"Why you should expect nothing from Wander Franco."

No, this is not a hot take. 

No doubt you have heard about the #1 prospect in baseball for what seems like many years now, but actually, the young shortstop is only 20 years old. Tonight, he will be joining a Rays team that just slipped into second place in the AL East and just lost Ace Tyler Glasnow. Over the past three weeks, the Rays have scored only 80 runs, batted .222, the 6th lowest in the league, and struck out 26% of the time – the fourth-most in the league. Now on a six-game losing streak, and after being swept by the lowly Seattle Mariners, the Rays are looking to be aggressive. There's simply no time to waste in this division. The Red Sox are in first, the Yankees are suddenly surging, and the Jays are .500 with an offense that has yet to add George Springer, who should be returning this week. It's time to call in the Big Guns.  

The Rays have a deep stable of prospects. You may remember a guy named Randy Arozarena that came out of nowhere and gave a masterclass in the 2020 postseason.  Shortstop Taylor Walls has already cracked the bigs this year, and Vidal Brujan probably isn't far behind.  Until now, Tampa Bay has had no reason to rush Franco to the Show, and it seems that plan could have worked as his power is catching up with his hit tool.  Look at these eye-popping stats.  The young switch-hitter has been absolutely tearing it up at Triple-A Durham. In just 39 games, the switch-hitting Franco is slashing .315/.367/.586  with eleven doubles, six triples, seven home runs, five stolen bases, and 35 RBI. During June, Franco has been slugging .686 with a 1.091 OPS, three home runs, 17 RBI, and two stolen bases.  

What's more? Franco bats over .300 from either side of the plate and you know what's even better? In Franco's last seven starts, four have been at third base. The Rays value versatility, and Franco should provide that and as a fantasy baseball manager, that's gold. 

So, what do the Rays expect?  A shot in the arm.

What should you expect?

NOTHING.

Let me explain what I mean here. Do I think Wander Franco has the skill set to be a fantasy baseball star?  Absolutely. We have been telling you to stash Franco for a few years now, but, potential and immediate big league results are two very different things. 

Remember the Vlad Guerrero, Jr. Debut? It could be easy to forget now that Guerrero is tattooing balls in every stadium in the U.S.A., but the arguably best MLB prospect of all time didn't exactly hit the ground running. In his age 20 season in the bigs, Guerrro Jr hit .272 and slugged .433 with 15 home runs and a 38% hard-hit rate over 123 games played. Not bad, but certainly not super-star numbers. In 60 games of 2020, Vlad batted only .269 with nine home runs, thirteen doubles, and a 50% hard-hit rate. Better, but still not a first-round pick. Fast-forward to 2021, and there is no doubt Guerrero Jr. is a bonafide star, arguably already a first-round pick for your 2022 fantasy baseball drafts. He's nearly doubled his walk rate, he's elevating the ball and has a 55% hard-hit rate, and he's tied for the MLB lead with 23 home runs in only 70 games played. He's a monster and is only in his third season of MLB. 

More recently, we all told you to stash Mariners Top Prospect, Jarred Kelenic, who has elite power and contact skills and a patient plate approach. In 173 minor league games, Kelenic had  29 homers and 35 stolen bases while batting .290, and In 23 plate appearances this spring, Kelenic batted .333 and slugged .778 with two home runs and three more walks than strikeouts before suffering an abductor strain in his knee. The Mariners did indeed call up Kelenic on May 14th, but Kelenic failed to live up to expectations batting a measly .096 with a .378 OPS. OUCH. Should you keep Kelenic?  I believe so. It's only a matter of time before he gets hot and the Mariners call him up again. But, should you expect Kelenic to win you your fantasy baseball league? Probably not. 

Alex Bregman was hitless in his first 17 major league at-bats. The next season, he was fifth in votes for the AL MVP. Former number one prospect Dansby Swanson has batted .300 in a season only once, and it was across only 38 games. Aaron Judge hit .179 with four home runs in his 2016 27-game debut. In 2018 he had FIFTY-TWO bombs and batted .284.

Minor league success often does not immediately translate to The Big Show. Set the bar low, be patient, and, as the saying goes, "trust the process."   

So, what should you expect from Wander Franco? Absolutely nothing.  

What could you get from Wander Franco? A fantasy baseball title.