The buzz surrounding Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is awfully high, and deservedly so. But it turns out the young slugger might not even be the best budding talent in the American League East.
Shortstop Wander Franco is beginning to make a name for himself as he climbs up the Tampa Bay Rays organization. Franco, who currently is playing for the Rays’ Class A Advanced affiliate, was named to this year’s All-Star Futures Game and currently is the top player on MLB.com’s prospect watch.
It probably will be some time until we see Franco at the big league level, but it’s never too early to play the comparison game. Check out this side-by-side put together by MLB Pipeline, which stacks up Franco’s age-18 season to Guerrero Jr.’s.
The Rays continue to exceed expectations and currently own the first American League Wild-Card spot. With a strong farm system led by Franco, Tampa Bay soon could become a force to be reckoned with in the show.
