Wander Franco is incredible.
The Rays picked him up last July, signing him to a $3.85M deal at just 16 years old.
Franco was ranked as the top prospect of the international class for 2017. A switch-hitting shortstop with a rich history of baseball in his family tree, the Rays looked forward to having him join the fold, and Franco has not disappointed.
After he excelled in extended spring training, the Rays aggressively assigned Franco to the Appalachian League, skipping the Gulf Coast League. That’s a move they have rarely, if ever, done with an international prospect as young as Franco.