With the Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies getting together for a few games over the weekend, members of the media asked Pirates manager John Russell for his opinion on the game's oldest player, Jamie Moyer. After all, Russell was Moyer's catcher with the Texas Rangers back in 1990, so he knows a little something about him. While praising Jamie's work ethic and preparation, Russell went on to say that he wouldn't be surprised if Moyer, who's now 45, pitched until he was 50.
Obviously the media then ran over to Moyer's locker to ask him what he thought about the idea, and though it's a few years off, Jamie didn't say he wouldn't do it.
"John said that, huh? Well it's something that's five years away," Moyer said. "Right now, I'm going pretty well and I feel pretty good, trying to take things one step at a time. The point with me is being able to stay healthy and pitch effectively. I still deal with the minor aches and pains, and we're talking about five years from now. I'd have my family to talk to about it, and they're first. But you never know, I'm not ruling it out.
Julio Franco played professional baseball for over 25 years. That is a long freaking time to be a professional athlete. He has now retired, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Franco wasn't ever truly dominant; he maxed out at 20 home runs in one season and only once hit over 200 hits, but that only makes his .298 batting average and 2,500 plus career hits an even more impressive sign of his ridiculous durability.
'It was the hardest decision in my life,' Franco said in an interview published Saturday by Mexican sports daily Record. 'I always said I would be the first one to know the exact moment. I think the numbers speak for themselves, the production speaks and this is the right moment.
'I understand that my time has passed and the great men and athletes know when to say enough.'
I'm not sure how Julio is classifying himself or his production -- the quotes stem from a Mexican newspaper and would presumably be translated -- but I know that he will always be remembered as one of the longest tenured professional baseball players in the history of the game.
Additionally, he will probably hold the record for "oldest major leaguer to hit a home run" (48 years) for quite a while. And that says nothing for the endless, good-natured humor that baseball fans could find in seeing him continue to rake pinch hits despite having played the game longer than many of us were alive. He defined "wily veteran".
Minor League Spotlight is MLB FanHouse's look into baseball's minor leagues. But you probably figured that out already.
They say that as you get older, you regress back to the womb. I guess as baseball players get older, they regress down the minor league ladder. One day, Julio Franco is on the Atlanta Braves, the next day, he's in Class A ball, playing for the Rome Braves. A mighty drop, don't ya think?
"My goal while I'm here is to get some at-bats and contribute to the team any way I can," said Franco, who was designated for assignment by the Atlanta Braves two weeks ago. After clearing waivers, he agreed to a minor league assignment.
The former American League batting champ, who turns 49 next week, said he would stay with Rome for the next four days, and might join next week's road trip in Savannah. Franco's career has included eight major league teams as well as stints in Mexico, Japan and Korea. He likely will rejoin Atlanta on Sept. 1 when the major league rosters are expanded.
"It's an honor to have him here," Rome pitcher Cole Rohrbough said. "We can learn a lot just from watching him, and I'm going to try to do that as much as possible."
Next to Franco, the oldest Rome player is Jorge Acosta, who turns 24 next month.
Elias Sports Bureau reports* that Franco is the first player in major league history to play in Rome for the Braves, and in the other Rome while fighting lions at the Colosseum.
*No they didn't. The Elias Sports Bureau had nothing to do with this obvious, tacky joke regarding age.
Major League Mongering will look at players rumored to be on the move between now and the July 31st pseudo-trade-deadline.
It's becoming more and more rare to see blockbuster deals at the deadline, but that might not be the case this year if there is any truth to these Mark Teixeira rumors. From MLB.com:
But one Major League scout confirmed the Braves and Rangers are still discussing a trade that would be headlined with Teixeira and almost definitely include Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Atlanta's 22-year-old switch-hitting catcher who stands as one of the most attractive prospects on the trade market.
Why does this need to happen? The Braves are desperate for a big stick at first base. How desperate? Their current first basemen have combined for a pathetic .205 batting average and .621 OPS this year, which each rank dead last in the National League by wide margins. Scott Thorman, who's seen most of the starts, has been so bad that the Braves have played Saltamacchia out of position there and even picked up 800-year-old Julio Franco.
What might he bring in return? Like the report from MLB.com suggests, the Rangers probably wouldn't do this deal for anything less than a package involving Saltamacchia, widely regarded as one of the best catching prospects in the game who's unfortunately blocked at the big-league level in Atlanta by the 23-year-old Brian McCann. Other players that Atlanta might deal include young pitching prospect Jo-Jo Reyes or shortstop Elvis Andrus.
Major League Mongering will look at players rumored to be on the move between now and the July 31st pseudo-trade-deadline.
The Braves are in second place and bearing down on the Mets despite a rotation that's giving lots of starts to Buddy Carlyle, Kyle Davies, Chuck James, Andrew Lerew, and Jo-Jo Reyes. It's all very un-Braves-like if you ask me. While most of those guys haven't been awful, it's pretty safe to assume that the Braves would like to add a veteran arm to solidify that rotation before the July 31st deadline.
Buster Olney wrote in his blog yesterday that a rumor was passed his way that the Braves were inquiring about Cincinnati starter Bronson Arroyo (Olney link is Insider only, sorry). Arroyo would be a guy that would make a lot of sense for the Braves. He eats up innings like crazy and he's got plenty of experience in pressure packed post-season pitching, having been with the Red Sox from 2003-2005. Add in the fact that he's had a pretty poor first half and the Braves may be able to prod Cincy to sell low on him, and you've got yourself the making of a deadline deal.
While the general baseball fan populous seems to be rooting for the guy to make it to his goal of playing in the league at the age of 50, his manager in New York and some former teammates there don't seem too sad to see him go.
Manager Willie Randolph said Franco should get more playing time with the Braves, and the reason he didn't with the Mets was a .200 average.
"If you play, you have to produce. That clubhouse stuff is overrated," said Randolph, who volunteered the information unsolicited.
Jose Valentin offered up that Franco was a less than eager participant in the club's pregame stretching.
However, what irked some players was Franco wouldn't hesitate to get in the face of some of the younger players about doing their jobs when he was hitting .200 with one homer with the Mets.
"To be a leader for me, it's not enough to talk all the time," Valentin said. "You have to go out and do it yourself."
What I'm garnering from that blockquote is Franco liked to tell his teammates what to do a lot in an effort to be a "leader," but wasn't producing much himself. That can get annoying, no doubt. It's like your alcoholic father telling you to not drink. But hey, we're supposed to respect our elders regardless, right?
Jilted Mets outfielder and probable octogenarian Julio Franco isn't just going to ride off into the sunset without an encore. After all, this is a man who has essentially made his name on being around baseball since the mid-1920's -- what, you think he wants to leave now?
Anyway, as a celebration of Franco's prowess, I give you these bits of Julio Franco trivia, thanks to Wikipedia:
-- As of 2006, Julio Franco was the only active player to face a pitcher who pitched against Hall of Famer Ted Williams, who retired in 1960. The pitcher is Jim Kaat, who played in the majors from 1959 to 1983. Williams had batted against Kaat the final day of the 1959 season, Kaat's rookie year. Kaat walked Franco in the latter's rookie season in 1982.
-- Franco was the sixth batter that Roger Clemens ever faced, and when the two faced each other on June 15, 2007, they became the oldest batter-pitcher pair in the major leagues since 1933.
-- Franco's true birth date is always in question. Although his current reported birthdate is in 1958, many of his early bios and cards have his birthday listed in 1961.
-- In 2006 earned the nickname Moses from teammate Billy Wagner according to Sports Illustrated.
You'd be hard-pressed to find a soul out there that wasn't rooting for Julio Franco to reach his goal of playing on a major league squad at the age of fifty. Currently, He's just a few weeks shy of his 49th birthday. There's just something incredibly captivating about a guy on a quest for such an incredible feat.
By designating Franco, the Mets freed up a roster spot to recall outfielder Lastings Milledge from Double-A Binghamton on Thursday.
Some 5 1/2 weeks short of his 49th birthday, Franco now is a former Met. If no other club trades for him or claims him off waivers -- and the Mets don't reverse the process, which is quite unlikely -- he will become a free agent in 10 days and begin looking for a place where he will be likely to be given more opportunity to swing for 50.
Franco was pleased Thursday afternoon, but a little off balance. "I thought I would surprise them," he said by telephone, "But they surprised me. It's what I need to do, so that part is good for me."
Julio Franco will be on the Mets this season as a bench reserve player. Dude is 48. So how does he do it?
Well, Stan McNeal from The Sporting News (at Yahoo) attempts to answer that question in this piece. Among other things, Franco adheres to a strict, healthy diet, has a longevity weight training program and rests a lot during the offseason.
I don't go out that front door if I don't need something. What good can running around do me? I'd rather be out back fishing. Sometimes, I will turn off the TV, turn off the computer, turn off everything, and read the Bible. I will meditate on the word of God.
I also will read a lot on the computer and a lot of baseball books. I like to read about other players to see how they think and what they went through.
For the most part, I do not hit during the offseason. When I start hitting, my mind flips: All I can think about is, I gotta hit that baseball. That takes great focus.
So, Franco barely even hits in the offseason and he's still in the majors. Pretty unreal, if you ask me. When I'm 48, I'll be lucky not to be face down in a gutter with a forty in my hand crying into the curb. Or, is that this weekend I'm talking about?
Yeah, that's going to be my Saturday night. I can feel it already.
That's not a headline that's going to instill any confidence in Met fans. But sometimes, you have to get back to basics.
Shawn Green's power numbers have declined over the last few seasons. Back in February, Green found a hand hitch in his swing, and he thought all was well. However, Green started off the spring 0 for 13. So much for self help.
Green spent an extra hour hitting on the main field with Carlos Beltran, Julio Franco and hitting coach Rick Down providing suggestions. Green's swings were recorded by a high-tech video system called Pro Mirror, which was set up with a monitor that allowed Franco and Beltran to point out adjustments in Green's swing as they were being made.
"I can honestly say today was my most productive day this spring," Green said. "It was about getting in a good hitting position - a more powerful hitting position. The video helped, but I was more interested in listening to Carlos and Julio and what they had to say. I thought I had hitting figured out five or six years ago and now I'm learning how to hit."
It's worth noting that Green got his first hit of the spring on Thursday after "learning how to hit" from Carlos and Julio ... but he also made the final out of an 8-7 Mets loss to Baltimore. If Green gets desperate, could Tom Emanski's hitting drills be far behind?
With the Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies getting together for a few games over the weekend, members of the media asked Pirates manager John Russell for his opinion on the game's oldest player, Jamie Moyer. After all, Russell was Moyer's catcher with the Texas Rangers back in 1990, so he knows a little something about him. While praising Jamie's work ethic and preparation, Russell went on to say that he wouldn't be surprised if Moyer, who's now 45, pitched until he was 50.
Major League Mongering
We 
Jilted Mets outfielder and probable octogenarian 
You'd be hard-pressed to find a soul out there that wasn't rooting for 
Julio Franco will be on the Mets this season as a bench reserve player. Dude is 48. So how does he do it? 
That's not a headline that's going to instill any confidence in Met fans. But sometimes, you have to get back to basics.
