Tampa Bay Rays rookie Wander Franco — considered the No. 1 prospect in baseball — hit a three-run home run and doubled his MLB debut Tuesday against the Boston Red Sox.
After walking and flying out to center field in his first two plate appearances, Franco drove a first-pitch slider over the left-field wall in the bottom of the fifth inning, knotting the game at five.
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"I felt actually super-good," Franco said. "In that at-bat, I knew I was going to hit a home run."
He came up again in the seventh and ripped a two-out double to left field before grounding out in his final at-bat in the ninth.
The final tally: Two hits, two runs, three RBIs. The Rays lost 9-5 in 11 innings, with Franco in the on-deck circle as the game ended.
"Pretty electric player. I wish we would have somehow gotten a win," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "Excited for him. You never forget that big-league debut. He checked a lot of boxes tonight."
A switch hitter, Franco hit right-handed for his first four plate appearances against lefties Eduardo Rodríguez and Josh Taylor. Franco worked full counts in each of his first two trips to the plate.
His only left-handed at-bat ended with a ground out to the pitcher against Matt Barnes with the game tied in the bottom of the ninth.
The 20-year-old started at third base and hit second in the order. Franco became the first player born in the year 2001 to make his major-league debut. He's the seventh Rays player to hit a home run in his debut.
The Rays called Franco up this week after he slashed .315/.367/.586 with seven home runs, 35 RBIs and five stolen bases in 39 games at Triple-A Durham. Franco started only seven games at third base in the minor leagues before getting the nod there Tuesday.
What was it like at the Trop?
Greg Auman, Tampa Bay staff writer: The Rays couldn't pull off a magical finish, but it was an electric debut for Franco.
This wasn't the spark they hoped would end a six-game losing streak. But with the home run, a double and a gem of a double play defensively, Franco gave the Tropicana Field crowd a real glimpse of his promising future. He's only 20, and he'll be a big part of the rest of Tampa Bay's season, chasing Boston for the American League East lead.
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How Franco changes the Rays lineup
Eno Sarris, baseball analytics writer: Only the Tigers strike out more than the Rays this year, and contact still matters (it’s been shown to be particularly predictive in the postseason in the past).
No matter what Franco does power-wise — and that will determine if he’s a super star or a good player — he will make great contact thanks to a plus hit tool. So Franco means a lot to a whiff-laden lineup, and that was before his prodigious power output in his debut.
(Photo: Julio Aguilar / Getty Images)
Franco’s first hit, a home run:
Wander Franco has officially arrived. #MakeItMajor pic.twitter.com/6cxzPs68SU
— MLB (@MLB) June 23, 2021