The Rays have had a charmed first month of the 2023 season, and plays like the one Wander Franco made against the Astros on Monday are what’s fueled such a dominant start.
With a 6–3 lead in the top of the fifth inning, Houston catcher Martín Maldonado lifted a ball down the left field line in foul territory. Franco covered a ton of ground and got himself in position to make the play, but overran it by a step or two. When his backhanded reach fell short, he resorted to his bare right hand to make the highlight-reel haul.
OH MY, WANDER FRANCO ‼️
— SI MLB (@si_mlb) April 25, 2023
(via @RaysBaseball)pic.twitter.com/r2xxIY7mt5
It has been that sort of April for Tampa Bay, who won their first 13 games of the season and entered play on Monday with a league-best 19–3 record. The Rays are particularly stingy at home, with a 13–0 mark at Tropicana Field.
Franco is one of many Rays enjoying blistering starts to the 2023 campaign. The former top prospect burst onto the scene with a strong rookie year in ’21, then took a relative step backward last year while dealing with injuries. It’s safe to say that the 22-year-old is back on track to stardom, with a .908 OPS entering Monday’s game and the ability to make these types of defensive web gems.
Can you call it a web gem if you don’t actually use a glove? Perhaps not, but it was a phenomenal play nonetheless.
