Old Man Franco Just Keeps Rolling Along

Having clinched the National League East pennant the night before, the Mets decided to rest all of their starters Tuesday night. This made for a patch-work lineup but one which featured an interesting twist: Julio Franco playing third base. It was the first time that Franco played a position in the field other than first base since 1997 and his first start at the hot corner since his initial call-up to the Majors in 1982. I could find no authoritative source, but 24 years has to be the longest time between starts at a position for anyone in Major League history.

Franco went 1-for-3 with a walk in the game, a 3-2 Mets victory. A free agent acquisition prior to the 2006 season, Franco has done a respectable job in his first season with the Mets. His playing time has dropped significantly since last season, when he platooned at first base and started versus lefty pitchers, but he has been praised as a clubhouse leader.

It seems like Franco sets a record every time he steps to the plate. In April, he became the oldest player in MLB history to hit a home run. Five days later he stole a base, becoming the second-oldest player to ever do that in a game, trailing only Arlie Latham, who swiped a bag at the age of 49 for the 1909 Giants.

One day, they are going to make a movie out of Franco’s life. He started his career in the Phillies organization and played alongside Pete Rose. After the 1982 season, he was traded to Cleveland as part of the “Five for One” package to acquire Von Hayes. He blossomed into a .300 hitter with the Indians, where he spent six seasons before being dealt to the Rangers for Pete O’Brien, Oddibe McDowell, and Jerry Browne.

With the Rangers, Franco became teammates with Nolan Ryan, linking him to two stars that began their careers in the 1960s, making him an invaluable player in the baseball version of Six Degrees of Separation. More importantly, Franco became an All-Star, earning a position on three straight All-Star squads, including the 1990 season, when he was the game’s Most Valuable Player.

After five seasons with Texas, Franco signed with the White Sox as a free agent for the 1994 season. He was enjoying his finest power year in his career when the season ended due to the strike. He hit 20 home runs and had 98 RBIs in 112 games before Commissioner Bud Selig and the owners canceled the remainder of the season.

With the start of the 1995 season in jeopardy, Franco opted to play the next season in Japan. He came back to the U.S. the following year, when he re-joined the Indians and enjoyed another solid season, hitting .322 with a .407 on-base percentage as a 37-year old, and made his first post-season appearance. He was released the following season, but picked up immediately by the Brewers.

Then the really strange part of Franco’s career began. He went back to Japan in 1998 and played the following season in Mexico. He made a brief comeback to MLB, playing one game for the Devil Rays in 1999. The following season he was back in Mexico, where he batted .437 in 110 games as a 41-year old. In 2001 he came back to the States for good, signing with the Braves and appearing in the playoffs the next five seasons.

Franco will extend his post-season to six consecutive seasons this year with the Mets. Many scoffed when the club gave him a two-year contract, but Franco has been a worthy addition to the club.

The Dominican native has 2,558 lifetime hits and only spending the better part of five seasons playing outside of Major League Baseball has kept him from becoming a member of the 3,000-hit club. Franco is on record for wanting to play until he is 50, which will occur late in the 2008 season. After what he has accomplished in his career, no one is doubting that he will reach that goal.