When the St. Louis Cardinals signed Ryan Franklin to a one-year, $1 million deal in January 2007, they were seeking reinforcements for their depleted starting rotation. Instead, they discovered an All-Star closer who saved 84 games in five seasons with St. Louis.
When Franklin signed with the club, the defending World Series champions’ rotation was in flux. With Jason Marquis (Cubs), Jeff Suppan (Brewers), and Jeff Weaver (Mariners) signing elsewhere that offseason, and Mark Mulder expected to miss at least the first half of the 2007 season with rotator cuff surgery, the Cardinals needed starting pitching.
On January 24, 2007, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that ace Chris Carpenter, Kip Wells, and Anthony Reyes would enter the season in the first three spots in the rotation, while Braden Looper, Adam Wainwright, Brad Thompson, and Franklin would compete for the final two jobs.[1] Two weeks later, however, the competition appeared to be even more wide open, as the Post-Dispatch reported that Reyes, Wainwright, Looper, Franklin, Thompson, and lefthanded pitchers Troy Cate and Chris Narveson were competing for three open rotation spots.[2]
“We have a lot of openings in the rotation, but we have a lot of candidates also,” Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said. “This is a year where young guys have an opportunity to step up and show they can be productive. We’ve got young pitchers in the minor leagues as starters and in the major leagues as relievers. It’s their opportunity.”[3]
That opportunity was part of what drew Franklin to St. Louis, his fourth organization in less than 12 months.
“My heart is being a starter,” he said.[4]
A 23rd-round Mariners selection in the 1992 draft, Franklin was part of Team USA’s gold medal-winning 2000 Olympic team. From 2002 through 2005, he started 106 games for Seattle, peaking with a 3.57 ERA over 212 innings in 2003.
In 2006, he signed with the Phillies and was assigned to the bullpen, where he went 1-5 with a 4.58 ERA before he was traded to Cincinnati in August. With the Reds, he continued to pitch in relief, posting a 4.44 ERA over 24 1/3 innings.
When Franklin signed with the Cardinals, he asked pitching coach Dave Duncan to help him stay aggressive late in pitch counts.
“I get ahead of hitters, no problem, but then I let them get back into the hitter’s count,” Franklin said. “I had a little different scenario than I expected last season, and it really took me until August to figure it all out. … I think I’m most beneficial to the team as a starter. If that fails, I know how to work in the bullpen.”[5]
In an STLToday.com poll published in the Post-Dispatch on February 13th, 37% of fans expected Franklin to emerge as the fifth starter.[6] The following week, however, Duncan listed Carpenter, Wells, Wainwright, Reyes, and Looper as the “five guys that will get the priority.”[7]
When La Russa was asked what Duncan’s assessment may mean for Franklin, La Russa said, “You’re coming in as a little bit of an underdog.”[8]
That advantage proved too much for Franklin or any of the other candidates to overcome, as Carpenter, Wells, Wainwright, Reyes, and Looper opened the season in the starting rotation. Instead, complementing his splitfinger and cut fastball with a variety of secondary pitches, Franklin emerged as a setup man to closer Jason Isringhausen.
“Most relievers have two or three pitchers; he’s got a lot more than that,” fellow reliever Russ Springer said. “Even better, he throws them all at the bottom of the zone, which means he doesn’t strike out a lot of people, but he gets a lot on the ground.”[9]
Franklin was so successful as a setup man that in July, the Cardinals signed him to a two-year, $5 million extension with an option for 2010. The contract called for Franklin to receive $2.25 million in 2008 and $2.5 million in 2009, with a team option worth $2.75 million for 2010. If the Cardinals chose not to exercise their option for 2010, they owed Franklin a $250,000 buyout.[10]
The contract included incentives for making at least 20 starts in a season, but ultimately, Franklin proved most valuable in the bullpen. He never started a game for the Cardinals.
“As a starter, it didn’t really start getting exciting until the fifth or sixth,” he said. “Now, every time I come in it seems like I’ve got a little extra.”[11]
Franklin finished the 2007 season with a 3.04 ERA over 80 innings.
“I’m not giving myself a lot of credit, but I’m giving him a lot of credit for asking me and talking relief with me,” Springer said. “Now I think he’s comfortable in that role, and I’m not sure he’d want to start now.”[12]
In May 2008, with Jason Isringhausen struggling, Franklin became the Cardinals’ closer.
“It’s not going to be any different than the job I’ve been doing, really,” he said. “I have to get three outs under pressure. It just changes when I start getting ready.”[13]
Franklin saved 17 games for the Cardinals that season. In 2009, he saved a career-high 38 games, posted a 1.92 ERA, and was named to the All-Star Game at Busch Stadium. With Franklin holding down the closer’s role, the Cardinals won the National League Central.
“I think he appreciates being here in St. Louis,” general manager John Mozeliak said. “We took a chance on him back then and he’s made the most of it. … We’re fortunate to have him. It’s one of those things that works out well for everyone.”[14]
On September 1, 2009, Franklin signed another extension with the Cardinals, this time for two years and $6.5 million. In 2010, he went 6-2 with a 3.46 ERA and 27 saves.
The following year, however, he never found his footing, posting an 8.46 ERA in 21 appearances before he was released in June. He retired that December with 62 career wins and 84 saves over a 12-year career. Upon his retirement, Franklin was named a special assistant to the general manager.[15]
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[1] Joe Strauss, “Cards await Weaver’s decision,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 24, 2007.
[2] Derrick Goold, “Casting Call,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 11, 2007.
[3] Joe Strauss, “DeWitt insists Cardinals made fair offer to Weaver,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 1, 2007.
[4] Derrick Goold, “Casting Call,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 11, 2007.
[5] Derrick Goold, “Casting Call,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 11, 2007.
[6] “The Poll,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 13, 2007.
[7] Joe Strauss, “In a rarity, La Russa differs with Duncan,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 19, 2007.
[8] Joe Strauss, “In a rarity, La Russa differs with Duncan,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 19, 2007.
[9] Joe Strauss, “Franklin finds comfort in Cards’ bullpen,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 8, 2007.
[10] Joe Strauss, “Franklin finds comfort in Cards’ bullpen,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 8, 2007.
[11] Joe Strauss, “Franklin finds comfort in Cards’ bullpen,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 8, 2007.
[12] Joe Strauss, “Franklin finds comfort in Cards’ bullpen,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 8, 2007.
[13] Derrick Goold, “Cards Notes,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 17, 2008.
[14] Joe Strauss, “Franklin has All-Star hopes,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 28, 2009.
[15] Joe Strauss, “Cards invite Edmonds to participate in camp,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 16, 2012.