Stock up, stock down at Rays spring training

By Jimmy Goodman

Mar 21, 2021

BRADENTON, FLORIDA - MARCH 17: Austin Meadows #17 of the Tampa Bay Rays runs home after hitting a two-run home run off of Mitch Keller of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the third inning of a spring training game on March 17, 2021 at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /

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FORT MYERS, FLORIDA – MARCH 12: Wander Franco #5 of the Tampa Bay Rays bats against the Boston Red Sox in a spring training game at JetBlue Park at Fenway South on March 12, 2021 in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

Stock Down: Wander Franco

Of course, saying that Wander Franco’s stock has dropped comes with a decent amount of tongue-in-cheek sentiment. Wander is still, obviously, the best prospect in baseball and will eventually debut in the MLB as the league and sport’s newest wunderkind.

This being said, any thoughts of Franco opening the season with the Rays have been officially thrown out the window and in 26 plate appearances he might have done more to push back his debut than move it forward.

Carrying a .566 OPS and striking out five times, Wander often did well to make good contact but overall looked like someone who could benefit greatly from more high minors experience.

Franco did, however, give a magnificent glimpse into what the future might hold.

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