End of Line for Franco?
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by Niteowl049
Baseball Notebook
'End of Line for Franco? ' Julio Franco's dream of playing till he was 50 years old may have been ended yesterday as the Mets designated him for reassignment. Franco was hitting .200 for the season with one home run and 8 RBI's and hadn't driven in a run since the 27th of May. Mets just couldn't afford to have a player with only one extra base hit all season on their roster any longer.
Franco, who turns 49 next month, has already proven a baseball player can stay in shape even at his age but that didn't help his offensive production. Can't see Franco going to the minor leagues at his age but the way he loves baseball he may give it a shot but can't see a major league team calling him up again. Omar Minaya had to make the decision to let Franco go because of poor performance. I am sure he would have loved to keep him on the roster. However, with the Mets fighting to stay ahead in NL East, they couldn't keep Franco, who was more or less a glorified pinch hitter this season.
I was personally rooting for him to play till he was 50 but baseball is no place for sympathy since the Mets farm system is full of players waiting for their chance to make it to the big show. Someone like Franco who has seen his best days was keeping those players from having that chance.
No matter where life takes Franco next, he will be always be remembered as the oldest player to hit a home run in a major league game. Franco may not have been the best player that ever played, but he may have been the best example of a player playing the game he loved for as long as he could find a job on a major league roster. He may never be heard from again as a player, but would make an excellent coach or manager if given the chance.
