Julio Franco

2013

There was no outlook written for Julio Franco.

2008

Franco will be 49 at the start of next season and says he wants to play until he's 50, but it looks like he may finally have run out of gas. He hit just .222 with a .610 OPS, although he did have a .793 OPS against left-handed pitchers. Unless he wants to spend most of the season in the minors in the hopes of a September callup for some token at-bats after he turns 50 in August, father time may have finally caught the ageless wonder.

2007

Mets GM Omar Minaya signed Franco to a two-year deal for his leadership skills as much as for his ability to hit left-handed pitching. Franco lived up to his end from the leadership perspective but he hit just .227 in 66 AB against LHP. With Carlos Delgado entrenched at first base, look for Franco's playing time to once again be limited.

2006

Franco says he wants to play until age 50, and at age 47 it looks possible. Franco still hits left-handed pitching well (.814 OPS) and has surprising power. As a pinch hitter off the bench or as part of a platoon he can be effective. If he plays more, he's likely to get hurt. And one of these years he's finally going to run out of gas.

2005

Franco surprised by reaching 320 AB (thanks in part to a month missed by platoon-mate Adam LaRoche) and by hitting an amazing .309 at age 45. It's hard to think that he'll get that kind of opportunity again or be able to stay healthy for that long, but he's proven he can still hit in the right situations at his advanced age.

2004

Franco's stats are amazing for a 45-year old, and he could be a useful pinch-hitter with the Braves. He had a .978 OPS against left-handed pitchers in 2003, which could keep him in a platoon. But it's very unlikely he'll have more than 200 at bats in any scenario and at his age, he's a very risky pick.

2003

Franco's stats are amazing for a 44-year old, and he could find a major-league job coming off the bench somewhere, but don't make any big bets he'll keep it up.