Wander Franco to play for the Dominican Republic in Olympic qualifiers

The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan are fast approaching and there has been an exciting development regarding baseball.

It was reported earlier this month that Major League Baseball would allow players on the 40-man roster, who are not on the team’s active roster, to participate in their respective country’s qualifying games that will be held later this month.

While not on the 40-man roster, one of the most exciting players that is expected to partake in the Olympic qualifiers is baseball’s top prospect: Wander Franco. The now-19-year-old Franco has dominated since entering professional baseball just two years ago, terrorizing opposing pitcher as he rapidly climbed his way through the Rays system.

Over the past two seasons, Franco has played in 175 games from Rookie Level to High-A+ and has hit .336/.405/.523 with 20 home runs over 768 plate appearances. He is expected to start the 2020 season at Double-A Montgomery.

It’s being reported that Franco will play for the Dominican Republic, along with former Major Leaguer and Devil Rays player, Jose Bautista — more often known from his time with the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Dominican Republic, along with the United States, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and Venezuela will compete over four days from March 22nd through March 26th in Tempe and Surprise, Arizona at the Americas Qualifying Event.