Meet the Baseball Player Who Refuses to Retire

Franco. Julio Franco. Julio Franco. Julio Franco. Julio Franco. Julio Franco. >> Julio Franco. Julio Franco. JULIO FRANCO. AND I GET IT. If the term ageless wonder had a textbook definition, I think it would just be a picture of Julio Franco. Julio Franco took his first professional atbat in 1978 as a 19-year-old in the Pioneer League. 37 years later in 2015, Julio Franco was still ticking hacks at the dish as a player manager in Korea. Almost every age related record in MLP history belongs to this one man. You name it. Oldest player to hit a home run, a grand slam home run, a pinch hit home run, a playoff home run, oldest player to steal a base, and the list goes on and on. He has more career hits than Reggie Jackson, Manny Ramirez, Todd Helton, David Ortiz, and a lot of other guys that you and I would consider to be all-time great baseball players. In the last 40 years, he's one of only four position players to take an MLB at bat at age 45 or older. He has about four times their amount of at bats in this range combined. Julio Franco once said in an interview that he believed he could play in the majors again, even in his 60s. I mean, just look at this video of Julio Franco at age 62 in the cage in 2020 taking daddy hacks in a scarf, dress shoes, and jeans. I am not betting against that dude. But in between this massive gap of time from 1978 to 2015, there is a lot of ground to cover. So, let's waste no more time and get right into it. Now, this video is going to be very unique compared to my other videos because when I cover a baseball player, it's usually me covering their prime and how their underrated prime compares to the great players of their era. And while Julio Franco had a really decent prime, this video is going to be more about what he did in his 30s and 40s in the back half. Originally an international signing with the Phillies organization, Julio Franco was traded to the Cleveland Indians after just 16 games in the 1982 season. Until the mid 90s, Cleveland was a perennial basement dweller in baseball, a farm system for larger market teams. In 1983, Franco's first season on the club, they were closing in on 30 consecutive years without a postseason birth, dating back to the 1955 World Series. The ownership group, unwilling to pay any stars that the organization produced, had actually traded a star position player, rightfielder Von Hayes, to acquire Julio Franco in the first place. And I'm sure this won't come up again later, right? Landing in Cleveland allowed the young shortstop to get regular playing time where his career began to flourish. 1987 was the first truly great season of Franco's career. As the Cleveland crowd serenated him with Julio every time he came to the dish, he responded by hitting for a career best 319 batting average, drawing more walks than strikeouts and stealing 32 bases, good for a 3.5 wins above replacement season. But as the story went with the Cleveland Indians of the 1980s, they were unable to build a competitive roster around the talent they had. And when Franco wrapped up his 1988 season with impressive numbers again, the club decided to trade him away for a hall of prospects instead of paying him in free agency like they did to Von Hayes all those years ago. And as the story went with the Cleveland Indians trading away their great players, said great player immediately had the best seasons of his career as soon as he dawned a new uniform. I'm so sorry Chris Rose. Joining a lineup of Raphael Palro, Ruben Sierra, and Harold Baines, Julio Franco transitioned to second base and entered his offensive prime. Of players with at least 1500 played appearances from 1989 to 1991. Franco registered the fourth best batting average in MLB at a 318 clip, leading all second baseman and trailing only Kirby Pucket, Wade Bogs, and Tony Gwyn, which is pretty good company. For OPS+, his cumulative mark of 135 placed him in the top 15 of all hitters with the only second baseman ranking higher than him being Hall of Fame great Ryan Sandberg. In the middle of these three years, Julio Franco took home all-star game MVP honors with a two-run double against Rob Dibble, the only runcoring hit of that year's contest. In the last of these three years, Franco took home the batting title with a 341 batting average in 146 games. This made him one of just seven primary second baseman in the expansion era with a batting average this high in a qualified season. Franco became bigger than just his baseball talents, too. He began to enammer fans and also scare some teammates, particularly because he started bringing his pet tiger, Jana, around the clubhouse. In his words, she wasn't much larger than a normal household cat. Also, at one point, he had a snake. I trust him. I'm sure it's fine. Oh, yeah. Even to this point, he keeps dead vipers in jars in his home. Okay, maybe I trust him a little bit less. A year removed from his batting title victory, Julio Franco entered his age 33 season looking to continue a threeseason run of five war campaigns and all-star nods as one of the most underrated middle infielders in the sport. But Patella Berscitis, better understood as recurring tendinitis in his knees, even better understood as oh my god, this hurts when I bend over, forced Julio Franco onto the injured list early in 1992 spring training. This injury, however, would not be an isolated event. Franco was limited to just 35 games in 1992, a career worse season. And moving forward, Julio Franco would never play the middle infield at the professional level ever again. He wouldn't play middle infield again, but he would play third base at some point. At age 47 in 2006 for the Mets, a day after they clinched the division and had their champagne party, they rolled out the B lineup and a 47year-old Julio Franco was defending the hot corner. Hell yeah. However, Julio Franco deemed this injury one of the most impactful lessons of his life as it led him to a meticulous regimen regarding his diet and fitness that kept him near 100% health for the remainder of his career. Beyond this 1992 season, Franco only spent time on the injured list three more instances in his career. But in 1992, with such a debilitating injury with such a significant impact, many baseball fans assumed that this might have been the beginning of the end for Julio Franco, who was veering towards the wrong side of his 30s. As the '90s rolled on, they were only about two decades off in this assumption. When the Texas Rangers dumped Julio Franco off following the 1993 season, he rebounded with the Chicago White Socks as their everyday designated hitter. In the a bridge 1994 season, Franco set a careerhigh with 20 home runs in just 112 games, finishing eighth in AL MVP voting with a silver slugger and a remarkable bounceback season at age 35. Franco finished with the 10th best batting average as well as the 15th best OPS in the American League that season ahead of great players like John Olude, Jim Toé, and Edgar Martinez. When the player strike officially took place, cutting the 1994 season short, Julio Franco wasn't eager to put down the bat and glove for the first time in his adult life. This led him to his first of many brushes with Asian baseball. A year after protecting Frank Thomas in a potent Chicago White Socks lineup, Julio Franco hopped overseas to the Cheolote Marines for the 1995 season in Japan. This would be the first of a trio of stints overseas for Franco in the next 5 years. And Franco maintains that his time playing in Asia, while difficult initially, made him a better, more disciplined hitter. The first half of Julio Franco's career was lined up quite simply. And you may be wondering at home, we're in his mid30s now. How are we only at the halfway point? All I can say is buckle up, man. All right, you knew what you were getting into here. Franco returned to the Cleveland Indians the following season in 1996 with the organization in a far different state than it had been when Franco was last there in the late 1980s, a year after going 144 in the abridged 1995 season. Cleveland won the AL Central division title again with the help of Julio Franco in 1996. This would actually be the first playoff birth of Julio Franco's long career to this point. His 1770 games without postseason play spanning over 14 years was the longest active streak of any position player at the time. A year after Don Mattingley and the Yankees cracked their playoff drought in 1995. But as Franco got older and older, a common theme would persist. His performance on the field apparently weighed less than his age did to teams considering his services. Even after a terrific 1996 campaign where Julio Franco hit for a 322 batting average, the second highest mark of his long career, the Cleveland Indians viewed his old age and lack of versatility as a liability, one whose presence was greater than the benefit of Franco's bat. Julio Franco registered just one MLB played appearance from 1998 to 2000. As teams around the league finally started to give up on him, putting him at age 42 with a slim chance of any sort of professional revitalization. A player in his 40s, years removed from a serious knee injury that plagued his athleticism, coming off his most mediocre offensive season of his career. This is usually a textbook clear-cut definition of a player going into retirement. But instead of sitting back and accepting fate, Julio Franco got back to work. He returned to his home away from home, going back to the Chibiol Marines in Japan again for the 1998 season. But he didn't stop there. Then he headed to the Mexican leagues, then back to South Korea, then back to Mexico again. Seemingly in a different continent every year, he continued to produce. He won the Japanese equivalent of the gold glove at first base in 1998 as a 42-year-old. In 1999, he hit 423 in 93 games for the Mexico City Tigers. In 2000, he clubed 22 home runs and collected 110 RBI's for the Samsung Tigers of the KBO. By 2001, major league clubs had finally begun to notice that Julio Franco was not going gently into that good night. Specifically, the Atlanta Braves, who took notice of Julio Franco's terrific play into his early 40s. They decided to take a chance on the now 42-year-old, signing him to a one-year contract in September. Julio Franco understood from the outset that plenty of eyebrows would be raised around the league, but he welcomed the spotlight, saying that the way the world sees this is this is a test. I have to pass it. They expect me to fail because of my age. Suffice to say, the man did not fail because he literally never fails. Like, what are you guys not getting? In that short run in September of 2001, Franco hit 325 games, then clubed two postseason home runs come October. It was enough for the Atlanta Braves to bring him back for the full year in 2002 on another one-year deal. And Franco would make them look brilliant for taking another bet on him. Interesting note here. In 2001, the Braves technically didn't sign Julio Franco. They actually traded for Julio Franco. You may be thinking, how can they do this across leagues? That doesn't make any sense. They can't send prospects to the Mexican League. What they did instead was Braves GM John Shurholes promised the Mexico City Tigers that he would give them two World Series tickets to every home game that Atlanta hosted in that year's World Series. Except the 2001 Braves didn't make the World Series, so they got Julio Franco for free. Over the next four years, Julio Franco would continue to hit, and the Atlanta Braves would continue to pay him in one-year contracts. From 2001 to 2005, Julio Franco hit 292 with a 106 OPS plus in 486 games, primarily as a platoon bat and bench option. He was one of just six players aged 35 or older to register this high of an OPS plus in at least a thousand played appearances in this window. And if we close it off to 40year-olds only, Julio Franco stands alone, unsurprisingly, because what he was doing was unprecedented. Julio Franco's 5-year rejuvenation with the Atlanta Braves led him to sign a 2-year contract at age 47 with the New York Mets. That's right, folks, you are hearing that correctly. The Will Pun era Mets gave a 47year-old a multi-year deal. This is a feat we will probably never see again considering guys aged 35 or older barely get minor league deals at this point. I mean, Andrew McCutchen just signed on with the Rangers and he was so productive last year. As put in the words of Matt Modigan for MLB.com, the man who played with Pete Rose and Tug McGra was now teammates with David Wright and Jose Reyes, two stars who weren't even born when Julio Franco made his debut in 1982. Julio Franco's role with the Mets went far less smoothly than his Braves Renaissance. While he would earn starting opportunities via platoon with Atlanta, he was mostly reserved to a bench roll in New York. Of his 135 games played in Queens, Franco started just 42 games during that time. After he was cut from the roster mid-season in 2007 and caught on with the Braves once again, he said that when he thought about it, the biggest mistake in his life was playing for the Mets, he doubled down, saying that sometimes he'd spend a month on the bench without getting an at bat, which while hyperbolic, wasn't that much of an exaggeration. In his Renaissance stint in the NL East in the mid200s, Franco set an assortment of age related records in Mo's history books. At age 45 in 2004, he became the oldest player to steal multiple bases in a single game. That's right. This dude was stealing bases at age 45. In the same season, he became the oldest player to post an ops above league average in a qualified season. At age 46 in 2005, he became the oldest player to club a grand slam, doing so in pinch hit fashion for the Braves. Speaking of pinch hits, at age 47 in 2006, he became the oldest player to hit a pinch hit home run. At age 48 in 2007, Franco capped off his run of annual statistical anomalies when he hit a home run off 43-year-old Randy Johnson. The oldest player to hit a home run in MLB history flat out. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the Still Got It Olympics. Franco managed to stay on the field on a regular basis into his mid-40s thanks to his rigorous exercise schedule that he never evaded from even in his older age. Former relief pitcher Colin McHugh, who was actually managed by Julio Franco in the Mets system, once asked Julio Franco if he works out every day. Franco responded incredulously, "Do you eat every day?" Well, yes, Julio Franco, I do eat every day. But after his failed stint with the Mets in 2007, the one-year flyer stopped coming in the off season. He tried retirement, filling his time with golf and scuba diving, but baseball was in Franco's DNA. He couldn't stand to be away for too long. I mean, after all, guys, we're like 15 minutes into this video. So, you know, the man isn't just going to quit, right? At age 49, Julio Franco headed back to the place where he revived his career, the Mexican League. Only this time, there would be no batting title. For the first time since really the 1990s, Franco struggled at the dish, not due to playing time or injuries, but only due to his own declining abilities. After the season came to a close, the 49-year-old announced his retirement from baseball after a 23-year career in the major leagues. Franco called it the hardest decision in his life and that he always said he would be the first to know the exact moment. Julio Franco's near three decade odyssey of professional baseball had finally reached a conclusion. But also, what did we just say like a minute ago, guys? This dude was never just going to quit. That's right, folks. In 2014, 6 years after his initial retirement, now 55 years old, Julio Franco put the batting gloves back on for the Fort Worth Cats of United League Baseball. The man simply could not quit the sport that he loved. The next year, as a player coach in Japan's Independent League for the Ishikawa Million Stars, he hit for a 333 batting average. Franco now has his entire future mapped out per an interview for ESPN with Michael J. Mooney. He said he wants to manage 10 years in Japan, then manage 10 years in the United States, then three more years in a front office somewhere, and by then he'll be 80 years old. At age 80, he'll finally be content to retire in a remote hillside somewhere to grow his own food, make his own medicine, and drink his own matcha. The gap between that dream and this reality doesn't seem to matter to him because he's playing baseball. I think that's a perfect way to end today's video. Thank you so much for watching today's video all the way to the end. I hope you enjoyed it and learned something along the way. That'll do it for me in the ageless wonder that is Julio Franco, and I'll see you guys next time.

The oldest player in MLB history to: - hit a home run. - hit a grand slam. - steal a base. - start a game in the field. The man. The myth. The legend. Julio Franco. Follow me on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/jolly_olive and Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jollyolive_/ Grab some merch: https://shop.jomboymedia.com/collections/jolly-olive Sources: https://www.mlb.com/cut4/julio-franco-still-wants-to-play-baseball-c291596602 https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/13630613/at-57-years-old-julio-franco-playing-baseball-japan https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/418381/2018/07/12/if-i-tell-you-that-im-going-to-play-baseball-again-would-you-believe-me-julio-franco-is-still-going-strong/ https://www.mlb.com/news/julio-franco-signs-with-mets https://metsmerizedonline.com/julio-franco-calls-playing-for-mets-worst-decision-of-his-life/ https://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2008/May/03/br/hawaii80503027.html Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSSdXximD7c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbfiIoHzPcQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzCw4RyFqHo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXjdGX84Hp0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgUtQ3-mqmc All statistics courtesy of Baseball Reference, Fangraphs, Baseball Savant, Inside Edge, and Stathead. #MLB #Braves #Mets