Julio Franco
Julio Franco | |
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Infielder / Designated hitter | |
Born: Hato Mayor del Rey, Dominican Republic | August 23, 1958|
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 |
Teams | |
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Career highlights and awards | |
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Julio César Franco Robles (born August 23, 1958)[1][note 1] is a Dominican former professional baseball player and coach, who is a hitting coach for the farm team of the Lotte Giants of the KBO League. He spent most of his playing career in Major League Baseball (MLB), entering the major leagues in 1982 and last appearing in 2007, at which time he was the oldest active big league player. During that stretch, Franco also spent two seasons playing in Nippon 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. Franco was the all-time hits leader among Dominican-born players until surpassed in 2011 by Vladimir Guerrero. He made his MLB debut as a shortstop for the Philadelphia Phillies. During his long career, Franco saw significant time as a shortstop, second baseman, first baseman, and designated hitter. At the time of his final game, he was the last MLB player born in the 1950s.
Early life
Franco was born in
Career
Minor league career
Signed by the Philadelphia Phillies organization on April 23, 1978, as an amateur free agent, Franco reported to the Rookie-level
Early MLB career
Franco debuted in the major leagues in 1982, playing 16 games with the Phillies. He was one of five Phillies along with Manny Trillo, George Vukovich, Jerry Willard and Jay Baller who were traded to the Cleveland Indians for Von Hayes at the Winter Meetings on December 9, 1982.[5]
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 manager Pat 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.[6]
Franco hit over .300 in every season from 1986 to 1989. He also averaged over 20 stolen bases per season from 1983 through 1991. When he switched from shortstop to second base in 1988, he won four straight Silver Slugger Awards. Franco batted with a long whip-like swing with the heaviest bat allowed. Because of his batting style, Franco twice led the American League in grounding into double 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.[7]
In December 1988, during baseball's Winter Meetings, Franco was traded from Cleveland to the Texas Rangers, who were in need of an everyday second baseman. The Rangers gave up first baseman Pete O'Brien, and two prospects, Oddibe McDowell and Jerry Browne. The Rangers had acquired first baseman Rafael Palmeiro the day before, and The New York Times said that the Rangers' lineup might allow Franco to bat fifth, a batting order slot that could increase his number of runs batted in (RBI).[8]
With Texas, Franco was named to all three of his
In 1991, Franco had his only 200-hit season and won the
Strike and baseball abroad
In 1994, as a member of the Chicago White Sox, Franco had already hit 20
After the 1995 season in Japan, Franco signed with the Cleveland Indians, where he was 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 struck Detroit Tigers pitcher Willie Blair; the pitcher missed four weeks of the season with a broken jaw.[12] In August 1997, the Indians released Franco. He quickly signed with the Milwaukee Brewers.
In 1998, Franco was back in Japan playing for Chiba Lotte. The following year, he returned to North America, in the
Return to the majors
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, the
Franco was talking in the weight room in August 2003 with Jason 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.'"[13]
In 2004, Franco passed Cap Anson as the oldest regularly playing position player in MLB history. (A few regularly playing pitchers, including knuckleballers Phil Niekro and Hoyt Wilhelm, were older than Franco, and Leroy “Satchel” Paige was reportedly 57, and a few non-pitchers, like Minnie Miñoso and Jim 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 the oldest 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 the San 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 at Chase Field against Arizona Diamondbacks lefty Randy Johnson — a game in which he also stole a base.
Franco was also the oldest player ever to hit a
Franco struggled with the Mets in 2007, achieving just a .200 batting 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.[15] He subsequently re-signed with the Atlanta 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 acquired Mark Teixeira from the Texas 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 (
After the Mexican League
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.[17]
Franco was hired in March 2009 as the manager of the rookie-level
Franco appeared on the
Return to baseball
On May 16, 2014, the
On February 8, 2015, Ishikawa Million Stars of the professional Japanese Independent baseball league Baseball Challenge League announced that Franco had been signed as a player-manager for the 2015 season.[24][25] 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.[26]
Second coaching stint
Franco was part of the coaching staff for the Lotte Giants of the KBO League from 2016–2020.[27]
On February 5, 2022, Franco returned to the Mexican League as he was named hitting coach of the Acereros de Monclova.[28]
Career statistics
In 2,527 games over 23 major league seasons, Franco posted a .298
Awards and highlights
- Three-time All-Star (1989–1991)
- MVP All-Star Game (1990)
- Led American League in batting average (.341, 1991)
- Led AL in singles (156, 1991)
- Second in the AL Rookie of the Year selection (1983, behind Ron Kittle)
- Led AL in at-bats (658, 1984)
- Top 10 MVPselection (8th, AL, 1994)
- Carolina League MVP (1980)
- Twice hit over .400 in the Mexican League (.423, 1999; .437, 2000)
- Oldest player to hit a Grand Slam (47, 2005, breaking his own record set in 2004 at 45)
- Oldest regularly playing non-pitcher player in MLB history (48)
- Second-oldest player to appear in MLB postseason play (48, during the 2006 postseason)
- Oldest player in Major League history to hit a home run (48)
- Second-oldest player to steal a base (48, during the 2007 season)
- Led all Dominican players in MLB history in seasons, games, at-bats, hits, and bases on balls
- 4,000 Professional Hit Club: Has compiled over 4,200 hits in his 26-year professional career, making him one of only eight known players with at least 4,000 professional hits (the others being Pete Rose, Ty Cobb, Hank Aaron, Jigger Statz, Stan Musial, Derek Jeter, and Ichiro Suzuki).[29]
- Major League Baseball: 2586 (through end of 2007 season)
- Minor Leagues: 618
- Mexican League: 316
- Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball: 286
- Dominican Winter League: 267
- South Korea's KBO League: 156
- United Baseball League: 6
- TOTAL: 4,235
- As of 2006, Julio Franco was the only active player to face a pitcher who pitched against Hall of Famer Ted Williams, who retired in 1960. The pitcher is Jim Kaat, who played in the majors from 1959 to 1983. Williams had batted against Kaat the final day of the 1959 season, Kaat's rookie year. Kaat walked Franco in the latter's rookie season in 1982.[30]
- Franco is the only MLB player known to have hit a home run with his grandson in attendance.[31]
- Franco was the sixth batter that Roger Clemens ever faced, and when the two faced each other on June 15, 2007, they became the oldest batter-pitcher pair in the major leagues since October 1, 1933.[32]
Personal life
Franco is a practicing Christian. In a 2005 interview with the Baptist 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 the Holy Spirit and I want to keep my body healthy. I believe the key to that is discipline and obedience.”[33]
See also
- List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career doubles leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders
- List of Major League Baseball batting champions
Notes
- ^ Franco's birth date is in question. Many of his early bios and cards have his birthday listed in 1954, and on the roster of the Quintana Roo Tigres, his birthday is listed in 1961.[citation needed]
References
- ^ "Julio Franco Career Stats - MLB". ESPN. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ^ McCarthy, Colman (June 28, 2003). "Through baseball, nun really connects". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
- ^ a b "Julio Franco Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
- ^ a b c "Julio Franco Minor & Mexican Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
- ^ "Phillies Trade Trillo for Hayes," The New York Times, Friday, December 10, 1982. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
- ^ Dias, Roberto. "UPI Archives: The Cleveland Indians Monday suspended shortstop Julio Franco for..." United Press International. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
- ^ "Career Leaders for Grounded into Double Plays". baseball-reference.com. June 19, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-20.
- ^ Chass, Murray (December 7, 1988). "Rangers obtain Franco from Indians in four-player trade". The New York Times. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
- ^ "1991 MLB Batting Leaders: Batting Average". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- ^ "Julio Franco: Standard Fielding". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- ^ Harvey, Coley M. (August 23, 2005). "Franco ages like fine wine". MLB.com. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
- ^ Kurkjian, Tim (September 18, 2012). "Getting hit by a batted ball". ESPN. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
- ^ Stark, Jayson (August 20, 2003). "Watch your step as crazy stuff is happening". ESPN.com.
- ^ "Makeshift Mets clip Marlins behind Glavine's strong start". ESPN.com. September 19, 2006. Retrieved 2007-06-20.
- ^ Noble, Marty (2007-07-12). "Mets designate Franco for assignment". MLB.com.
- ^ Chass, Murray (March 30, 2008). "Nearing 50, Franco Still Going Strong in Mexican League" – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ "Baseball: Julio Franco, 49, ends 23-year career". The Honolulu Advertiser. May 3, 2008. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
- SILive.com. Associated Press. March 16, 2009. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
- ^ Fernandez, Jose Manuel (December 21, 2011). "Caribes despidió al manager Julio Franco". El Universal (in Spanish). Retrieved January 26, 2016.
- ^ "Julio Franco dirigirá a Pericos de Puebla" (in Spanish). ESPN Deportes. January 12, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
- ^ White, Paul (December 28, 2012). "Hall candidate: Ageless Julio Franco has a unique resume". USA Today. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
- ^ "2013 Hall of Fame Voting". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
- ^ Dwelle, Nathan (May 16, 2014). "THE AGELESS JULIO FRANCO TO PLAY FOR THE FORT WORTH CATS IN OPENING HOME STAND". fwcats.com. Archived from the original on 2014-05-16. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
- ^ Wall Street Journal. February 9, 2015. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
- ^ Fehr, Israel. Julio Franco is still playing baseball at age 56. Yahoo! Sports. February 9, 2015. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
- ^ "Julio Franco a player-manager in Japan: "I don't see myself out of baseball"". USA Today. May 10, 2015. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
- ^ "'깜짝' 롯데, 前 삼성 프랑코 2군 타격 코치 선임". sports.news.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2020-06-15.
- ^ "ACEREROS SUMA AL ESTELAR JULIO FRANCO A SU CUERPO TÉCNICO". acereros.com.mx (in Spanish). February 5, 2022. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
- ^ Caple, Jim (August 21, 2013). "Caple: The incomparable Ichiro's hit total". ESPN.
- ^ Caple, Jim. "Page 2 : Keep the owners out of the Hall". ESPN.
- ^ Mooney, Michael, J. (15 September 2015). "At 57, Julio Franco can't quit playing baseball". ESPN. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Perez lifts Mets to shutout win over Clemens, Yanks". ESPN. June 16, 2007.
- ^ "'05 Atlanta Braves team marked by men of faith". Baptist Press. May 3, 2005.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
Awards and achievements | ||
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Preceded by | Oldest Player in the National League 2004–2007 |
Succeeded by |