{"id":13558,"date":"2019-08-10T09:17:37","date_gmt":"2019-08-10T14:17:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.prospects1500.com\/?p=13558"},"modified":"2020-05-03T18:57:32","modified_gmt":"2020-05-03T23:57:32","slug":"at-the-ballpark-notes-wander-franco-forrest-whitley-grayson-rodriguez-nolan-gorman-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.prospects1500.com\/milb\/at-the-ballpark-notes-wander-franco-forrest-whitley-grayson-rodriguez-nolan-gorman-and-more\/","title":{"rendered":"At the Ballpark Notes: Wander Franco, Forrest Whitley, Grayson Rodriguez, Nolan Gorman and more"},"content":{"rendered":"

A couple weeks ago I took a break from my usual schedule of covering South Atlantic League prospects and I went down to South Florida for some Florida State League action. The main attraction, currently, in the FSL is Wander Franco<\/a>, as most of you are probably aware, so I was sure to make him the centerpiece of this trip. I caught two games of Wander and the Charlotte Stone Crabs as they took on the Mets\u2019 High-A affiliate in Port St. Lucie, Florida. After that I was able to see Forrest Whitley<\/a>\u2019s second rehab start in the Gulf Coast League, followed by another FSL game that night in Jupiter between the Hammerheads (Marlins A+) and the Palm Beach Cardinals (Cardinals A+). Below is what\u2019s in my notebook from those games along with my report on Orioles RHP Grayson Rodriguez<\/a> from earlier last month. For Wander Franco, I decided to go more in depth than my usual reports, so you will notice the difference in length of that one.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Wander Franco<\/a>
\n<\/span>Position – SS
\n<\/span>Dates Seen – 7\/17 and 7\/18 in Port St. Lucie
\n<\/span>Height – 5\u201910\u201d
\n<\/span>Weight – 189 lbs
\n<\/span>Level – Class A-Advanced<\/span><\/p>\n

Wander Franco is an incredibly special talent. He is the complete package, essentially everything a team is looking for in a franchise cornerstone player. Franco signed with the Rays in July of 2017, out of Bani, Dominican Republic. He was highly regarded as one of the top prospects in that international class. Last year he burst onto the minor league baseball scene with the Princeton Rays of the Appalachian League, slashing .351\/.418\/.587. He has continued that success in 2019 between Low-A and High-A, hitting .329\/.404\/.514. in 383 plate appearances.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wander Franco is not a tall guy, listed at 5\u201910\u201d, but he has a compact frame and a very muscular upper body. His body resembles that of Luis Urias<\/a>, but with a bit more strength. There isn\u2019t much room for him to fill out so I would say what you see is what you are going to get at this point as far as projection goes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before I get into all the great things I have to say about Wander I will touch on the one thing that concerned me in my two games of watching him. His arm is not great at shortstop. He had some issues reaching the first baseman consistently. This showed a few times during the games I saw while making throws from various spots on the field, especially when moving backward.\u00a0This is something I will continue to look into going forward. If the look I got at Franco\u2019s arm is representative of his actual arm strength then a move to second base in the future may be imminent.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now that I got that part over with, Wander Franco is amazing. He has special talent and a skill level that doesn\u2019t come around often. His hands are insane, he is very skilled with the bat, and you won\u2019t see him swing and miss often. He controls the barrel very well and can hit any pitch hard wherever he wants it to go. He has a great eye and doesn\u2019t often swing at bad pitches. However, when he does chase one out of the zone, he will probably find a way to foul it off. Franco is a switch-hitter but I was only able to see him from the left side during the games. I haven\u2019t seen every top prospect live, but Wander Franco probably has the best hit tool of any current minor leaguer that I\u2019ve seen in person.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wander begins in a slightly open stance with his front heel hovering a few inches above the ground. As the pitcher begins his motion toward home plate, he lowers his hands to about chest-level with his bat sitting at around a 75\u00b0 angle behind his head. Franco utilizes a high leg kick, lifting his knee up to just around his waistline. This is the point where the magic happens. As Wander\u2019s leg begins its descent, the hands get to work. His thunderous bat whip along with tremendous momentum and torque and his aforementioned barrel control skills all contribute to his sky high offensive potential. There is unlimited possibility for what this kid can become as a major league hitter, regardless of the fact that he\u2019s only listed at 5\u201910\u201d, 189\u00a0lbs.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Rays SS Wander Franco (#1 prospect in baseball?) works the count and takes an outside pitch into left field #Rays<\/a> #Prospects<\/a> #WanderFranco<\/a> #MiLB<\/a> #FSL<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/ysgZSJyq4n<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Owen (@CountryRoads277) July 18, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n