Wander Franco (22), who signed a long-term contract by pouring a large amount of money into the Tampa Bay Rays, a major league small market club, is receiving favorable reviews. Will he be able to live up to expectations this season?
On the 27th (Korean time), MLB.com, the official homepage of the Major League Baseball, selected players who are expected to perform best for each club in the 2023 season. Franco was selected for Tampa Bay. It is expected to record a WAR of 5.5.
The media said, “Franco missed many games last season due to injury, but in 83 games on the ground, the 21-year-old genius lived up to the hype of being ranked as the number one prospect in all of MLB. He thinks he’ll be in the top 10 in the major leagues for the 2023 season. He will have a 133wRC+, 16 homers, 10 stolen bases, and a low strikeout rate while playing full-time at shortstop.”
A native of the Dominican Republic, Franco joined Tampa Bay in 2017 as an international amateur free agent. He has consistently maintained the top spot in the major league top prospect rankings, and stepped onto the big league stage in 2021. In 70 games in his debut season, he recorded 81 hits, 7 homers, 39 RBIs, a batting average of 0.347, a slugging percentage of 0.463, and an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 0.810. He showed off his outstanding skills.
Franco finished a splendid debut season. 메이저놀이터 Tampa Bay offered a long-term contract to a young player who had not played full-time for a year. Tampa Bay, which is rumored to be one of the leading small market clubs in the big leagues, was different for Franco. Signed a long-term contract worth up to 12 years and $223 million.
2022, the first year after the mega deal was concluded. Franco missed 83 games due to injury. He had 87 hits, 6 home runs, a batting average of 0.277, a slugging percentage of 0.417, and an OPS of 0.745. He is Franco, who has never played full-time, but it is expected that he will be able to achieve better results if he plays full-time in a healthy state.
On the same day, the media picked the top 10 by position, and Franco was ranked 10th in the shortstop category. Trey Turner of the Philadelphia Phillies ranked first, Carlos Correa of the Minnesota Twins ranked second, and Xander Bogaerts of the San Diego Padres ranked third.
It is only natural that expectations for Franco will rise as the popularity continues. Will Franco be able to work full-time for the first time since his debut this year?