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Wander Franco 2020 Outlook: Could be Better than Tatis Jr., Guerrero Jr.
5 years agoIt’s possible that we should be looking at Wander Franco as more of a 2021 add but hear us out. He’s the best prospect in baseball at the age of 18 (He turns 19 in March) and other publications are slapping a 65 or 70 grade (20-80 scouting scale) on his hit tool, although we tend to lean more towards a 70-75. This is a teenager that hit .339 in half a season at High-A ball after having no issues with Low-A ball. He posted an on-base average above .400 thanks to a BB-K of 26-15 in 52 games. That kind of maturity at the plate is extremely rare and is even a hair better than Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s at the same age/level. Franco will no doubt open 2020 in Double-A and his hitting skills should allow for a seamless transition. The young infielder does have some things to work on. He needs to get better at base running in hopes of taking advantage of his above-average speed. He was caught 14 times in 32 attempts in 2019. As well, his power is not as advanced at the same age as Guerrero Jr. and Fernando Tatis Jr., but he has the raw power to eventually hit more than 20 home runs. Franco could be in Triple-A after 150 at-bats in Double-A and push for a big-league promotion not long after.
