May 16, 2005
Franco File
Aaron Gleeman opines on how good Julio Franco plays for an old man.
At the end of this season Franco will join Mel Ott, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Barry Bonds, and Cap Anson as the only players in major-league history to lead their age in RCAA more than once. Normally I'd say being in such elite company is something Franco could tell his grandkids about when they grow up, but in this case they're probably old enough to read about it for themselves.
And, of course, all the others had real competition at the same age. He also includes a piece of the New York Times story on the trade of Franco from the Phillies. The article describes it as a trade where the majors players were Von Hayes and Manny Trillo. As Bill James states in his 1983 Abstract:
Manny Trillo, it should be noted, was strictly a throw-in in what was described in the papers as the Manny Trillo trade. Manny's been a good ballplayer, but he's a 32-year-old glove man who wants a big contract to stay with the team more than a year. Nobody much wants him. The essence of the swap was Hayes-for-Franco, a rare exchange of two true blue-chip prospects.
Hayes had a decent career, but never developed into a home-run hitter. His best years were 1986-1987.
Posted by David Pinto at
06:58 PM
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I loved Von Hayes. Not exactly sure why, but he was one of my favorite players. Maybe it was his name: Von. Don't forget his very good 1989 season. He was injured in '88, otherwise he probably would have put together 4 very nice seasons in a row.