Wander Franco
Wander Samuel Franco is a Dominican professional baseball shortstop in the Tampa Bay Rays organization.Career
Franco was ranked as one of the top international prospects in the 2017 international class. He signed with the Tampa Bay Rays on July 2, 2017. Franco made his professional debut in 2018 with the Princeton Rays. In a game in July, he hit for the cycle. 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 RBIs over 245 plate appearances for the Princeton Rays.
Prior to the 2019 season, Franco was ranked as the fourth best prospect in baseball by Baseball America. He began the season with the Bowling Green Hot Rods. He was promoted to the Charlotte Stone Crabs on June 25. Franco was named to the 2019 All-Star Futures Game.Personal life
His brothers, both also named Wander, played in the Houston Astros and San Francisco Giants organizations. His father, Wander Sr. played minor league ball in the 1990s. His uncles, Erick Aybar and Willy Aybar, played in Major League Baseball.
