Tom Brennan: MET-ROSPECTIVE: THE LONG, LONG, LONG CAREER OF JULIO FRANCO

MET-ROSPECTIVE:

THE LONG, LONG, LONG CAREER OF JULIO FRANCO

Julio Franco – some thought he might just play forever.

He started playing minor league ball in 1978, at age 19.  His first hit was off 168 game career winner Bob Forsch in 1982, before Darryl Strawberry made his Mets debut.

He last played independent league ball in 2014, at age 55.

That is a 37 year span.

OK, OK, I know he didn’t play from 2009 through 2013, but let’s not quibble.

His 23 year major league career spanned nearly 10,000 plate appearances, in which he hit .298/.365/.417.

After hitting .319 for the Chicago White Sox in 1994 at age 34, he took off for Japan, hitting .306 in 1995.

He returned to hit .322 in Cleveland in 1996 at age 36.

He also played in Japan at age 39, in Korea at age 41, and for the Mexico City Tigers at age 42, where, in 110 games, he hit .437!!  Not a typo.

Returning to Atlanta at age 42, from age 42 through 45, in 945 major league at bats, he hit .296 with a .375 on base %. 

He then showed "major" slippage – he hit .275 for the Braves at age 46!

He then finally played for our NY Mets at age 47 and hit .273 in 179 plate appearances, and finished his major league career at age 48, going 20 for 90 (10 for 50 as a Met, with a .328 OBP).

14,272 total plate appearances, majors, minors, foreign.  That’s the equivalent of 24 seasons of 595 plate appearances. 

All told, he had 3,870 hits, 1,349 walks and 75 HBP.  He fanned over 2,000 times and still only fanned once every 7.1 plate appearances. 

And all of that doesn’t include spring training or the playoffs. 

I hear he still has callouses.  And Reese - Terry Collins wants him badly.