Julio Franco
Born: 8/23/1958 in Hato Mayor, Hato Mayor, D.R.
MLB Debut: 1982-04-23 | Final Game: 2007-09-17
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 160 lbs
Full name: Julio Cesar Franco
Biography
Julio Franco, born in 1958, was a remarkable position player whose professional baseball career spanned from 1982 to 2007. Over the course of 2527 games, Franco established himself as a consistent and versatile offensive force, amassing 2586 hits and achieving a commendable batting average of .298. His ability to drive in runs was evident as he recorded 1194 RBIs, while also showcasing his speed on the basepaths with 281 stolen bases. Franco's power was not to be overlooked, as he hit 173 home runs throughout his lengthy career.
Franco was selected to the All-Star Game three times and was honored with the All-Star Game MVP award, highlighting his impact during the peak of his career. Known for his exceptional hitting skills and longevity, Franco played in an era that witnessed significant transformations in baseball, including the expansion of the game's global reach and the evolution of hitting techniques. His dedication and resilience allowed him to compete at a high level well into his 40s, making him a notable figure in baseball history and an inspiration to players across generations.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2527 | 8677 | 1285 | 2586 | 407 | 54 | 173 | 1194 | 281 | 917 | 1341 | 0.298 | 0.365 | 0.417 | 0.782 | 14668.0 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | PHI | NL | 16 | 29 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0.276 | 0.0 |
| 1983 | CLE | AL | 149 | 560 | 68 | 153 | 24 | 8 | 8 | 80 | 32 | 27 | 50 | 0.273 | -502.3 |
| 1984 | CLE | AL | 160 | 658 | 82 | 188 | 22 | 5 | 3 | 79 | 19 | 43 | 68 | 0.286 | -531.2 |
| 1985 | CLE | AL | 160 | 636 | 97 | 183 | 33 | 4 | 6 | 90 | 13 | 54 | 74 | 0.288 | 185.9 |
| 1986 | CLE | AL | 149 | 599 | 80 | 183 | 30 | 5 | 10 | 74 | 10 | 32 | 66 | 0.306 | 529.4 |
| 1987 | CLE | AL | 128 | 495 | 86 | 158 | 24 | 3 | 8 | 52 | 32 | 57 | 56 | 0.319 | 1132.2 |
| 1988 | CLE | AL | 152 | 613 | 88 | 186 | 23 | 6 | 10 | 54 | 25 | 56 | 72 | 0.303 | 1400.2 |
| 1989 | TEX | AL | 150 | 548 | 80 | 173 | 31 | 5 | 13 | 92 | 21 | 66 | 69 | 0.316 | 2482.8 |
| 1990 | TEX | AL | 157 | 582 | 96 | 172 | 27 | 1 | 11 | 69 | 31 | 82 | 83 | 0.296 | 1594.2 |
| 1991 | TEX | AL | 146 | 589 | 108 | 201 | 27 | 3 | 15 | 78 | 36 | 65 | 78 | 0.341 | 3094.3 |
| 1992 | TEX | AL | 35 | 107 | 19 | 25 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 15 | 17 | 0.234 | -14.7 |
| 1993 | TEX | AL | 144 | 532 | 85 | 154 | 31 | 3 | 14 | 84 | 9 | 62 | 95 | 0.289 | 964.8 |
| 1994 | CHW | AL | 112 | 433 | 72 | 138 | 19 | 2 | 20 | 98 | 8 | 62 | 75 | 0.319 | 1937.3 |
| 1996 | CLE | AL | 112 | 432 | 72 | 139 | 20 | 1 | 14 | 76 | 8 | 61 | 82 | 0.322 | 1469.6 |
| 1997 | CLE | AL | 78 | 289 | 46 | 82 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 25 | 8 | 38 | 75 | 0.284 | -32.4 |
| 1997 | ATL | AL | 42 | 141 | 22 | 34 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 19 | 7 | 31 | 41 | 0.241 | -32.4 |
| 1999 | TBR | AL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 2001 | ATL | NL | 25 | 90 | 13 | 27 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 10 | 20 | 0.300 | 159.7 |
| 2002 | ATL | NL | 125 | 338 | 51 | 96 | 13 | 1 | 6 | 30 | 5 | 39 | 75 | 0.284 | 19.2 |
| 2003 | ATL | NL | 103 | 197 | 28 | 58 | 12 | 2 | 5 | 31 | 0 | 25 | 43 | 0.294 | 393.5 |
| 2004 | ATL | NL | 125 | 320 | 37 | 99 | 18 | 3 | 6 | 57 | 4 | 36 | 68 | 0.309 | 540.4 |
| 2005 | ATL | NL | 108 | 233 | 30 | 64 | 12 | 1 | 9 | 42 | 4 | 27 | 57 | 0.275 | 314.4 |
| 2006 | NYN | NL | 95 | 165 | 14 | 45 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 26 | 6 | 13 | 49 | 0.273 | -267.1 |
| 2007 | ATL | NL | 15 | 40 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 0.250 | 0.0 |
| 2007 | NYN | NL | 40 | 50 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 10 | 13 | 0.200 | 0.0 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | 98 | 9 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 21 | 0.224 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | NLDS1 | NYN | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| 2006 | NLCS | NYN | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.000 |
| 2005 | NLDS2 | ATL | 3 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0.222 |
| 2004 | NLDS2 | ATL | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| 2003 | NLDS2 | ATL | 4 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0.500 |
| 2002 | NLDS1 | ATL | 5 | 22 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0.182 |
| 2001 | NLCS | ATL | 5 | 23 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0.261 |
| 2001 | NLDS1 | ATL | 3 | 13 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.308 |
| 1996 | ALDS1 | CLE | 4 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0.133 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 508 | 402 | 3778 | 305 | 31 | 415 |
| 2B | 663 | 657 | 1300 | 1845 | 69 | 379 |
| 3B | 7 | 5 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| OF | 4 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SS | 715 | 706 | 1161 | 2020 | 134 | 439 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | PHI | 3B | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982 | PHI | SS | 11 | 8 | 8 | 23 | 0 | 2 |
| 1983 | CLE | SS | 149 | 148 | 247 | 438 | 28 | 92 |
| 1984 | CLE | SS | 159 | 158 | 280 | 481 | 36 | 116 |
| 1985 | CLE | 2B | 8 | 8 | 14 | 18 | 1 | 4 |
| 1985 | CLE | SS | 151 | 149 | 238 | 419 | 35 | 95 |
| 1986 | CLE | 2B | 13 | 11 | 17 | 39 | 1 | 9 |
| 1986 | CLE | SS | 134 | 133 | 231 | 374 | 18 | 81 |
| 1987 | CLE | 2B | 9 | 8 | 18 | 28 | 1 | 3 |
| 1987 | CLE | SS | 111 | 110 | 157 | 285 | 17 | 53 |
| 1988 | CLE | 2B | 151 | 151 | 310 | 434 | 14 | 87 |
| 1989 | TEX | 2B | 140 | 139 | 256 | 386 | 13 | 70 |
| 1990 | TEX | 2B | 152 | 152 | 310 | 444 | 19 | 101 |
| 1991 | TEX | 2B | 146 | 144 | 294 | 372 | 14 | 80 |
| 1992 | TEX | 2B | 9 | 10 | 12 | 17 | 3 | 2 |
| 1992 | TEX | OF | 4 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 | CHA | 1B | 14 | 13 | 88 | 7 | 3 | 9 |
| 1996 | CLE | 1B | 97 | 96 | 852 | 77 | 9 | 89 |
| 1997 | CLE | 1B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 | CLE | 2B | 35 | 34 | 69 | 107 | 3 | 23 |
| 1997 | ML4 | 1B | 13 | 13 | 108 | 11 | 1 | 20 |
| 1999 | TBA | 1B | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | ATL | 1B | 23 | 22 | 181 | 16 | 1 | 20 |
| 2002 | ATL | 1B | 95 | 70 | 717 | 59 | 8 | 79 |
| 2003 | ATL | 1B | 75 | 38 | 432 | 32 | 1 | 47 |
| 2004 | ATL | 1B | 84 | 71 | 627 | 48 | 2 | 68 |
| 2005 | ATL | 1B | 62 | 45 | 450 | 37 | 5 | 47 |
| 2006 | NYN | 1B | 27 | 20 | 197 | 5 | 1 | 22 |
| 2006 | NYN | 3B | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | ATL | 1B | 10 | 10 | 101 | 10 | 0 | 11 |
| 2007 | NYN | 1B | 6 | 4 | 22 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 2007 | NYN | 3B | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 508 |
| Second Base | 663 |
| Third Base | 7 |
| Shortstop | 713 |
| Left Field | 4 |
| Right Field | 1 |
| Designated Hitter | 375 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Silver Slugger | DH |
| 1991 | Silver Slugger | 2B |
| 1991 | TSN All-Star | 2B |
| 1990 | All-Star Game MVP | |
| 1990 | Silver Slugger | 2B |
| 1990 | TSN All-Star | 2B |
| 1989 | Silver Slugger | 2B |
| 1989 | TSN All-Star | 2B |
| 1988 | Silver Slugger | 2B |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | NYN | NL | $1,150,000 |
| 2006 | NYN | NL | $1,050,000 |
| 2005 | ATL | NL | $1,000,000 |
| 2004 | ATL | NL | $750,000 |
| 2003 | ATL | NL | $600,000 |
| 2002 | ATL | NL | $600,000 |
| 1997 | CLE | AL | $3,292,404 |
| 1997 | ML4 | AL | $150,000 |
| 1996 | CLE | AL | $2,401,972 |
| 1994 | CHA | AL | $1,000,000 |
| 1993 | TEX | AL | $3,000,000 |
| 1992 | TEX | AL | $2,450,000 |
| 1991 | TEX | AL | $2,350,000 |
| 1990 | TEX | AL | $1,633,333 |
| 1989 | TEX | AL | $1,300,000 |
| 1988 | CLE | AL | $975,000 |
| 1987 | CLE | AL | $775,000 |
| 1986 | CLE | AL | $575,000 |
| 1985 | CLE | AL | $455,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $25,507,709 | ||
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 8th | 49.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1991 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 15th | 17.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1988 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 25th | 2.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1983 | Rookie of the Year | AL | 2nd | 78.0 | 140 | 8 |