| Julio Franco | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Franco with the New York Mets in 2007 | |
| Infielder /Designated hitter | |
| Born: (1958-08-23)August 23, 1958 (age 67) Hato Mayor del Rey,Dominican Republic | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| Professional debut | |
| MLB: April 23, 1982, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
| NPB: April 1, 1995, for the Chiba Lotte Marines | |
| Last appearance | |
| NPB: October 11, 1998, for the Chiba Lotte Marines | |
| MLB: September 17, 2007, for the Atlanta Braves | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .298 |
| Hits | 2,586 |
| Home runs | 173 |
| Runs batted in | 1,194 |
| NPB statistics | |
| Batting average | .298 |
| Home runs | 28 |
| Runs batted in | 135 |
| KBO statistics | |
| Batting average | .327 |
| Home runs | 22 |
| Runs batted in | 110 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
MLB
NPB
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Julio César Franco Robles (born August 23, 1958)[1][note 1] is aDominican former professionalbaseball infielder andcoach. He spent most of his playing career inMajor League Baseball (MLB), entering the major leagues in1982 and last appearing in2007, at which time he was the oldest active big league player. During that stretch, Franco also spent two seasons playing inNippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and one season playing in the KBO.
While Franco was an All-Star and posted above-average hitting statistics throughout his career, he is best known for being the oldest regular position player in MLB history and the oldest player to hit a home run in Major League history, having hit his last home run on May 4, 2007 at 48 years and 254 days old.[2] Franco was the all-time hits leader among Dominican-born players until surpassed in 2011 byVladimir Guerrero. He made his MLB debut as ashortstop for thePhiladelphia Phillies. During his long career, Franco saw significant time as a shortstop,second baseman,first baseman, anddesignated hitter. At the time of his final game, he was the last MLB player born in the 1950s.
Franco was born inHato Mayor in the Dominican Republic. As a child, he lived inConsuelo, San Pedro de Macorís, a poor municipality 50 miles east ofSanto Domingo.[3] He attended Divine Providence School in Consuelo.[4]
Signed by the Philadelphia Phillies organization on April 23, 1978, as an amateur free agent, Franco reported to the Rookie-levelButte Copper Kings. In each of five minor league seasons, he hit for abatting average of at least .300. Franco was promoted through the Philadelphia minor league system each year, reaching the Class AAAOklahoma City 89ers in 1982 and batting .300 and hitting 21 home runs in 120 games.[5]
Franco debuted in the major leagues in 1982, playing 16 games with thePhillies. He was one of five Phillies along withManny Trillo,George Vukovich,Jerry Willard andJay Baller who were traded to theCleveland Indians forVon Hayes at theWinter Meetings on December 9, 1982.[6]
1983 was Franco's first full season in the majors. In 149 games, he batted .273 with 153 hits.[7] He finished second inAL Rookie of the Year voting, trailing onlyRon Kittle.[8]
In June 1986, Franco received a two-game suspension from the Indians after he arrived at the ballpark but then left before the game started. Indians managerPat Corrales said that Franco left due to a personal problem, but he said that Franco had left without permission and that he had already been given a warning after missing a game in 1985.[9]
Franco hit over .300 in every season from 1986 to 1989. He also averaged over 20stolen bases per season from 1983 through 1991. When he switched from shortstop tosecond base in 1988, he won four straightSilver Slugger Awards. Franco batted with a long whip-like swing with the heaviest bat allowed. Because of his batting style, Franco twice led theAmerican League in grounding intodouble plays and was in the top-ten in that category seven times in the 1980s. He is seventh on the all-time list in ground-ball double plays and has just over 300.[10]
In December 1988, during baseball'sWinter Meetings, Franco was traded from Cleveland to theTexas Rangers, who were in need of an everyday second baseman. The Rangers gave up first basemanPete O'Brien, and two prospects,Oddibe McDowell andJerry Browne. The Rangers had acquired first basemanRafael Palmeiro the day before, andThe New York Times said that the Rangers' lineup might allow Franco to bat fifth, a batting order slot that could increase his number ofruns batted in (RBI).[11]
With Texas, Franco was named to all three of hisAll-Star teams: in 1989, 1990 and 1991, and he won theMajor League Baseball All-Star Game MVP Award in 1990. In the 1990 All-Star game, Franco came to bat in the 7th inning againstRob Dibble of theCincinnati Reds. Franco drove a 101 mphfastball to the right-center field fence for adouble, scoring the only runs of the game.
In 1991, Franco had his only 200-hit season and won theAmerican Leaguebatting title. His Major League-leading .341 average was nine points higher than that of futureBaseball Hall of Fame memberWade Boggs.[12] A 1992 knee injury limited him to 33 games that season and fundamentally ended Franco's time as a middle infielder, playing only 35 more games at 2B the remainder of his career.[13] Franco later said that the injury helped him to realize the importance of taking care of his physical condition.[14] He spent 1993 as a designated hitter before opting to become afree agent and signing with theChicago White Sox.
In 1994, as a member of the Chicago White Sox, Franco had already hit 20home runs for the only time in his career and was on pace to reach 100runs batted in for the only time in his career when the remainder of the season was canceled by the1994–95 Major League Baseball strike. Franco went on to win his fifth Silver Slugger Award and first as aDesignated hitter. On December 28, 1994, Franco signed to play in Japan with theChiba Lotte Marines in thePacific League. Franco would win the Japanese equivalents of theAll-MLB First Team andGold Glove awards playing first base for the Marines in 1995.
After the 1995 season in Japan, Franco signed with the Cleveland Indians and he was once again a fan favorite. In 1996, he batted .322 with 76 RBIs even in an injury-shortened season, and played in his first postseason. Early in the 1997 season, Franco hit a hard line drive back to the pitcher's mound which struckDetroit Tigers pitcherWillie Blair; the pitcher missed four weeks of the season with abroken jaw.[15] In August 1997, the Indians released Franco. He quickly signed with theMilwaukee Brewers.
In 1998, Franco was back in Japan playing for Chiba Lotte. The following year, he returned to North America, in theMexican League with a .423 average in 93 games (and also astrikeout in his only MLBat bat with theTampa Bay Devil Rays). In 2000, Franco was back in Asia but, this time, inSouth Korea to play for theSamsung Lions. He returned again to the Mexican League in 2001.
In September 2001, Franco was a 43-year-old who had just one major league at bat in the previous three seasons. Despite his lengthy absence, theAtlanta Braves, after seeing his success in the Mexican League, purchased his contract from theAngelopolis (Mexico City) Tigers. Franco played well defensively as a first baseman and was a good hitter against left-handedpitchers. The Braves re-signed him after that season and each of the next three.
Franco was talking in the weight room in August 2003 withJason Marquis, when he leaned on a stand and an 80-pound weight rolled over his finger, breaking it. "When the weight started to roll," Franco said, "I said, 'Uh-oh.'"[16]
In 2004, Franco passedCap Anson as the oldest regularly playing position player in MLB history. (A few regularly playing pitchers, includingknuckleballersPhil Niekro andHoyt Wilhelm, were older than Franco, and Leroy “Satchel” Paige was reportedly 57, and a few non-pitchers, likeMinnie Miñoso andJim O'Rourke, appeared as publicity stunts at old ages but did not play regularly.)
On December 8, 2005, at age 47, Franco signed a two-year contract with the Mets.
Franco had been theoldest player in the major leagues from 2004 to 2007, and was the last active player who was born in the 1950s. On April 20, 2006, pinch-hitting with one out in the eighth inning against theSan Diego Padres, Franco hit a go-ahead two-run home run, becoming the oldest player in Major League history to hit a home run. Franco hit a three-run homer on September 30, 2006, in Washington to extend his own record. It was one of three hits in the game for Franco, who fell a triple short of hitting for the cycle. Franco yet again bested himself on May 4, 2007, when he homered into the swimming pool atChase Field againstArizona Diamondbacks leftyRandy Johnson — a game in which he also stole a base.
Franco was also the oldest player ever to hit agrand slam, apinch-hit home run, two home runs in one game, and to steal two bases in a game. On April 26, 2006, Franco became the second-oldest man in MLB history to steal a base, behind onlyArlie Latham, who accomplished the feat in a token appearance at age 49 with theNew York Giants in 1909. On July 29, 2006, against the Atlanta Braves, Franco became the oldest player ever to pinch run, when he came in forCarlos Delgado after Delgado washit by pitch. On September 19, 2006, a day after the Mets clinched the division title, Franco started atthird base in a game against theFlorida Marlins. This was Franco's first start at the position since his rookie year, marking 24 years between starts at the position.[17]
Franco struggled with the Mets in 2007, achieving just a .200batting average (in only 50 at-bats in half a season). Franco grew unhappy with insufficient playing time before being designated for assignment on July 12.[18] He subsequently re-signed with theAtlanta Braves on July 18 and was placed on the team's active roster. In his first game since re-signing with the Braves, he went 1-for-3 with two RBIs and received two standing ovations in a Braves 10–1 rout of the Cardinals. On August 1, just 13 days after the Braves signed him, the Braves designated Franco for assignment after the team acquiredMark Teixeira from theTexas Rangers. He accepted a minor league assignment on August 8 and was called back up as promised on September 1.
Franco declared free agency on October 29, 2007. Franco began the 2008 season — his 31st in professional baseball — as a first baseman for the Tigres de Quintana Roo (Cancún) in theMexican League.[19]
On May 2, 2008, Franco officially announced his retirement from baseball to his Mexican League team, the Quintana Roo Tigers. An official announcement was released the next day. Franco said that retiring was the hardest decision he had ever made, but he pointed to his decreasing production as a player and said that he felt like it was time to retire.[20]
Franco was hired in March 2009 as the manager of the rookie-levelGulf Coast League Mets.[21] In Franco's only season managing the team, they posted a record of 22 wins and 34 losses.[5] In 2010–2011, Franco managed a winter league team, theCaribes de Anzoátegui, in theVenezuelan Professional Baseball League. He led the team to its first league championship in 20 years. He returned to the team the following season, but he was fired after the team started with a 28–28win–loss record.[22] Soon thereafter, Franco was hired as the manager of thePericos de Puebla for the 2012 Mexican League season.[23] In two seasons with Puebla, he led the team to 110 wins and 104 losses.[5]
Franco appeared on theBaseball Hall of Fame ballot in 2013. Paul White ofUSA Today wrote that while Franco was a consistent player over a long career, he was rarely dominant. White wrote that Franco's statistics were inferior to other Baseball Hall of Fame second basemen.[24] Franco received six Hall of Fame votes (1.1% of the total ballots), an insufficient total to appear on the next year's ballot.[25]
On May 16, 2014, theFort Worth Cats ofUnited League Baseball announced that Franco had been signed for the 2014 season.[26][better source needed] He went 6-for-27 in seven games.[27]
On February 8, 2015,Ishikawa Million Stars of the professional JapaneseIndependent baseball leagueBaseball Challenge League announced that Franco had been signed as a player-manager for the 2015 season.[27][28] Franco said that he did not think he would appear often as a player, but 14 games into the season, Franco had played in ten games owing to an injury to a key player.[29]
Franco was part of the coaching staff for theLotte Giants of the KBO League from 2016–2020.[30]
On February 5, 2022, Franco returned to theMexican League as he was named hitting coach of theAcereros de Monclova.[31]
In 2,527 games over 23 major league seasons, Franco posted a .298batting average (2,586-for-8,677) with 1,285runs, 407doubles, 54triples, 173home runs, 1,194RBI, 281stolen bases, 917bases on balls, .365on-base percentage and .417slugging percentage. He finished his career with a .978fielding percentage playing primarily at shortstop, second and first base. In 31 postseason games, he batted .224 (22-for-98) with nine runs, two home runs, six RBI and six walks.[4]
Franco is a practicing Christian. In a 2005 interview with theBaptist Press, he said, "I’ve been a Christian for 15 years," and added, "I want to play until I’m 50 years old. I know that my body is the temple of theHoly Spirit and I want to keep my body healthy. I believe the key to that is discipline and obedience.”[36]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
| Awards and achievements | ||
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| Preceded by | Oldest Player in the National League 2004–2007 | Succeeded by |