(Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
Wander Franco is a fun player.
The Tampa Bay Rays are a fun team.
On Wednesday night, Franco did something we hadn’t seen in MLB.
While fielding a grounder, he gently threw the ball up and caught it again before firing his throw to first base and get the out.
It was a “ball flip”, if you will.
As it usually happens with these types of plays, they turn out to be divisive when it comes to who loved it and who absolutely hated it.
It’s very much like the respect for unwritten rules, the fandom for advanced stats and analytics, the new rules like the pitch clock or the shift restrictions, and so on.
There is no middle ground: some people loved what Franco did and some people are criticizing it.
Chelsea Janes, a respected MLB insider, offered her take on the matter.
“No one asked for my take, but then again I didn’t ask for everyone else’s takes either: This wasn’t Game 7 and I’m fairly sure that he wouldn’t be doing this if it were. It’s a long season. He did something fun and frivolous. Everyone survived. No one’s character is at stake,” she tweeted, and she has a point.
No one asked for my take, but then again I didn’t ask for everyone else’s takes either: This wasn’t Game 7 and I’m fairly sure that he wouldn’t be doing this if it were. It’s a long season. He did something fun and frivolous. Everyone survived. No one’s character is at stake. https://t.co/ygT4iZ2NQ2
— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) May 4, 2023
He didn’t do it in a win-or-go-home game, he got the out, and he showed a little flair, and the game should always welcome flair and self-confidence.
What’s wrong with that?
There is nothing wrong with having a little fun and thinking (and acting) outside of the box every once in a while.
This applies to what Franco did and many other things that people might find disrespectful, but aren’t.
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