Ryan Franklin

Franklin defied the odds with 38 saves and a 1.92 ERA with the Cardinals in 2009. He has found a second career with St. Louis, and even with Jason Motte and other future closers on the roster, he will probably get the ball in the ninth again in 2010. Just remember that aging closers with low strikeout rates don't last long and bid accordingly.

Franklin's save total and 3.55 ERA last year might have made the season a positive overall, but he also blew 10 saves and doesn't look like the answer in the ninth inning for St. Louis. Franklin only walked 11 in 80 innings in 2007, so he could be an effective reliever in some situations. With Jason Motte and Chris Perez expected to be on board for the full season, Franklin will likely go back to pitching in low-pressure relief this year.

Franklin came out of the gate pitching like gangbusters last year, posting an ERA below 2.00 and a WHIP below 1.000 in each of the first four months. Unfortunately, a tired arm took over in the last two months and Franklin fell back to earth. His final numbers look impressive -- 3.04 ERA, 1.013 WHIP and 11 walks in 80 innings over 69 appearances -- but the last two months of the season (not to mention the rest of his career) are a better indicator of what to expect in 2008.

The transition from starting to relief work didn't really bear much fruit for Franklin, even with the switch to the NL. Of course, putting a low-strikeout, high-gopher ball pitcher like Franklin in homer-friendly parks like Citizens Bank Park and the Great American Ballpark provided foreseeable results: 13 homers allowed in 77.1 innings. He'll likely end up in a better park in 2007, but at the fringe of a team's roster.

For the second consecutive year, Franklin received the lowest amount of run support in the American League. But lack of support isn't Franklin's biggest problem. As in 2004, Franklin gave up more than 10 hits per nine innings last season, and he posted a 93/62 K/BB as his ERA rose to 5.10. A mid-season steroids suspension didn't endear him to the organization, and he left as a free agent despite finishing the year strong, allowing three runs or less in five of his last six starts. He'll try to win a spot in the Philadelphia rotation this spring.

Franklin endured poor run support for the second consecutive year, but unlike 2003, run support wasn't the main culprit for his poor record, as his ERA rose. He was mediocre at best throughout 2004, allowing more than 10 H/9IP and a 106/61 K/BB ratio. His days in the rotation likely are numbered since he'll lose his spot if the Mariners sign a free agent pitcher or if a prospect emerges in spring training.

Franklin had a solid 2003, but didn't get much attention primarily because he was the team's hard-luck pitcher. The Mariners scored two runs or less in 11 of his 13 losses and he was the only pitcher in the Top 10 of AL ERA leaders with a losing record. On the flip side, he doesn't get many strikeouts (only 99 last season) and he is prone to giving up homers, as he allowed a league-leading 34 last season, one shy of the franchise record. Also, Franklin pitched 212 innings last season, nearly 100 more than in 2002, so his ability to withstand back-to-back 200-plus inning seasons is questionable.

Franklin replaced Paul Abbott and James Baldwin in the Seattle rotation at various times throughout the season and managed 12 starts. He won 12 games, but it is deceiving because eight of those were as a long reliever out of the bullpen, with the other four coming as a starter. He has a good chance of being a member of the rotation, but his relatively lack of dominance increases the margin for error.