Call to the pen
Fansided

The 3 most impressive numbers of Julio Franco’s career

By Travis Landes

Jul 24, 2007; San Francisco, CA, USA; Atlanta Braves first baseman Julio Franco (14) during the 2nd inning against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park in San Francisco, CA. The Braves defeated the Giants 7-5 in 13 innings. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 24, 2007; San Francisco, CA, USA; Atlanta Braves first baseman Julio Franco (14) during the 2nd inning against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park in San Francisco, CA. The Braves defeated the Giants 7-5 in 13 innings. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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September 28, 2005: Atlanta, Georgia, USA: Julio Franco (14) of the Atlanta Braves breaks a bat on a fly out during the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Photo By Christopher Gooley-USA TODAY Sports Copyright (c) 2005 Christopher Gooley
September 28, 2005: Atlanta, Georgia, USA: Julio Franco (14) of the Atlanta Braves breaks a bat on a fly out during the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Photo By Christopher Gooley-USA TODAY Sports Copyright (c) 2005 Christopher Gooley /

Julio Franco’s first tenure with Atlanta (42-46 years old)

Everyone associates Julio Franco with one of the longest playing careers in the history of the game. What’s not mentioned enough, however, is he didn’t just exist on the roster in his age 40+ years, he produced.

At age 42, Franco signed with the Atlanta Braves in 2001. Coming off the bench in his first year, Franco still batted .300 in 90 at-bats, posting an OPS of .821 as well.

Franco’s following year in 2002 would see him take over as the primary first baseman, playing 125 games at the age of 43. Hitting .284 in the process, Franco’s bat never stopped.

The next year, Franco would play another 103 games for Atlanta in 2003. This time with a .294 average and a beautiful .824 OPS at the age of 44.

Franco would play another 125 games in 2004 (at 45!), this time hitting .309with an .818 OPS. With 18 doubles and 57 RBIs to boot, this was one of the finest “elderly” performances of the modern era.

Yet again, Franco manned first base for Atlanta a further 108 games in 2005 at age 46, batting .275 and an OPS a tick under .800.

Today we’re seeing more well-conditioned athletes than ever before. In the future, it might be more common to see a player produce well at the plate well into their 40s. Franco did just that in an era that was vastly different from the 1980s era in which he dominated. Franco merely adapted and showed everyone how it’s done.

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