Durham Bulls Wander Franco Joe Scurto reporter Spectacular Magazine
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Franco and Brujan Combine for Seven RBI in 14-3 Victory

Joe Scurto

DURHAM – The Tampa Bay Rays top two prospects in Wander Franco and Vidal Brujan have proved their promise so far early on. The Durham Bulls (7-4) secured a dominant 14-3 victory over the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (7-4) on Saturday night, with the offense clicking on all cylinders. They cashed in 14 runs off 15 hits, and the two were responsible for half of the Bulls 14 runs.

The night’s highlight was credited to a Franco grand slam smashed to centerfield in the bottom of the second inning. The homer put his club up 5-0, ending the contest before it even started.

Brujan responded in the later stages in the bottom half of the eighth inning by delivering a homer of his own. The organization’s second-ranked prospect belted a three-run dinger to left-centerfield to conclude the Bulls scoring surge to bring the ballgame to 14-3.

Both Franco and Brujan have been critical factors to the offensive play throughout the first 12 games. The Bulls have posted a combined 78 runs in 2021, suitable for the second-most in all of AAA.

Franco is currently batting .293 with three homers, ten RBI, and nine runs scored. Brujan, on the other hand, has been arguably the best hitter in the league thus far. His five home runs qualify for the second-most out of any hitter, and he is also batting an impressive .375 to go along with 12 RBI which is the fourth most, and 12 runs scored.

The red hot start has inflated their career statistics at the minor league level. Franco and Brujan are only making more of a case to Rays manager Kevin Cash that they are practically ready to advance to the next level. In 708 career at-bats, Franco has slashed for a .303 average with 23 bombs, 120 RBI, and has swiped 23 bags. For the 23-year-old Brujan, he now supports a .296 average with 24 homers, 153 RBI, and 154 stolen bases in 1,596 career at-bats.

With the Bulls two-headed monster batting at the top of their lineup, it will be challenging for any pitcher to keep these young studs in check. It is not only their offensive play, but their versatility in the field has been extremely valuable. Franco has received starts at shortstop, second base, and third base this season, and Brujan, who came up as a middle infielder, has spent most of his time handling center field duties.

Manager Brady Williams has to be no less than thrilled with the strong production from Franco and Brujan. If they remain in the minors, the Bulls should compete with the best of them throughout the 2021 season.