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| Ryan Franklin | |
|---|---|
| Name | Ryan Franklin |
| Birth date | 31 May 1973 |
| Birth place | Shreveport, Louisiana |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in |
| Weight | 190 lb |
| Position | Pitcher |
| Bats | Right |
| Throws | Right |
| Debut | 1997, 6, 27, Seattle Mariners |
| Final | 2010, 9, 29, St. Louis Cardinals |
| Teams | * Seattle Mariners (1997–2003) * Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2003) * St. Louis Cardinals (2004–2009, 2010) * Philadelphia Phillies (2010) |
Ryan Franklin
Ryan Franklin is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1997 to 2010. Primarily a right-handed starter and later a closer, he spent the bulk of his career with the Seattle Mariners and the St. Louis Cardinals, appearing in both starting rotations and bullpens. Franklin was noted for his longevity, heavy workload in the mid-2000s, and later transition into coaching and player development roles.
Franklin was born in Shreveport, Louisiana and grew up in a region with strong high school baseball traditions. He attended local schools where he played for high school teams that competed against programs from Bossier Parish and surrounding parishes. As a standout high school prospect he attracted attention from collegiate programs and professional scouts from organizations such as the Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, and Los Angeles Dodgers. Franklin elected to pursue a professional career after being selected in the Major League Baseball draft by the Seattle Mariners; his early amateur accolades included all-region honors and invitations to showcase events that also featured future MLB players from Louisiana Tech University and LSU programs.
Franklin made his MLB debut with the Seattle Mariners in 1997 during a stretch that featured teammates such as Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martínez, and Alex Rodriguez. Over parts of seven seasons with the Mariners he served both as a rotation option and a long reliever, pitching alongside staff members like Jamie Moyer, Freddy García, and Félix Hernández in later years. Midseason roster moves sent him to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2003, where he logged starts for a rebuilding club that included players linked to the Devil Rays expansion era.
In 2004 Franklin signed with the St. Louis Cardinals, joining a pitching staff that featured Chris Carpenter, Mark Mulder, and Jeff Suppan. He became an integral member of the Cardinals, transitioning from spot starter to fifth starter and eventually to the closer role in 2009 after stints in the rotation and bullpen. Franklin's time in St. Louis overlapped with postseason appearances and clubhouse leaders such as Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina, and manager Tony La Russa. In 2010 he signed with the Philadelphia Phillies and later returned to the Cardinals on short-term deals before retiring as a player.
Franklin threw right-handed, relying on a repertoire that included a four-seam fastball, two-seam fastball, cutter, changeup, and curveball. Scouting reports compared his approach to contemporaries who emphasized pitch sequencing over extreme velocity, and he often used a sinking two-seamer to induce ground balls against lineups from the National League and American League alike. Statistically, Franklin compiled over 1,100 career strikeouts and recorded more than 1,500 strikeout innings pitched across regular-season appearances. His peak seasons included campaigns with double-digit wins and high innings totals, while his role change to closer produced a different set of metrics such as saves and inherited runners strand rates. Franklin's career earned run average (ERA), wins, losses, and advanced metrics such as Wins Above Replacement reflected fluctuation tied to health, role, and ballpark factors at T-Mobile Park (formerly Safeco Field) and Busch Stadium.
Following retirement Franklin moved into coaching and player development, joining organizational staffs that oversaw minor-league instruction and pitching development. He worked with organizations associated with veterans and prospects from Triple-A affiliates and participated in winter leagues and instructional leagues attended by players from Venezuelan Professional Baseball League and Dominican Winter League. Franklin's post-playing responsibilities included bullpen management, pitch design input, and mentoring young pitchers on mechanics, command, and in-game adjustments. He has also appeared at clinics and seminars alongside former MLB coaches and instructors from institutions such as USA Baseball and MLB's player development programs.
Outside baseball, Franklin has been involved in community activities in St. Louis and his native Louisiana, including charity events and youth baseball clinics held in partnership with local organizations and former teammates. His personal life has remained relatively private compared with some contemporaries, though he has been connected publicly to former teammates and coaches such as Albert Pujols, Tony La Russa, and Chris Carpenter through charity games and alumni events. Controversies during his career were limited but included debates over workload management and medical treatment in the context of routine MLB discussions about pitcher usage that involved figures like Durability advocates and training staff disputes; these discussions intersected with broader conversations involving clubs such as the St. Louis Cardinals and Seattle Mariners regarding rotation decisions and bullpen transitions.
Category:1973 births Category:Living people Category:Major League Baseball pitchers Category:Seattle Mariners players Category:St. Louis Cardinals players Category:Philadelphia Phillies players Category:Sportspeople from Shreveport, Louisiana