MLB Rising Star Wander Franco Cops New Mercedes, $20k Iced-Out Steering Wheel

You've heard of iced-out chains, watches and teeth ... but how about a freakin' iced-out STEERING WHEEL!?!

MLB rising superstar Wander Franco -- the former top prospect in baseball -- is bringing new meaning to car customization ... by copping a brand new Mercedes Benz AMG GLE 53 -- with a steering wheel decked out in diamonds!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the Tampa Bay Rays shortstop wanted a one-of-a-kind whip, so he put together a team of specialists to personalize the Benz from top to bottom.

We're told Wander used the Auto Spa to do the all-white interior featuring his "El Patron" nickname ... which came with a $100k price tag.

On top of that, Franco's business partner, Nick Drbal, took it one step further with the steering wheel -- done by Gabriel The Jeweler -- to make the car extra special.

Including the cost of the car, the whole project was $235k.

"Wander is the biggest car enthusiast I’ve met," Drbal tells us. "He has every car possible right now. When he said he wanted something different, we had to get clever."

"So, why not ice-out a steering wheel?"

Hey, when you got money, ya can't argue with that logic. Franco signed a $3.825 million deal to join the Rays back in 2017 ... and is set to make a TON more throughout his career.