A few decades ago Major League Baseball saw something that probably won’t happen today: A multi-year deal to a position player in his 40s.
Few seemingly improve their abilities at a time when others begin another stage in their lives. Not everyone can hit home runs against much smaller pitchers. Not everyone can be like the Dominican Julio Cesar Franco.
In 2005, the 47-year-old from Querétaro signed a two-year contract with the Mets. That’s right, a few years before he turned half a century and two years before he became a baseball grandfather, Franco was still wearing a Major League uniform. The man who played alongside Pete Rose and Tug McGraw was now teammates with compatriot Jose Reyes and David Wright – two Queens team figures who weren’t even born when Franco made his major league debut in 1982.
“I have known Julio for a long time,” declared the general manager of the New York club, Dominican Omar Minaya (also younger than Julio). “He has gotten pretty good numbers in all these years.”
They were definitely good statistics.
Franco had already been in the Big Top for 20 seasons, with 2,377 games played and 2,521 hits. He won the batting title in 1991, was called up to three All-Star Games, won five Silver Bats and reached an offensive line of .299 / .366 / .419. Those numbers don’t include a successful stint through South Korea, Japan and the Mexican Baseball League (he hit .423 and .437 during two different stints in Mexico after turning 40). Plus, he impressed by maintaining that consistency throughout his 40-year-old season, hitting .292 / .365 / .428 from 2001-2005 with the Braves.
Franco’s longevity was primarily the product of his ability to stay in flawless form – lifting weights after every game until near the end of his career. Once asked by streamer Collin McHugh if he went to the gym every day, Franco responded with another question: “Do you eat every day?”
Although his career came to an end after signing with the Mets, Franco still reached some milestones. He became half of the duo of the biggest hitter to hit a home run vs. the biggest pitcher, when he hit a home run off Randy Johnson into the D-backs’ home pool.
He became the oldest player to hit a home run against the Padres in April 2006.
He also became the oldest starting player to steal a base at age 48 during a game in 2007. He was also the oldest pinch runner, hitting a grand slam, and may be the owner of every record for “greatest. player in… ”that you can imagine.
At age 49, the veteran was discharged and signed with Atlanta in July 2007, ending his MLB career with, of course, an RBI single.
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