Franco headlines int’l crop as showcase season underway

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Wander Samuel Franco began the 60-yard sprint down the first-base line at Estadio Quisqueya and toward his big league dream early Tuesday morning with a quick first step.

The 15-year-old’s hands chopped through the air at his side. His cleats crunched the infield dirt beneath him and the brutal sun beat down from above. Scouts with big floppy hats and long-sleeved shirts with stopwatches waited for him at the finish line in the outfield grass.

The switch-hitting shortstop with superb hands, a smooth swing and a long list of professional ballplayers in his family is arguably the top international prospect in the 2017-18 class.

Now, the race to sign Franco when he becomes eligible next summer has shifted to the next gear.

Welcome to showcase season across Latin America, the time of the year when players such as Franco show off all of their skills in front of a large group scouts in a single setting in the hopes of landing a big league deal.

“I feel very fortunate to be in this position and I’m going to keep working hard,” Franco said in Spanish. “I know I can get better and I’m not satisfied. My goal is to make it to the Major Leagues.”

Remember this name: Wander Samuel Franco. Some believe the Dominican teen is the top player in int’l class of 2017 pic.twitter.com/QxqhwrV09X

— Jesse Sanchez (@JesseSanchezMLB) September 7, 2016

Remember this name: Wander Samuel Franco. Some believe the Dominican teen is the top player in int’l class of 2017 pic.twitter.com/QxqhwrV09X

The teenager has speed — a 6.8-second 60-yard run — and baseball history on his side. Franco is the nephew of Tigers shortstop Erick Aybar. His oldest brother, Wander Javier Franco, 21, is a Minor Leaguer for Kansas City, and his second-oldest brother, Wander Alexander Franco, 19, is a Minor Leaguer in the Houston organization. Franco’s father, also named Wander, also played professionally.

“You have to really nit-pick at his game to find flaws,” said one National League team’s international director of Franco. “Maybe he ends up at second base because of his arm? Maybe his lower body could be better? He’s legit and there are a lot of reasons to like him. I can see why he would be on the top of the class.”

Franco’s soft hands have been compared to Omar Vizquel’s and Ozzie Smith’s, but some critics question the teen’s technique and approach on routine plays that don’t require all of the flash.

There’s also the understanding that Franco is just 15, meaning he will improve once he enters a team’s academy after he signs next summer, and every team would sign him if it could.

“God reached down and touched those hands,” one American League team’s international director said. “Guys with hands like that usually end up in the big leagues. If somebody tells you that they signed Vizquel or Ozzie because they thought they were going to hit in the big leagues, well, that’s just revisionist history.”

Players to watch for July 2, 2017 Player Pos. Country Diowill Burgos OF DR Stir Candelario OF DR Johnny David OF DR Larry Ernesto OF DR Daniel Flores C Venezuela Wander Franco SS DR Luis Garcia SS DR Leonardo Jimenez SS Panama Jelfry Marte SS …

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