Julio Franco

Julio Franco
Franco with the New York Mets
Infielder / Designated hitter
Born: (1958-08-23) August 23, 1958 (age 58) Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 23, 1982, for the Philadelphia Phillies
Last MLB appearance
September 17, 2007, for the Atlanta Braves
MLB statistics
Batting average	.298
Hits	2,586
Home runs	173
Runs batted in	1,194
Teams
Philadelphia Phillies (1982) Cleveland Indians (1983–1988) Texas Rangers (1989–1993) Chicago White Sox (1994) Chiba Lotte Marines (1995) Cleveland Indians (1996–1997) Milwaukee Brewers (1997) Chiba Lotte Marines (1998) Tampa Bay Devil Rays (1999) Samsung Lions (2000) Atlanta Braves (2001–2005) New York Mets (2006–2007) Atlanta Braves (2007)
Career highlights and awards
3× All-Star (1989–1991) 5× Silver Slugger Award (1988–1991, 1994) 1990 MLB All-Star Game MVP AL batting champion (1991)

Julio César Franco Robles (born August 23, 1958) is a former professional baseball player and coach who is a hitting coach for the farm team of the Lotte Giants of the Korean Baseball Organization. He spent most of his playing career in Major League Baseball (MLB), entering the major leagues in 1982 and last appearing in 2007, when he was the oldest active MLB player. During that stretch, he also spent two seasons playing professional baseball in Japan and one season playing in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).

While Franco was an All-Star and posted above-average hitting statistics throughout his career, he is best known for being the oldest regular position player in MLB history. Franco was the all-time hits leader among Dominican-born players until surpassed in 2011 by Vladimir Guerrero. He made his MLB debut as a shortstop for the Philadelphia Phillies. During his long career, Franco saw significant time as a shortstop, second baseman, first baseman, and designated hitter.

Franco was born in Hato Mayor in the Dominican Republic. As a child, he lived in Consuelo, San Pedro de Macorís, a poor municipality 50 miles east of Santo Domingo. He attended Divine Providence School in Consuelo. Signed by the Philadelphia Phillies organization in 1978, Franco reported to the Rookie-level Butte Copper Kings. In each of five minor league seasons, Franco hit for a batting average of at least .300. He was promoted through the Philadelphia minor league system each year, reaching the Class AAA Oklahoma City 89ers in 1982 and batting .300 and hitting 21 home runs in 120 games.