Wander Franco

Wander Franco

22-Year-Old ShortstopSS
Tampa Bay Rays
2023 Fantasy Outlook
The Rays bet big on Franco last winter in the form of an 11-year, $182 million contract extension. This was after just 70 games at the big-league level for Franco, so it's clear Tampa Bay, a notoriously "frugal" franchise, is head over heels as are most evaluators. His 2022 season did not go as planned as Franco battled a quadriceps injury before undergoing surgery in July to repair a fractured hamate bone. While his numbers in 83 games leave something to be desired, Franco continued to display excellent contact skills, with Statcast putting him in the top 4% of the league in terms of xBA. He was also a perfect 8-for-8 on the basepaths. The switch hitter returned to play in 25 regular-season games down the stretch, slashing .322/.381/.471. In time, Franco could prove to be a better-in-real-life-than-fantasy sort of player, but beware of any definitive labels put on this all-world talent as they could look silly a year or two from now. Read Past Outlooks
RANKSFrom Preseason
#82
ADP
$Signed an 11-year, $182 million contract extension with the Rays in November of 2021. Contract includes $25 million team option for 2033.
Two hits in return
SSTampa Bay Rays
June 6, 2023
Franco went 2-for-4 with a double in Monday's 4-1 win over the Red Sox.
ANALYSIS
Franco picked up where he left off Monday after missing Tampa Bay's previous two games with a hamstring injury. The 22-year-old shortstop has hits in nine straight contests, going 17-for-35 (.486) with a 1.176 OPS in that span. Franco has emerged as an elite fantasy option this season -- he's slashing .308/.372/.498 with seven homers, 21 stolen bases, 29 RBI and 37 runs scored through 253 plate appearances.
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Batting Stats
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2023
2022
2021
2020
2023 MLB Game Log
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2022 MLB Game Log
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2021 MLB Game Log
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2020 MLB Game Log
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Batting Order Slot Breakdown
vs Right-Handed Pitchers
vs RHP
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
38
10
vs Left-Handed Pitchers
vs LHP
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
11
Left/Right Batting Splits
Since 2021
 
 
+28%
OPS vs LHP
2023
 
 
+32%
OPS vs LHP
2022
 
 
+7%
OPS vs LHP
2021
 
 
+47%
OPS vs LHP
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2021vs Left .954 228 39 7 31 8 .348 .404 .551
Since 2021vs Right .747 689 99 13 70 24 .268 .327 .420
2023vs Left 1.064 47 8 1 6 6 .400 .489 .575
2023vs Right .809 218 31 6 23 16 .283 .339 .470
2022vs Left .788 71 8 2 9 1 .304 .324 .464
2022vs Right .734 273 38 4 24 7 .269 .330 .404
2021vs Left 1.020 110 23 4 16 1 .357 .418 .602
2021vs Right .696 198 30 3 23 1 .251 .308 .388
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Home/Away Batting Splits
Since 2021
 
 
+1%
OPS on Road
2023
 
 
+15%
OPS at Home
2022
 
 
+13%
OPS on Road
2021
 
 
+4%
OPS on Road
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2021Home .794 466 75 9 57 16 .276 .335 .460
Since 2021Away .803 451 63 11 44 16 .300 .357 .446
2023Home .902 153 27 4 19 11 .312 .373 .529
2023Away .787 112 12 3 10 11 .290 .357 .430
2022Home .697 166 21 3 17 4 .250 .289 .408
2022Away .791 178 25 3 16 4 .302 .365 .426
2021Home .793 147 27 2 21 1 .269 .347 .446
2021Away .825 161 26 5 18 1 .305 .348 .477
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Stat Review
How does Wander Franco compare to other hitters?
This section compares his stats with all batting seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 400 plate appearances)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity and Barrels/PA % are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 400 PA) and Hard Hit Rate is benchmarked against last season's data (min 400 PA). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • BB/K
    Walk to strikeout ratio
  • BB Rate
    The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a walk.
  • K Rate
    The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a strikeout.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many of a batter’s balls in play go for hits.
  • ISO
    Isolated Power. Slugging percentage minus batting average. A computation used to measure a batter's raw power.
  • AVG
    Batting average. Hits divided by at bats.
  • OBP
    On Base Percentage. A measure of how often a batters reaches base. Roughly equal to number of times on base divided by plate appearances.
  • SLG
    Slugging Percentage. A measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats.
  • OPS
    On base plus slugging. THe sum of a batter's on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
  • wOBA
    Weighted on-base average. Measures a player's overall offensive contributions per plate appearance. wOBA combines all the different aspects of hitting into one metric, weighting each of them in proportion to their actual run value.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Hard Hit Rate
    A measure of contact quality from Sports Info Solutions. This stat explains what percentage of batted balls were hit hard vs. medium or soft.
  • Barrels/PA
    The percentage of plate appearances where a batter had a batted ball classified as a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Expected BA
    Expected Batting Average.
  • Expected SLG
    Expected Slugging Percentage.
  • Sprint Speed
    The speed of a runner from home to first, in feet per second.
  • Ground Ball %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are on the ground.
  • Line Drive %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are line drives.
  • Fly Ball %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are fly balls.
BB/K
0.70
 
BB Rate
8.7%
 
K Rate
12.5%
 
BABIP
.325
 
ISO
.185
 
AVG
.303
 
OBP
.366
 
SLG
.487
 
OPS
.853
 
wOBA
.371
 
Exit Velocity
88.3 mph
 
Hard Hit Rate
35.3%
 
Barrels/PA
5.3%
 
Expected BA
.300
 
Expected SLG
.468
 
Sprint Speed
23.5 ft/sec
 
Ground Ball %
47.8%
 
Line Drive %
25.1%
 
Fly Ball %
27.1%
 
Prospect Rankings History
Advanced Batting Stats
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Additional Stats
Games By Position
Defensive Stats
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Batted Ball Stats
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Stats Vs Upcoming Pitchers
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Wander Franco See More
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
The 2021-22 offseason was full of surprise signings before the lockout, with Franco's 11-year guaranteed deal at the top of the list. Everyone has been conditioned to envision the Rays either signing players through their arb years, or playing the player until he is 2-3 years shy of free agency and then trading him for max value. In this case, Franco's rookie season was so amazing, not only did he get strong consideration for the Rookie of the Year Award with only 70 games played, he also received a financial commitment from a team that has cried poor for its entire history. Franco quickly showed an ability to look like a 10-year vet at the plate, and mistakes at the plate and on the bases were rarely repeated. His hype and contract will likely push his 2022 fantasy acquisition cost to ridiculous levels, but he is an extremely high-floor player. Franco will play every day high in the lineup and produce double-digit homers and steals while pushing for 100 runs with a high average.
Like most top prospects, Franco spent the summer at his team's alternate training site, but unlike most prospects, he was on the postseason taxi squad and got work in on the field prior to World Series games. His bat speed and contact ability remain elite, but he needs to lift the ball more to maximize his power output. Franco may no longer be a plus runner, but he should still be on base enough to steal double-digit bases. Shoulder inflammation cut short his winter ball season, and while the team says there is no structural damage, it's something to monitor this spring. If there is an MiLB season, he would open the year in the minors and could receive a first-half promotion to the majors. Franco (a switch hitter) won't be platooned, but the Rays generally love platoons and like moving players around, so it's possible he could gain eligibility at some combination of third base, second base and shortstop.
Franco's only imperfection as a prospect is that he is not yet in the majors. He does not turn 19 until March, yet he has already mastered the Appalachian League, Midwest League and Florida State League. The switch hitter has an extremely rare combination of elite bat speed and an elite approach (54:83 K:BB in 175 games), which will allow him to hit for a very high average with monster power in his peak seasons. He is also a plus runner, but he is still learning how to steal bases efficiently (56.4% success rate on 39 attempts). Even as the clear top signee from the 2017 July 2 international signing class, Franco has exceeded expectations every step of the way, which makes setting expectations for his third pro season something of a challenge. With the Rays in a contention cycle, it would be foolish to just assume Franco will spend another full season in the minors, but early 2021 is his most likely ETA.
Franco won’t turn 18 until March 1, but already looks the part of a future superstar. A switch-hitting shortstop who may end up at third or second, Franco has the quickest bat in the minors. He made consistent, hard contact throughout his pro debut in the Appy League, finishing top five in ISO (.239), wRC+ (159) and BB/K (1.42) as the league’s youngest hitter. Franco was the clear top prospect in the 2017 July 2 international signing class -- pedigree that topples that of the typical player in that league. But consider this: Vlad Jr. toured the Appy League as a 17-year-old two years ago and tallied a .178 ISO, 122 wRC+ and 0.94 BB/K. Simply put, Franco is a significantly better hitter than the top prospect in baseball was at the same age. The Rays rarely fast track prospects, but Franco should be the exception. His MLB ETA is difficult to peg, as he has yet to make his full-season debut, but he will be ready for big-league pitching before he turns 20.
Prior to Franco in 2017, here are the last five consensus top prospects from the July 2 international signing period: Kevin Maitan, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Adrian Rondon, Eloy Jimenez and Franklin Barreto. Rondon looks like a bust and it’s too early to say what Maitan will be. Barreto is a big-league ready top-50 prospect with some upside and some flaws, while Guerrero and Jimenez are easily top-five prospects in the game. Investing in players who have yet to play a professional game, like Franco, is awfully risky, but recent history suggests it’s a risk worth taking if the price is right. Franco is a 5-foot-10 switch-hitting shortstop who turns 17 in March and is expected to eventually move to second base. He was considered the best hitter in this year’s class, with the potential to hit for a high average and offer 20-plus homer pop. The payoff will be at least four years down the road, but the upside is such that Franco should be stashed now in deeper leagues.
More Fantasy News
Returns to lineup Monday
SSTampa Bay Rays
June 5, 2023
Franco (hamstring) will start at shortstop and bat second in Monday's game in Boston, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
ANALYSIS
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Not in Sunday's lineup
SSTampa Bay Rays
Hamstring
June 4, 2023
Franco (hamstring) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Red Sox, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
ANALYSIS
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Dealing with hamstring issue
SSTampa Bay Rays
Hamstring
June 3, 2023
Franco will be absent from the lineup for the evening portion of Saturday's doubleheader against the Red Sox due to a hamstring injury, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports.
ANALYSIS
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Back in action
SSTampa Bay Rays
June 3, 2023
Franco (shoulder) will return to the lineup for the first half of Saturday's doubleheader against the Red Sox, batting second and playing shortstop, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
ANALYSIS
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Returns to lineup Friday
SSTampa Bay Rays
June 2, 2023
Franco (shoulder) is back in the lineup Friday against the Red Sox.
ANALYSIS
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