New York Mets: Jeff Bagwell establishes John Franco’s excellence

In an in-game interview, Jeff Bagwell indirectly insinuated just how good former New York Mets closer John Franco was.

During an in-game interview this weekend during a game between the Houston Astros and Arizona Diamondbacks, Jeff Bagwell discussed former New York Mets closer John Franco:

John Franco didn’t know his whole career he was tippin’ … if you didn’t see his forearm muscles move, he was throwin’ a changeup. If they moved, he was throwin’ a fastball.

While some debated how true this could be, Bagwell did possess a .417/.588/.750 line over 17 plate appearances against Franco with a double and a home run along with a 5/4 BB/K ratio. While small sample size obviously applies, Bagwell’s performance certainly shows he could have noted a “tell” in Franco’s delivery over his career.

The thing is if hitters other than Bagwell knew this – and if he did, almost certainly others in the league were aware of this as well – it really makes John Franco look even better, not worse.

More from Call to the Pen

• Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
• Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
• Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
• Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
• 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals

Brooklyn, New York native John Franco was one of the top relievers in all of baseball for 21 seasons from 1984-2005. In our top all-time relievers list this summer, Franco ranked 20th, which is impressive, but also only two lefties ranked higher.

John Franco made 1,119 appearances, pitching 1,245 2/3 innings, with a 2.89 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, and a 495/975 BB/K ratio with 424 saves. He came home and was a hometown guy made good, pitching for the Mets after he was traded from the Reds to the Mets in December of 1989.

Franco’s presence in New York was a big thing after 9/11 as Franco represented his hometown as a member of the Mets, specifically one that had connections to city workers and friends in the fire department. He has recounted his experience after 9/11 multiple times, but few looked more “right” wearing a hat depicting NYPD or NYFD than Franco.

Today is John Franco’s 58th birthday. To have Jeff Bagwell explain that Franco was as dominating as he was even with a notable “tell” – well, that’s a pretty solid birthday present.