January 4, 2022

Wander Franco turned heads with a record-setting 43-game on-base streak at age 20 in his rookie campaign, and his season wasn't bad either with a .288/.347/.463 line with seven homers across 306 PAs. He was even better at Triple-A, slashing .313/.372/.583 with seven homers and five steals in 180 PAs. His signature skill was his plate discipline, where his 7.8 BB% and 12 K% would stand out even if he wasn't 20 years old. Nobody offers more raw upside than Franco, but fantasy managers should be aware that he'll need to grow a little to justify his 54.12 ADP in our game. His 8.3% HR/FB backed by 92.6 mph of average airborne exit velocity and a below-average 4.9% rate of Brls/BBE suggests that he cannot consistently access his raw power in games yet. His .414 xSLG was nearly 50 points below his actual mark as well. Likewise, his stolen base potential could be limited by a history of bad success rates on the farm and the analytical organization he plays for. Franco's batting average is real and he is projected to occupy an important slot in Tampa's batting order, so he still offers a reasonable floor. His draft position is full of guys with tantalizing upside but questions of their own (Francisco Lindor 49.91 ADP, Tyler O'Neill 50.52 ADP, Austin Riley 54.17 ADP, Adalberto Mondesi 55.04 ADP), so Franco is probably a fair value at his current cost.--Rick Lucks - RotoBaller