Appy notes: Rays' Franco soaks up praise

Attention is coming Wander Franco's way as the 17-year-old shortstop tears through the Appalachian League for the Princeton Rays.
He said enjoys the fact that people want to approach him and that fans want to see what all the stir is about.
"I feel good and I like it," he said after pausing to sign another autograph. "It motivates me to do my best."
So far, his best looks pretty good. He's the league batting leader (.367) through his first 45 games, while also contending for the top spot in the circuit in RBIs (tied for second with 45).

His Princeton teammates have seen how he handles this attention.
"As he moves up, it will grow and grow," said outfielder Jordan Qsar, who was third in the league in batting and home runs when he was promoted to the New York-Penn League's Hudson Valley Renegades in early August.
Franco was the No. 1 prospect in the 2017 international pool when the Rays reached a deal with the switch-hitter last summer. Tampa Bay director of Minor League operations Mitch Lukevics said there are numerous reasons to be impressed with what the teenager has done in a short time since arriving from the Dominican Republic.
"Right now, everything looks good," Lukevics said. "He's beyond his age. He has juice, has energy. … He's doing fabulous with his skill. He's learning how to play the game on a daily basis. He doesn't have the background that some of these other guys have. What he has to do is to learn to play the game."
That sort of grooming will be the key to how fast Franco is elevated through the system.
There's no rush, Lukevics said, though there will be no reason to hold him back if he proves capable of handling what's placed in front of him. After all, aside from the braces -- he flashes that dental work frequently because he's smiling so often -- Franco has few boyish features.
"When you take the hat off, he passes the face test [for 17]. His face looks 17," Lukevics said. "He has a 'now' body."
That's among the reasons Franco stands out, even among his older teammates. He's checking in at 5-foot-10 and an already well-proportioned 187 pounds.

"He's 17, and I remember when I was 17," said Qsar, who spent four college seasons in the Pepperdine program. "He's a grown man."
Franco said that hasn't happened by accident. He hears plenty about his physical maturity.
"I feel happy with that because how I worked," Franco said. "When I was younger, my father worked with me and that's why I have strength. I know because I look stronger, people say that a lot."
Franco said the season's highlight has been hitting for the cycle as part of a five-hit game in mid-July against the Pulaski Yankees. He would like a few more accomplishments before the summer ends.
"I'm having fun in Princeton," Franco said. "I'd like to win the championship and be MVP of the team."

In brief

Rapid homer clip: Pulaski Yankees first baseman Mickey Gasper homered seven times in his first 29 games. The first-year pro out of Bryant didn't homer in any of his first 16 games, then went on a tear, including five long balls during an eight-game stretch. Yet Gasper and third baseman Nelson Gomez (eight homers) have work to do to if either is going to become Pulaski's third league home run champion in a six-season span.
High level of concentration: Left-hander Marcelo Martinez of the Burlington Royals threw back-to-back gems, facing the minimum 18 batters in a rain-shortened, six-inning complete game at Pulaski and following that with six no-hit innings at Danville. In the Pulaski game, he picked off the lone Yankees player who got on base against him. The league's strikeout leader fanned a total of 22 batters in those two games. "I don't look at that. [Not trying] to get out there and strike out a guy," he said. "Every single game, I get prepared to concentrate."
Another league matter: Princeton Rays manager Danny Sheaffer has a certain interest in another of the Rookie-level leagues. His son, catcher David Sheaffer, is in his first professional season with the Seattle Mariners club in the Arizona League. "Paying attention to him, too," the elder Sheaffer said. "Now it's really hot out there in Arizona."