Matt Franco, baseball player, 1995-2003

Matt Franco

Born: 8/19/1969 in Santa Monica, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1995-09-06 | Final Game: 2003-09-27

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 200 lbs

Full name: Matthew Neil Franco

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Biography

Matt Franco, born in 1969, was a versatile position player whose career spanned from 1995 to 2003. He played a total of 661 games in Major League Baseball, showcasing his skills primarily as a pinch hitter and utility player. Franco finished his career with 261 hits, 22 home runs, and 117 RBIs, achieving a batting average of .267. Known for his ability to come through in clutch situations, he contributed significantly to his teams with his offensive capabilities, despite not being a standout power hitter. Franco played in an era marked by the transition of baseball in the late 1990s and early 2000s, a time when the game was witnessing a surge in offensive production and the emergence of new playing styles. His speed on the bases was modest, recording 2 stolen bases throughout his career, but his strategic approach and situational awareness made him a valuable asset off the bench. While his numbers may not have placed him among the elite players of his time, Franco's reliability and adaptability left a lasting impression on the teams he played for, including the New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves.

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 0.267 0.349 0.391 0.740 -149.8

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 0.740 vs. league average 0.762 across their career seasons — near 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
1995 CHC NL 16 17 3 5 1 0 0 1 0 0 4 0.294 — — — — 0.0
1996 NYN NL 14 31 3 6 1 0 1 2 0 1 5 0.194 — — — — 0.0
1997 NYN NL 112 163 21 45 5 0 5 21 1 13 23 0.276 .266 (+3%) .336 (-2%) .419 (-5%) .756 (-4%) -103.1
1998 NYN NL 103 161 20 44 7 2 1 13 0 23 26 0.273 .266 (+3%) .335 (+9%) .420 (-14%) .755 (-4%) -53.8
1999 NYN NL 122 132 18 31 5 0 4 21 0 28 21 0.235 .271 (-13%) .344 (+6%) .433 (-16%) .778 (-6%) -85.9
2000 NYN NL 101 134 9 32 4 0 2 14 0 21 22 0.239 .270 (-12%) .344 (-1%) .437 (-28%) .782 (-16%) -393.0
2002 ATL NL 81 205 25 65 15 4 6 30 1 27 31 0.317 .261 (+21%) .331 (+19%) .416 (+24%) .747 (+22%) 868.2
2003 ATL NL 112 134 11 33 5 0 3 15 0 11 26 0.246 .264 (-7%) .332 (-10%) .422 (-17%) .754 (-14%) -382.1

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1.3 3 2 1 3 2 13.50 0

Career ERA 13.50 vs. league average 4.71 across their career seasons — 186.7% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

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 1.3 3 2 3 2 13.50 — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
15 10 2 1 1 0 0 0 2 3 0.100

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 0.000
2002 NLDS1 ATL 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000
2000 NLCS NYN 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000
2000 WS NYN 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000
1999 NLCS NYN 5 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0.500
1999 NLDS2 NYN 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000

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

Position Games
Pitcher 2
First Base 140
Second Base 4
Third Base 95
Left Field 34
Right Field 8
Designated Hitter 12

Salary History

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 Career Earnings $1,984,000