Former Rays star shortstop Wander Franco was convicted of sexual abuse of a minor Thursday in the Dominican Republic and received a two-year suspended prison sentence.
He will not have to serve his full sentence as long as he follows certain conditions.
Franco, 24, has been off the Rays’ active roster since the start of a 2023 investigation into social media posts alleging he was involved in an inappropriate relationship with a minor.
Fans across Tampa Bay reacted with a mix of disappointment and shock after news of the verdict was announced late Thursday.
Jim Hosier of St. Petersburg has been a Rays fan since he moved to Florida in 2018 and attended six or seven games a year when the team still played at Tropicana Field.
He said he’d been a fan of Franco’s from when he started watching games.
“He was great to watch, especially doing so well so young,” Hosier said. “And he signed that (11-year, $182 million) deal, so we knew we’d have him for a while.”
It was “discouraging,” Hosier said, to hear that the team’s once-star player had been accused of sexual abuse.
“At least this is going to bring the Rays some closure now,” he said. “I would like to see Franco go to jail for a long time.”
Peter Greeves, 46, of St. Petersburg has been to hundreds of Rays games since the team’s start in 1998. He said he and his son, Brandon, were big fans of Franco before he was taken off the roster.
“Every game, we’d be in the first row waving like crazy trying to get his attention,” Greeves said. “Brandon wanted Franco to sign his ball more than anything in the world.”
The mother of the child Franco was convicted of abusing also was on trial for money laundering and sexual exploitation. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Greeves said Franco’s sentence was “an absolute disgrace,” especially compared to the sentence the child’s mother faced.
“Justice was absolutely not served (Thursday),” Greeves said. “The guy who does the crime gets probation, but the girl’s mom gets 10 years in prison? Where’s the justice in that?”
“You do the crime you pay the fine and spend the time,” a Facebook user under the name Carol Gonzalez wrote under a Tampa Bay Rays fan account’s post on Tuesday. “And it’s a shame because I really liked him and hoped he would be proven innocent.”
“Wander Franco should have a longer sentence than two years. If you have to add a condition that he not be around minors, he should probably be off the streets,” wrote X user Randy Wilkins.
Franco also faces pending charges of illegal possession of a firearm after a November altercation he had with a man in the Dominican Republic. A trial date for those charges has not yet been set.
Even if Franco tried to return to MLB after serving his sentence, his conviction likely would keep him from being granted a visa to work in the United States.
Stay updated on Tampa Bay’s sports scene
Subscribe to our free Sports Today newsletter
We’ll send you news and analysis on the Bucs, Lightning, Rays and Florida’s college football teams every day.
You’re all signed up!
Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s get started.
Tampa Bay Times reporter Lizzy Alspach contributed to this report.