The Tampa Bay Rays recently called up Wander Franco, who’s been the consensus top prospect in baseball over the last two years. Franco made his MLB debut on Tuesday night against the Boston Red Sox and put on a show.
In Franco’s first plate appearance, he fell behind in the count 0-2. And he turned that into a walk.
Swinging at the first two pitches you seen in your career and then working a walk? This was, in all seriousness, an exciting walk to watch. pic.twitter.com/uOKB7W5D2b
— Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) June 22, 2021
Franco stepped to the plate again in the bottom of the fifth inning, and this time he showed off the power. The 20-year-old went down and got an offspeed pitch below the zone, and crushed it over the left field wall for a game-tying three-run homer.
Wander Franco has officially arrived. #MakeItMajor pic.twitter.com/6cxzPs68SU
— MLB (@MLB) June 23, 2021
And the next time up, Franco smoked a double:
Wander adds a double to his debut! pic.twitter.com/w7oeDxBT0A
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 23, 2021
Franco is even putting his defense on display:
Wander with a nifty play at third as well! pic.twitter.com/l6TgwT5Rxh
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 23, 2021
He’s the real deal, and again- he’s just 20 years old. He’s the first player in the majors to be born in 2001.
A disturbing new way to phrase trivia: Wander Franco has been alive 32 days longer than Albert Pujols has been a big leaguer
— Michael Baumann (@MichaelBaumann) June 23, 2021
The Rays entered this game 43-30, but they have a six-game losing streak. They needed a spark, so being able to call up a generational prospect is always a nice way to do that.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.