Wikipedia

Wander Franco

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Franco and the second or maternal family name is Aybar.

Wander Samuel Franco Aybar[1] (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 and was an All-Star in 2023.

Wander Franco
Franco with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2023
Tampa Bay Rays – No. 5
Shortstop
Born: (2001-03-01) March 1, 2001 (age 23)
Baní, Dominican Republic
Bats: Switch
Throws: Right
MLB debut
June 22, 2021, for the Tampa Bay Rays
MLB statistics
(through 2023 season)
Batting average.282
Home runs30
Runs batted in130
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams
Career highlights and awards

In 2024, Franco was charged with sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of a minor in the Dominican Republic.[2]

Professional career

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Minor leagues

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Franco was ranked as one of the top international prospects in the 2017 international class.[3] He signed with the Tampa Bay Rays organization on July 2, 2017, for a signing bonus of $3.85 million.[4][5] Franco made his professional debut in 2018 with the Princeton Rays. On July 14, 2018, Franco hit for the cycle while playing for Princeton.[6] In 2018, at 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.[7][8]

Prior to the 2019 season, Franco was ranked as the fourth best prospect in baseball by Baseball America.[9] He began the season with the Bowling Green Hot Rods.[10][11] He was promoted to the Charlotte Stone Crabs on June 25.[12] Franco was named to the 2019 All-Star Futures Game.[13] 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 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.[14] Instead, he played in the Dominican Winter League in the 2020-21 offseason with Leones del Escogido, batting .350/.435/.500 in 23 at-bats.

The Rays invited Franco to major league spring training in 2021,[15] but he did not make the team, and began the season in Triple-A with the Durham Bulls.[16] In 39 games with Durham, Franco logged a .315/.367/.586 slash line with seven home runs and 35 RBIs.[17]

Tampa Bay Rays

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2021 season

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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.[18][19] He was formally selected to the 40-man roster on June 22.[20] Franco made his MLB debut the same day.[21] 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.[22] At 20 years and 113 days old, Franco was the second-youngest player (after B. J. Upton) to debut for the Rays franchise.[23]

 
Franco during the 2021 season

On August 25, Franco reached base safely for the 26th consecutive game, setting a record for the longest run by a player under 21 years old since 1961.[24] 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.[25] Franco's streak ended at 43 consecutive games on September 30, 2021, leaving him tied with Frank Robinson.[26]

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.

2022 season

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On April 22, 2022, Franco had his first multi home run game against the Boston Red Sox. Franco became the youngest player in Tampa Bay Rays franchise history to have a multi homer game, doing so at age 21 and 52 days old.[27]

On May 31, Franco was placed on the 10-day injured list due to a strained quadriceps.[28] He was activated on June 26.[29] On July 9, Franco was placed on the 10-day injured list.[30] Two days later, it was announced Franco would miss five to eight weeks due to hand surgery.[31][32] On September 9, he was activated off the injured list.[33][34]

2023 season

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On July 4, 2023, Franco was selected to his first All-Star game as the roster replacement for Aaron Judge, who was injured.[35]

Franco was placed on the Rays' restricted list on August 13, as MLB and a specialized Minor and Gender Violence Division based in Peravia began investigations into an alleged relationship with a minor. Franco was then placed on indefinite administrative leave by Major League Baseball. The league stated the administrative leave "is not disciplinary under the Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy" according to MLB.[36]

Franco was reinstated to the 40-man roster by the Rays following the conclusion of the 2023 season, as administrative leave is only available in-season.[37] He returned to the restricted list at the start of the 2024 season.[38]

International career

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Franco represented the Dominican Republic in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. With Willy Adames and Jeremy Peña at shortstop, he instead played second base, splitting time with Ketel Marte. Over the course of nine at-bats in three games, Franco hit .222/.417/.222, leading the team in walks (along with Juan Soto) with three.[39]

Personal life

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Franco is the son of Wander Franco and Nancy Aybar, both from Baní, Dominican Republic. His father played minor league ball in the 1990s. His mother is the sister of Erick Aybar and Willy Aybar, both of whom played in Major League Baseball. His brothers, Wander Alexander Franco and Wander Javier Franco, played in the Houston Astros and San Francisco Giants organizations.[40][41]

Franco married his girlfriend after the 2021 MLB season. The pair have a son, Wander Samuel Franco Jr., born in late 2018, and have another son, born in 2022.[40][42]

On July 9, 2024, Franco was charged in the Dominican Republic with sexual abuse, sexual exploitation of a minor,[2] and human trafficking.[43] On November 10, while awaiting trial, Franco was arrested again in San Juan de la Maguana after an altercation in which guns were drawn.[44][45]

References

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  1. ^ "Tampa Bay Rays 2022 media guide" (PDF). mlb.com. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Rays SS Franco charged with sexual abuse against a minor". ESPN. July 9, 2024. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  3. ^ "2017 Prospect Watch". MLB.com. Archived from the original on July 13, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ "2020 Minor League Baseball season shelved". MILB.com. June 30, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  15. ^ Dykstra, Sam (February 1, 2021). "Rays invite Franco to Spring Training camp". MILB.com. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  16. ^ Berry, Adam (April 29, 2021). "Notes: Wander to Triple-A; Adames' bad luck". MLB.com. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ Topkin, Marc (June 20, 2021). "Rays to call up top prospect Wander Franco". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  19. ^ "Rays set to promote SS Wander Franco, MLB's No. 1 prospect". San Diego Union Tribune. Associated Press. June 21, 2021. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  20. ^ Topkin, Marc (June 22, 2021). "For Rays' Wander Franco, the dream is real". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  21. ^ "Wander Franco's Major League debut highlights". Mlb.com. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  22. ^ Jackson, Wilton (June 22, 2021). "Rays' Wander Franco Launches Home Run in MLB Debut". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  23. ^ Topkin, Marc (June 23, 2021). "5 more things about Wander Franco's big-league debut". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  24. ^ Topkin, Marc (August 26, 2021). "No wonder at 20, Rays' Wander Franco is quite a hit". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  25. ^ Topkin, Marc (September 7, 2021). "Wander Franco moves past Mickey Mantle in extending on-base streak". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  26. ^ Berry, ad (October 1, 2021). "'Very special': Wander's on-base streak ends". MLB.com. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  27. ^ Berry, Adam (April 22, 2022). "Ozzie's glove Bonds' bat = Wander?". MLB.com. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  28. ^ "Rays SS Wander Franco goes to 10-day IL with quad injury". San Diego Union Tribune. Associated Press. June 1, 2022. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  29. ^ "Rays SS Wander Franco returns from quadriceps injury". USA Today. June 26, 2022. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  30. ^ Topkin, Marc (July 9, 2022). "Rays' Wander Franco heads to injured list, potentially out 6-8 weeks". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  31. ^ Crane, Andrew (July 11, 2022). "Wander Franco needs surgery; Kevin Kiermaier 'down for some time'". Tampa Bay Times.
  32. ^ Berry, Adam (July 11, 2022). "Franco needs wrist surgery, expected to miss 5-8 weeks". MLB.com. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  33. ^ Orgera, Scott (September 9, 2022). "Franco activated by Rays before series opener In Bronx". Associated Press News. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  34. ^ Ashame, Betelhem (September 10, 2022). "'It's time': Wander's impactful return helps Rays gain on Yanks". MLB.com. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  35. ^ "Rays' Wander Franco added to 2023 All-Star roster, joining Díaz and Arozarena". WFLA. July 9, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  36. ^ "Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco placed on indefinite administrative leave". CNN. August 22, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  37. ^ "Rays reinstate Wander Franco in procedural roster move". ESPN. November 2, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  38. ^ "Rays' Wander Franco taken off 40-man roster".
  39. ^ "Stats - Dominican Republic". MLB.com. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  40. ^ 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.
  41. ^ 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.
  42. ^ Topkin, Marc. "Rays not too worried despite Austin Meadows' early exit". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  43. ^ "Rays' Wander Franco now accused of human trafficking, sexual abuse of minor: Authorities". July 10, 2024.
  44. ^ "Police: Wander Franco arrested in D.R. after altercation". espn.com=en. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  45. ^ "Rays' Wander Franco, who awaits sex abuse trial, arrested in armed altercation". apnews.com. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
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