MLB: Top 20 closers in Major League Baseball history
Career Statistics:
- Games: 1,119
- Saves: 424
- Won-Loss Record: 90-87
- ERA: 2.89
- ERA+: 138
- FIP: 3.45
- WHIP: 1.333
- Innings: 1,245.2
- Strikeouts: 975
- Strikeout Percentage: 18.4%
- All-Star Appearances: 4
- World Series Championships: 0
- Awards: None
Originally drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fifth round of the 1981 amateur draft, left-hander John Franco was traded to Cincinnati in 1983 and made his Major League debut for the Reds the following season at the age of 23.
A sturdy arm out of the bullpen, Franco appeared in 121 games and made 16 saves in two years before becoming the club’s permanent closer in 1986 – his first of four All-Star seasons. After six years in Cincinnati, in which he posted a 2.49 ERA and saved 148 games, Franco was traded to the New York Mets in a deal that brought back another closer: Randy Myers.
Myers and the Reds won the World Series the following year, but Franco won the NL Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award and went on to become a team captain and one of the most beloved players in Mets history. The Mets kept Franco in the closer’s role until 1999 and he saved 276 games for the franchise until signing with the Houston Astros for his final Major League season.
Overall, Franco led the National League in saves three times. He retired as the all-time leader by a left-handed pitcher, and fourth overall, with 424 saves.
Next: 8. Bruce Sutter