Jude Magnotti ‘26
EE Sports Columnist
The MLB is without a doubt the absolute highest level of professional baseball. Most kids spend years upon years of their life hoping that they will one day be good enough to make it to the show. The ones who are lucky enough to cross that gap put themselves and their family in a position of wealth and success for years to come. However, no matter how talented a player may be, these players are still humans, and humans (if you did not already know) can make extremely bad decisions.
Such was the case with Wander Franco, a budding star on the Tampa Bay Rays who is now facing serious criminal charges of sexual and psychological abuse of minors. Before you read on I will warn you that the charges in this matter are heavy, but I am simply reporting on the facts and nothing more.
To understand this predicament, we must first understand who Wander Franco is. Franco was born and grew up in Bani in the Dominican Republic. He dropped out of school early on to start training to become a professional athlete and was on an intense training regiment from the time he was six years old. In 2017, he signed with the Tampa Bay Rays minor league teams and sky rocketed up the rotation. After being named Appalachian player of the year, Franco was ranked as the number 1 prospect in the 2020 class.
Although he left the minor leagues in 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Franco was eventually called up by the Rays in 2021 for their playoff series against the Boston Red Sox. Not only did he show out in the series, he was rewarded with a 11 year 182 million dollars extension making him the youngest player in baseball history to sign a contract for 100 million dollars at just 20 years old.
Despite multiple injury setbacks, Franco continued to provide constant production to what could be an often stagnant Rays offense and was named to his first all star team in 2023. Unfortunately for Franco, this is where things all started to fall apart.
In August of 2023, Franco was accused of allegedly beginning an inappropriate relationship with a minor in his home country of the Dominican Republic. Shortly after, he was then placed on administrative leave by the Rays and has not made his return since.
The accuser, 14 year old Loredana Chevalier, alleged that her mother and Franco had been involved in a plot that led to sexual and psychological abuse by Franco on to her. In leaked text messages on whatsapp, Franco states how his relationship with her could cost him everything, but it was worth it.
While some of Franco’s original charges were reduced and it appears that he is getting closer to freedom, Franco’s problems are still very much far from over. Even if he is found innocent, the MLB has an extremely strict policy on abuse and sex crimes.
Now, the 182 million dollar contract that was once a promise of a better life for him and his family is completely up in the air depending on what the MLB does after Franco’s case is over. The unfortunate reality for a player like Franco is that his life and career will never be the same.
Once again, even if he is found innocent, his future in professional baseball is very much in doubt. He could lose his contract, his place on the team, and could even be suspended indefinitely if the MLB sees it fit.
A young man that was once labeled “The Hottest commodity in baseball” has now hit complete rock bottom and has nowhere else to go. At 23 years old, Franco had a whole career ahead of him filled with promise and prosperity. He should be putting on a suit to get ready for the world series, not for a court date.
Whatever happens in this unfortunate situation, Franco’s story will be viewed not just as a tragic tale of a once great athlete’s fall from grace, but as warning to other players as to the importance of their careers. Some players believe that once they have made it to the MLB there is nothing anyone can do to take it away from them. Unfortunately, that could not be more wrong. All it takes is one slip up, one wild night out, or one stupid mistake for a player’s career to end faster than they can blink.
In a perfect world, we would never have to see a situation like Wander Franco’s. Nevertheless, the world is not perfect and humans especially are not perfect. Players will keep making mistakes, will keep screwing up, and will keep throwing away their careers all for nothing. All we can do is sit and hope that talent like Francos is given a chance to grow and not shut down by the immature antics of a once promising young athlete.
Photo courtesy: Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images