Rays star Franco pranked after parking in wrong space

Posted March 18, 2022 7:00 am

The Associated Press

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (AP) - Young Tampa Bay Rays star Wander Franco has a big new contract and a promising future.

What the 21-year-old shortstop doesn't have is permission to park in a spot reserved for one of his bosses without becoming the subject of a light-hearted spring training prank.

When Rays baseball operations president Erik Neander arrived for work at Charlotte Sports Park on Friday, he found his parking space occupied by a Range Rover driven by Franco, who signed a $182 million deal after helping Tampa Bay reach the playoffs as a rookie last season.

Players were stretching on the main field at the club's spring training base, preparing for batting practice when Franco's vehicle slowly rolled to a resting spot in the outfield - without the surprised Franco behind the wheel.

Manager Kevin Cash, who was in on planning the fun, joked that the Ranger Rover was going to be used for target practice.

A smiling Franco apologized, then exchanged a hug with Neander. His car was moved back to the parking lot - into a space set aside for team owner Stuart Sternberg.

More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Article Comments

Article Categories
Baseball Content Providers MLB Pro Sports Sports Sports Leagues Sports Types

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.