The Dominican player Wander Franco achieved “a break” in the accusation against him for alleged sexual abuse against a minor.
Franco, a prospect for the Tampa Rays, has just gotten the first sentence of a court that sentenced him to two years of suspended prison and 10 minimum wages to be annulled.
The decision also favored the victim’s mother, who had been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
The Court of Appeal of the Puerto Plata Court argued that there were irregularities in the initial trial, which led to the evacuation of this sentence, which in some way represents a relief for the promising shortstop, in the midst of the adverse situations that he has experienced in recent months.
The verdict suggests that this case will last a long time, because it is expected that everything would begin again, even though the accusation of the Public Ministry remains intact, whose representatives have said that they will take the case to the final consequences in the interest of achieving an “exemplary sentence” against Franco.
Furthermore, for now there is no date for the restart of the judicial process, since internal procedures must be carried out between the Court of Appeal and the new court that will hear Franco’s case.
It is very possible that the next trial will restart in the first months or in the middle of next year.
It should be clarified that this ruling does not mean in any way that Franco – and the mother of the minor involved – are safe, since in a new trial, with different judges, as has been reported, the jury could dictate a higher sentence than the previous one in the event that it finds evidence of guilt or, failing that, discharge them completely. That is, the risk remains latent.
The Tampa Rays removed Franco from the team on August 13, 2023 and still has $165.1 million remaining on his $182 million, 11-year contract, signed in 2021.
In fact, already in 2024 and 2025, the Rays withheld from Franco the sum of 10.9 million dollars that corresponded to him for each of those years. A favorable verdict in a new trial could help to a large extent so that the Floridian franchise does not definitively annul this historic pact, with which, incidentally, Franco, who by then had barely played 70 games in the Major Leagues, established a precedentsince never before had so much money been guaranteed to a player with so little experience in the Majors. We’ll see. FOR YOU TO LEARN OR REMEMBER: In the 1958-1959 season, Felipe Rojas Alou, Leones del Esgido, recorded what many consider the best offensive campaign of a player in Dominican baseball. On that occasion, the eldest Rojas Alou averaged .351, by connecting 61 hits in 170 at-bats, including 17 doubles, 5 triples and 7 home runs, driving 43 runs, scored 45 and stole 14 bases. The bell rings! Climmp!
Pie
Wander Franco
