PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. _ Wander Franco has done some amazing things on the baseball field in just two seasons in the low minors to be knighted the game's top overall top prospect.
But his repeatedly stated goal of getting to the majors as a teenager, which would mean by the end of this season, still seemed hard to believe.
Maybe not.
Rays general Erik Neander said Wednesday a lot of what you'd expect about focusing on Franco's long-term and overall development, making sure they do what's best for the switch-hitting shortstop and not forcing anything by rushing him.
And then he said this:
"If he picks up where he left off last year, I don't know where that'll lead, but it's conceivable to think that there's conversations to be had there deep into this season."
Franco, who turns 19 on March 1, starred at two Class A levels in 2019, starting with Bowling Green then in late June moving up to Charlotte.
He hit .327 between the two, with nine homers, 53 RBIs, 18 steals and an .885 OPS in 114 games, showing the advanced bat-to-ball skills. More impressively, he walked 56 times and struck out only 35, illustrative of his mature approach at the plate.
Franco seems likely to head to Double-A Montgomery to start the season. Though he has played well at shortstop and wants to stay there, the Rays could move him around the field a bit, which could help prepare him for a potential late-season role. It's also possible he will get to play in some major-league exhibitions this spring.
Here's what else Neander said about what they're looking for from Franco for now:
"To continue to progress in all aspects of the things you need to do to develop to be a major _ league player, and a long-standing major-league player.
"The talent is visible. There aren't many guys across baseball that possess the talent that has. And it's on us to make sure that as he continues to develop and mature that he's fully ready to go when he hits the big stage and he hits our major-league club. He's done a wonderful job so far of progressing at a really quick rate, and a rate that we haven't seen all too often.
"We're not going to force anything. We're not going to throw any additional expectations on him. We just want to make sure that we do right by him, progress him in all aspects of his development as best as we can, and prepare him for one day being a major-league player."
