Rays' Franco, Pirates' Baz named August 6-12 Players of the Week

REDINGTON SHORES, Fla. - Princeton Rays' shortstop Wander Franco and Bristol Pirates' pitcher Shane Baz have been named Appalachian League Players of the Week for August 6-12, as announced by Minor League Baseball Monday.

This is the second Player of the Week honor for Franco, who also earned the recognition for the week of July 9-15. Franco, Tampa Bay's no. 4 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, posted a .500 batting average over the last week, going 12-for-24 and recording a hit in each of Princeton's six games. Over that span, he tallied 11 RBI with seven runs scored, including a 3-for-5, 5 RBI performance in a 13-4 victory over Pulaski on August 7. Franco is currently on a nine-game hitting streak and has recorded an RBI in his last seven games. The 17 year old was signed by Tampa Bay as a free agent in July 2017.
Baz, the Pittsburgh Pirates' no. 4 prospect, went 1-0 in two starts from August 6-12, finishing with a no decision in the Pirates' 2-1 victory over Johnson City on August 6 before picking up the win in Bristol's August 11 victory over the Greeneville Reds. Over the two games, Baz pitched 9.2 innings without allowing a run while totaling 12 strikeouts. His 3.97 season ERA ranks fourth in the Appalachian League. Baz, 19, was the Pirates' first-round selection in the 2017 MLB Draft.