Wander Franco Stats
- Height / Weight
- 5' 10" / 189 lbs.
- Date of Birth (Age)
- 3/1/2001 (23)
- Experience
- 3
- College
- None
Wander Franco Season Stats
Last 10 Games
Wander Franco News
The Tampa Bay Rays have placed shortstop Wander Franco on administrative leave through June 1 under an agreement between the MLB and the MLB Players Association. Franco has been away from the team since last August, when his relationship with a minor first surfaced. There is no administrative leave in the offseason, which is why Thursday's Opening Day is when this move took place, and it also takes the former All-Star off of the 40-man roster, although he is still being paid while on leave. On June 1, the two parties will meet again to decide whether to extend his leave or place him on the restricted list, depending on the results of the investigation in the Dominican Republic. It's presumed that once that investigation is complete, MLB will conduct its own investigation, and Franco will likely be suspended.
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco will be back in a courtroom on Feb. 8, according to court officials in the Dominican Republic, this time to be present as a judge interviews the teenage girl at the center of the sexual-abuse probe that has indefinitely put Franco's baseball career on hold. Franco is accused of physical and sexual abuse and commercial sexual exploitation of a minor. According to prosecutors, Franco paid the girl's mother thousands of dollars in cash and other gifts in exchange for the mother's consent to engage in a sexual relationship with her daughter. At the time of the alleged relationship, Franco was 21 and the girl was 14. Another judge will decide whether Franco will face a trial, a process that could stretch into the summer. It's looking increasingly likely that Franco won't play at all in 2024, and his MLB career could be done entirely.
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco is facing a lesser charge after a judge in the Dominican Republic analyzed evidence that alleges he had a relationship with a 14-year-old girl and paid her mother thousands of dollars for her consent. Franco was originally accused of commercial and sexual exploitation and money laundering, charges that carry up to 30 yards, 10 years and 20 years of prison respectively. He now stands accused of sexual and psychological abuse. He has not been formally accused, but if found guilty, he could face between two to five years in prison. Franco was released from jail on Monday but is required to meet with authorities once a month in the Dominican as the investigation continues, and he's unlikely to be allowed back into the U.S. anytime soon, which means he's unlikely to play for the Rays by Opening Day. There's a high probability the 22-year-old won't play major-league baseball again.
Batting Order
1 | Yandy Díaz |
2 | Richie Palacios |
3 | Randy Arozarena |
4 | Isaac Paredes |
5 | Amed Rosario |
6 | Harold Ramírez |
7 | Ben Rortvedt |
8 | Curtis Mead |
9 | José Caballero |
Wander Franco Stats
Last 10 Games
Batting Order
1 | Yandy Díaz |
2 | Richie Palacios |
3 | Randy Arozarena |
4 | Isaac Paredes |
5 | Amed Rosario |
6 | Harold Ramírez |
7 | Ben Rortvedt |
8 | Curtis Mead |
9 | José Caballero |
The hype train has come to a near halt with Franco after another disappointing season in 2022 where he played just 83 games, hitting .277/.328/.417 with just six homers and eight steals. That brings his Major League career line to .282/.337/.439 with 13 homers and 10 steals in 153 games. Over the course of one full season, he's been very much underwhelming for fantasy purposes. Underneath the hood, we see a barrel rate below 5% in his last two seasons. He doesn't hit a ton of ground balls (45%) and is not a David Fletcher type guy barely impacting the ball (88 mph average exit velocity), but he has fallen well short of "good" in both of these categories in his short time in the Majors thus far. What does all of this mean for 2023? The ceiling probably hasn't been affected all that much from the lofty heights we had it prior to his arrival, but the floor is certainly much lower than we thought back then - and we have the injury problem as well now. Even if we get a full healthy season out of Franco, there's no reason to be overly confident that he'll be useful for fantasy. It seems wise to take a "wait and see" approach with Franco in 2023 given his top-100 ADP.