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Tampa Bay Rays prospect Wander Franco was crowned — yet again — the top prospect in baseball by Baseball America yesterday, and the honor coincided with two separate reports on the short stop’s tools — one from BA, and another from MLB Pipeline.
Both websites gave Franco a grade of 80 for his hit tool.
Tools: Hit: 80 | Power: 60 | Run: 50 | Fielding: 55 | Arm: 50
2019 Average Exit Velo: 90
Skinny: Franco drew more walks (56) than strikeouts (35) in 114 games, proving once again that the 18-year old’s advanced approach to hitting is well beyond his years.
Scouting grades: Hit: 80 | Power: 60 | Run: 55 | Arm: 60 | Field: 50 | Overall: 70
If you were to build a hitter from scratch using all of the physical attributes and skills that have come to define great hitters, he’d probably end up looking something like Franco.
That’s a fun coincidence!
Other notes from Baseball America’s big Top-100 drop include the Rays having the most prospects on the list for the second year in a row (they would have repeated with 9 on the list if Liberatore hadn’t been traded), and these gems from BA writers on twitter:
SSs who have been No. 1 by Baseball America (JJ Cooper):
- Corey Seager (2016)
- Jurickson Profar (2013)
- Alex Rodriguez (1995)
- Chipper Jones (1993)
In 2019, Wander Franco had a swinging-strike rate of 4.3 percent.
— Josh Norris (@jnorris427) January 23, 2020
There was only one other teenager in the minors who had that low of a swinging-strike rate: Xavier Edwards. #Rays
Rays News
- Neil has a new podcast out, this time featuring... hey look at that, Wander Franco!
Whether you're on your way to work, or getting in a morning workout, catch our latest #Rays podcast with prospects Wander Franco, @RileyyOBrienn @DStroty @PSanders_14 @ruben_cardenas5 plus @TBTimes_Rays
— Neil Solondz (@neilsolondz) January 23, 2020
Listen at https://t.co/nDAFWLJrhy and on Apple podcasts.
As with all of Neil’s podcasts, you can also hear them embedded at the bottom of every article.
- FanGraphs: What will the Rays do at third base? “Look, I don’t know... the Rays are magical.”
- Prospects 1500 has a Rays prospect ranking out from a Dynasty fantasy baseball perspective
- What position will Wander Franco ultimately play? That’s in BA’s open questions follow up, as well as Q’s for Rays starting prospects Brendan McKay and Joe Ryan:
If this piece for BA subscribers doesn't tell you something you didn't already know then I haven't down my job as well as I had hoped. Some questions that face prominent Top 100 Prospects.https://t.co/Ysf6i4vDMi
— JJ Cooper (@jjcoop36) January 22, 2020
Other Links
- Old friend alert?
Fun thing: Carlos Gómez is raising hell about poor umpiring and poor clubhouse conditions in the Dominican Winter League and suggests players may strike over it. https://t.co/Gw873pVwkM
— Craig Calcaterra (@craigcalcaterra) January 23, 2020
- Old friend alert.
“I can remember even back then having conversations ... this was going to be the first GM out of Baseball Prospectus. We really were saying this 15 years ago.”
— Jen McCaffrey (@jcmccaffrey) January 23, 2020
How Chaim Bloom got his start in baseball -- as Baseball Prospectus' first internhttps://t.co/QU2v2joBdj
- Tampa local and Lightning fan Phil Hughes on going from MLB pitcher to YouTube trading-card star
- ESPN: Umps’ union clarifies use of electronics in spring
“Reports that MLB will use ‘robo-umps’ to call balls and strikes in spring training games this year are completely inaccurate. ... Our understanding is that a camera-based tracking system will be running in the background during some spring training games for technology development and training purposes. But any game in which a Major League Baseball umpire is working will have a human calling balls and strikes.”
- Baseball America presents a Top 100 Oral History
- Good news for people who like sports news:
Big fundraising news today from The Athletic! https://t.co/0wvCIT3TpP
— The Athletic HQ (@TheAthletic) January 21, 2020
- And now your moment of zen:
Without George Constanza, who knows if Derek Jeter makes the Hall of Fame?
— Cut4 (@Cut4) January 21, 2020
via @SeinfeldTV pic.twitter.com/FqUQyYjxSl