PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — The first thing you notice, up close to Wander Franco, is a tattoo of the Major League Baseball logo on the left side of his neck. Franco already had it last June 22, when he made his debut for the Tampa Bay Rays, as if he was pre-certified for stardom. Over the winter, he got the date inked above the emblem.
Consider it a handy reminder — thousands of times across the next 11 seasons, the Rays hope — of Franco’s self-confidence and the way he backed it up that very first night. He fouled off the first two pitches he saw, then drew a walk.