Julio Franco, baseball player, 173 home runs, 1982-2007

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

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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

Career AVG .298 vs. league average .263 across their career seasons — +13.5% above league average.

Career OBP .365 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — +10.4% above league average.

Career SLG .417 vs. league average .407 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS 0.782 vs. league average 0.737 across their career seasons — +6.1% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS 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 .260 (+5%) .324 (-6%) .389 (avg) .714 (-3%) -502.3
1984 CLE AL 160 658 82 188 22 5 3 79 19 43 68 0.286 .259 (+10%) .322 (+2%) .384 (-10%) .707 (-4%) -531.2
1985 CLE AL 160 636 97 183 33 4 6 90 13 54 74 0.288 .257 (+12%) .323 (+6%) .390 (-3%) .714 (+1%) 185.9
1986 CLE AL 149 599 80 183 30 5 10 74 10 32 66 0.306 .257 (+19%) .325 (+4%) .395 (+7%) .720 (+5%) 529.4
1987 CLE AL 128 495 86 158 24 3 8 52 32 57 56 0.319 .262 (+21%) .331 (+18%) .415 (+3%) .746 (+10%) 1132.2
1988 CLE AL 152 613 88 186 23 6 10 54 25 56 72 0.303 .254 (+19%) .317 (+14%) .377 (+8%) .695 (+11%) 1400.2
1989 TEX AL 150 548 80 173 31 5 13 92 21 66 69 0.316 .254 (+24%) .319 (+21%) .375 (+23%) .694 (+22%) 2482.8
1990 TEX AL 157 582 96 172 27 1 11 69 31 82 83 0.296 .257 (+15%) .324 (+18%) .385 (+4%) .710 (+11%) 1594.2
1991 TEX AL 146 589 108 201 27 3 15 78 36 65 78 0.341 .255 (+33%) .323 (+26%) .384 (+23%) .708 (+25%) 3094.3
1992 TEX AL 35 107 19 25 7 0 2 8 1 15 17 0.234 .255 (-9%) .322 (+2%) .377 (-6%) .699 (-2%) -14.7
1993 TEX AL 144 532 85 154 31 3 14 84 9 62 95 0.289 .265 (+9%) .332 (+8%) .403 (+9%) .735 (+9%) 964.8
1994 CHW AL 112 433 72 138 19 2 20 98 8 62 75 0.319 .269 (+18%) .338 (+20%) .424 (+20%) .763 (+20%) 1937.3
1996 CLE AL 112 432 72 139 20 1 14 76 8 61 82 0.322 .269 (+19%) .340 (+19%) .426 (+10%) .767 (+14%) 1469.6
1997 CLE AL 78 289 46 82 13 1 3 25 8 38 75 0.284 .266 (+6%) .336 (+9%) .419 (-13%) .756 (-3%) -32.4
1997 ATL AL 42 141 22 34 3 0 4 19 7 31 41 0.241 .266 (-10%) .336 (+11%) .419 (-17%) .756 (-5%) -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 .263 (+14%) .332 (+13%) .426 (+4%) .758 (+8%) 159.7
2002 ATL NL 125 338 51 96 13 1 6 30 5 39 75 0.284 .261 (+9%) .331 (+8%) .416 (-8%) .747 (-1%) 19.2
2003 ATL NL 103 197 28 58 12 2 5 31 0 25 43 0.294 .264 (+11%) .332 (+12%) .422 (+7%) .754 (+9%) 393.5
2004 ATL NL 125 320 37 99 18 3 6 57 4 36 68 0.309 .266 (+16%) .335 (+13%) .427 (+3%) .762 (+7%) 540.4
2005 ATL NL 108 233 30 64 12 1 9 42 4 27 57 0.275 .264 (+4%) .330 (+5%) .418 (+8%) .749 (+7%) 314.4
2006 NYN NL 95 165 14 45 10 0 2 26 6 13 49 0.273 .269 (+1%) .336 (-2%) .431 (-14%) .768 (-9%) -267.1
2007 NYN NL 40 50 7 10 0 0 1 8 2 10 13 0.200 .268 (-25%) .335 (-2%) .422 (-38%) .758 (-22%) -175.3
2007 ATL NL 15 40 1 10 3 0 0 8 0 4 10 0.250 — — — — -175.3

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 NLCS NYN 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000
2006 NLDS1 NYN 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 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 NYN 1B 6 4 22 3 0 3
2007 NYN 3B 2 2 1 4 0 0
2007 ATL 1B 10 10 101 10 0 11

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