 years old since 1961. On September 7, Franco reached base safely for the 37th consecutive time passing Mickey Mantle’s 36 game on base streak for a player 20-years old or younger.

On November 23, 2021, Franco and the Rays agreed to an eleven-year, $182 million contract extension, with a club option of $25 million for a twelfth year. At age 20, Franco became the youngest player in baseball history to sign a contract worth at least $100 million, passing Ronald Acuña Jr.'s eight-year, $100 million contract extension signed in 2019. Franco's deal was the largest for any player with less than one year of major league service.

Personal life[]

His brothers, Wander Alexander and Wander Javier, played in the Houston Astros and San Francisco Giants organizations. His father, also named Wander, played minor league ball in the 1990s. His mother, Nancy Aybar, is the sister of Erick Aybar[18] and Willy Aybar, both of whom played in Major League Baseball.[19]

Franco has a son, Wander Samuel Franco Jr., born in late 2018.[19]

References[]

  1. ^ "2017 Prospect Watch". MLB.com. Archived from the original on July 13, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  2. ^ Topkin, Marc (July 2, 2017). "Rays journal: Rays to sign top international prospect Wander Franco". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on February 15, 2019. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  3. ^ Chastain, Bill (July 2, 2017). "Rays sign international prospect Wander Franco | Tampa Bay Rays". MLB.com. Archived from the original on June 7, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  4. ^ Rosenbaum, Mike (July 14, 2018). "Rays prospect Wander Franco hits for cycle". MLB.com. Archived from the original on June 7, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  5. ^ Topkin, Marc (March 5, 2019). "The wonder of Wander, who is on the Rays' fast track". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on August 15, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  6. ^ Sanford, Adam (August 23, 2019). "Wander Franco named Appalachian League Player of the Year". DRays Bay. Archived from the original on June 7, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  7. ^ Cooper, J.J. (April 26, 2019). "Wander Franco Dominating The Midwest League, Already". Baseball America. Archived from the original on September 19, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  8. ^ Romano, John (May 1, 2019). "With Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the majors, the countdown begins for the Rays' Wander Franco". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on June 7, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  9. ^ Glasier, David S. (May 18, 2019). "Wander Franco's star rising with Hot Rods". The News-Herald. Archived from the original on June 7, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  10. ^ Kolakowski, Ryan (June 26, 2019). "Rays uber prospect Wander Franco shines in Stone Crabs debut". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on June 28, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  11. ^ Callis, Jim (June 28, 2019). "Here are the 2019 Futures Game rosters". MLB.com. Archived from the original on July 8, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  12. ^ Todd, Jeff (June 30, 2020). "2020 Minor League Season Canceled". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  13. ^ Adams, Steve (April 29, 2021). "Wander Franco To Open Minor League Season In Triple-A". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  14. ^ Anderson, R.J. (June 22, 2021). "Wander Franco MLB debut: Baseball's top prospect hitting second, playing third for Rays vs. Red Sox". CBSSports.com. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  15. ^ Franco, Anthony (January 28, 2021). "Rays Promote Wander Franco". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  16. ^ "Wander Franco's Major League debut highlights". Mlb.com. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  17. ^ Jackson, Wilton (June 22, 2021). "Rays' Wander Franco Launches Home Run in MLB Debut". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  18. ^ Topkin, Marc (July 2, 2017). "Rays finalize deal with top prospect Wander Franco". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on June 7, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  19. ^ a b Passan, Jeff (June 11, 2019). "Passan: How Wander Franco became MLB's next can't-miss kid". ESPN. Archived from the original on September 9, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2019.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""