Matt Franco
First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1995-2003)
Matt Franco was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1995 to 2003 for the Chicago Cubs, the New York Mets, and the Atlanta Braves, a span of 9 seasons. In 661 career games, he hit .267 with 261 hits, 22 home runs, and 117 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 20.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- First Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'2" / 200 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1995-09-06
- Last Game
- 2003-09-27
Full name: Matthew Neil Franco
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 661 | 977 | 110 | 261 | 43 | 6 | 22 | 117 | 2 | 124 | 158 | .267 | .349 | .391 | .740 | 20 |
Career AVG .267 vs. league average .267 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .349 vs. league average .338 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .391 vs. league average .424 across their career seasons — 7.9% below league average.
Career OPS .740 vs. league average .762 across their career seasons — near league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | CHN | NL | 16 | 17 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .294 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1996 | NYN | NL | 14 | 31 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .194 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1997 | NYN | NL | 112 | 163 | 21 | 45 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 21 | 1 | 13 | 23 | .276 | .266 (+3%) | .336 (-2%) | .419 (-5%) | .756 (-4%) | -85.4 |
| 1998 | NYN | NL | 103 | 161 | 20 | 44 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 23 | 26 | .273 | .266 (+3%) | .335 (+9%) | .420 (-14%) | .755 (-4%) | -45.2 |
| 1999 | NYN | NL | 122 | 132 | 18 | 31 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 21 | 0 | 28 | 21 | .235 | .271 (-13%) | .344 (+6%) | .433 (-16%) | .778 (-6%) | -70.1 |
| 2000 | NYN | NL | 101 | 134 | 9 | 32 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 0 | 21 | 22 | .239 | .270 (-12%) | .344 (-1%) | .437 (-28%) | .782 (-16%) | -331.1 |
| 2002 | ATL | NL | 81 | 205 | 25 | 65 | 15 | 4 | 6 | 30 | 1 | 27 | 31 | .317 | .261 (+21%) | .331 (+19%) | .416 (+24%) | .747 (+22%) | 868.2 |
| 2003 | ATL | NL | 112 | 134 | 11 | 33 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 0 | 11 | 26 | .246 | .264 (-7%) | .332 (-10%) | .422 (-17%) | .754 (-14%) | -316.4 |
| Career · 8 seasons | 661 | 977 | 110 | 261 | 43 | 6 | 22 | 117 | 2 | 124 | 158 | .267 | — | — | — | — | 20 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | NYN | NL | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 13.50 | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 1 season | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 13.50 | — | 0 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | NLDS2 | ATL | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| 2002 | NLDS1 | ATL | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 2000 | NLCS | NYN | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| 2000 | WS | NYN | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| 1999 | NLCS | NYN | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .500 |
| 1999 | NLDS2 | NYN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 |
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (663 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 330 | 469 | 52 | 136 | 11 | 64 | .290 |
| Away | 331 | 508 | 58 | 125 | 11 | 53 | .246 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 2 | 1.1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 13.50 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-09-27 | ATL | PHI | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003-09-26 | ATL | PHI | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003-09-24 | ATL | WSN | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003-09-22 | ATL | MIA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003-09-21 | ATL | MIA | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2003-09-20 | ATL | MIA | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2003-09-17 | ATL | WSN | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003-09-16 | ATL | WSN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2003-09-14 | ATL | MIA | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2003-09-13 | ATL | MIA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Last 2 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-08-08 | NYN | LAD | — | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1999-07-02 | NYN | ATL | — | 0.1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 140 | 79 | 737 | 58 | 8 | 71 |
| 2B | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 3B | 95 | 49 | 29 | 113 | 11 | 9 |
| OF | 43 | 16 | 30 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| P | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | CHN | 1B | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 | CHN | 2B | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 | CHN | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 | NYN | 1B | 2 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1996 | NYN | 3B | 8 | 6 | 3 | 11 | 3 | 0 |
| 1997 | NYN | 1B | 13 | 3 | 50 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| 1997 | NYN | 3B | 39 | 20 | 11 | 48 | 4 | 6 |
| 1997 | NYN | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | NYN | 1B | 11 | 6 | 68 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| 1998 | NYN | 3B | 13 | 11 | 5 | 18 | 0 | 2 |
| 1998 | NYN | OF | 13 | 8 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1999 | NYN | 1B | 19 | 2 | 41 | 5 | 0 | 8 |
| 1999 | NYN | 3B | 12 | 5 | 1 | 18 | 1 | 1 |
| 1999 | NYN | OF | 19 | 6 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | NYN | P | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | NYN | 1B | 28 | 8 | 89 | 8 | 1 | 10 |
| 2000 | NYN | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | NYN | 3B | 22 | 7 | 9 | 18 | 3 | 0 |
| 2000 | NYN | OF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | ATL | 1B | 51 | 49 | 353 | 30 | 4 | 31 |
| 2002 | ATL | OF | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | ATL | 1B | 15 | 10 | 122 | 6 | 3 | 13 |
| 2003 | ATL | OF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 2 |
| First Base | 140 |
| Second Base | 4 |
| Third Base | 95 |
| Left Field | 34 |
| Right Field | 8 |
| Designated Hitter | 12 |
Salary History
Matt Franco's recorded salaries total $1,984,000 over 6 seasons, 1995 to 2003. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Franco's career ran from 1995 to 2003. No salary is recorded for 1996 and 2002.
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | ATL | NL | $800,000 |
| 2000 | NYN | NL | $462,500 |
| 1999 | NYN | NL | $250,000 |
| 1998 | NYN | NL | $202,500 |
| 1997 | NYN | NL | $160,000 |
| 1995 | CHN | NL | $109,000 |
| Total recorded salary (partial) | $1,984,000 | ||
Matt Franco: the record in brief
September 6, 1995 and September 27, 2003 bracket Matt Franco's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Franco played for the Chicago Cubs (1995), the New York Mets (1996 to 2000), and the Atlanta Braves (2002 to 2003). At 6 feet, 2 inches and 200 pounds, Franco is listed as a first baseman. The bio says Franco hit left-handed while throwing right-handed. Franco was born on August 19, 1969, in Santa Monica, CA, USA. Matt Franco was the playing name; the full given name is Matthew Neil.
Franco's career batting table shows 661 games, 977 at bats and 261 hits, a .267 average, along with 22 home runs and 117 RBI. Reaching base at a .349 clip and slugging .391, Franco finished with a .740 OPS. The .267 career average is close to the .267 the league hit across the same seasons. 2002 produced Franco's most hits, 65 of them for the Atlanta Braves.
Frequently Asked Questions about Matt Franco
- What years did Matt Franco play?
- Matt Franco played in Major League Baseball from 1995 to 2003.
- Was Matt Franco a pitcher?
- No. Matt Franco was a position player (First Baseman), though he did pitch in 2 career games.
- How many home runs did Matt Franco hit?
- Matt Franco hit 22 career home runs with 261 hits.
- What teams did Matt Franco play for?
- Matt Franco played for 3 teams: the Chicago Cubs (1995), the New York Mets (1996–2000), and the Atlanta Braves (2002–2003).
- What were Matt Franco's career stats?
- In 661 games, Matt Franco had 261 hits, 22 home runs, 117 RBI, 110 runs, and 2 stolen bases, with a .267 batting average.
- How much did Matt Franco earn in his career?
- Matt Franco's recorded salaries total $1,984,000 over 6 seasons, 1995 to 2003. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Franco's career ran from 1995 to 2003. No salary is recorded for 1996 and 2002.
- What was Matt Franco's salary?
- Matt Franco's last recorded salary was $800,000, in 2003. His highest recorded salary was $800,000, in 2003, and his lowest was $109,000, in 1995. The Salary History table lists each season from 1995 to 2003.
- What position did Matt Franco play?
- Matt Franco played primarily as a first baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Matt Franco and how much did he weigh?
- Matt Franco was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 200 pounds.
- How many home runs did Matt Franco hit each season?
- Matt Franco's home runs by season: 0 in 1995, 1 in 1996, 5 in 1997, 1 in 1998, 4 in 1999, 2 in 2000, 6 in 2002, and 3 in 2003. His most in one season was 6, in 2002.
- What was Matt Franco's career batting average?
- Matt Franco batted .267 over his career, with 261 hits in 977 at bats.
- How many RBI did Matt Franco have?
- Matt Franco drove in 117 runs in his career.
- What was Matt Franco's career ERA?
- Matt Franco finished with a 13.50 career ERA, going 0-0 with 2 strikeouts.
- Is Matt Franco in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Matt Franco has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.