With negotiations between Major League Baseball and the Players Association remaining at a standstill for the time being, outlets like MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM have spent this time creating their lists of the top ten players at their positions in the field. Tuesday found them talking shortstops, and of course Rays phenom Wander Franco was sure to make the list. However, the surprise may be just where on the list he fell.
According to the hosts on the channel, the 20-year-old finds himself seventh on the list going into 2022, which is headed by San Diego’s Fernando Tatis Jr.
Who is the BEST of the BEST for 2022? #MLBNRTopTen
Agree? Disagree? Let’s hear it — pic.twitter.com/Kg89YD0CvQ
— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) January 11, 2022
And it’s not surprising that Rays fans on social media think that placement is a tad low.
number 7 on this list being slept on (if its even possible to be slept on as a #1 prospect) https://t.co/LTH0o2hJYD
— patrick (@ggstoneforge) January 11, 2022
In what world is Bichette and Bogaerts better than Wander
— Derek Shaw (@tbsports33) January 11, 2022
Franco, who finished third in American League Rookie of the Year voting despite having played just 70 games, then signed a massive 11-year, $182 contract with the Rays, is going into his first full big-league season with the club in 2022.
Steve Carney is the founder and publisher of St. Pete Nine. One of the people most associated with baseball coverage in Tampa Bay, he spent 13 seasons covering the Rays for flagship radio station WDAE, first as producer of Rays Radio broadcasts, then as beat reporter beginning in 2011. He likes new analytics and aged bourbon, and is the owner of one of the ugliest knuckleballs ever witnessed by baseball scouts.
