Enderson Daniel Franco (born December 29, 1992) is a Venezuelan
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Modern professiona ...
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, who attempts to e ...
for the
Fubon Guardians
The Fubon Guardians () are a professional baseball team in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) in Taiwan. The team is owned by Fubon Financial Holding Co. and play their home games at Xinzhuang Baseball Stadium in New Taipei City.
H ...
of the
Chinese Professional Baseball League
The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL; ) is the top-tier professional baseball league in Taiwan. The league was established in 1989 and played the first season in 1990. CPBL eventually absorbed the competing Taiwan Major League in 2 ...
(CPBL). He has played in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...
(MLB) for the
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...
and in the
KBO League
The KBO League (), officially the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League, is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers are ...
(KBO) for the
Lotte Giants
The Lotte Giants ( ko, 롯데 자이언츠) are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Busan. They are a member of the KBO League. The Lotte Giants are owned by Lotte Corporation, which also owns the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Pr ...
. Franco was signed as an international
free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
by the
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...
in 2009. He made his MLB debut in 2019.
Career
Houston Astros
Franco was signed as an international
free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
by the
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...
on July 4, 2009. He spent the 2010 with the
DSL Astros
The Dominican Summer League Astros, or DSL Astros, is a minor league baseball team of the Dominican Summer League, and a Rookie-level affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Boca Chica, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. From 2014 ...
, going 1–3 with a 3.67 ERA in 34 innings. He spent the 2011 season with the
Gulf Coast Astros
The Florida Complex League Astros are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Houston Astros, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to the 2021 season, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Astros. The team plays i ...
, going 1–2 with a 4.40 ERA in 47 innings. He returned to the GCL Astros in 2012, going 3–2 with a 4.86 ERA in 50 innings. In 2013, he played for the
Greeneville Astros
The Greeneville Astros were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Rookie-level Appalachian League from 2004 to 2017. They represented the town of Greeneville, Tennessee, though Pioneer Park, their home stadium, was located in nearby ...
, going 2–5 with a 5.05 ERA in 51.2 innings.
Tampa Bay Rays
Franco selected by the
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home v ...
in the Triple-A phase of the 2013
Rule 5 draft. He played for the
Hudson Valley Renegades
Hudson may refer to:
People
* Hudson (given name)
* Hudson (surname)
* Henry Hudson, English explorer
* Hudson (footballer, born 1986), Hudson Fernando Tobias de Carvalho, Brazilian football right-back
* Hudson (footballer, born 1988), Hudson ...
in 2014, going 7–3 with a 3.28 ERA in 68.2 innings. He opened the 2015 season with the
Bowling Green Hot Rods
The Bowling Green Hot Rods are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and play their home games at Bowling Green Ballpark, which op ...
, going 5–6 with a 3.89 ERA in 71.2 innings.
[
]
Miami Marlins
On July 3, 2015, Franco was traded to the Miami Marlins
The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park.
The fra ...
in exchange for international bonus slots. He finished the 2015 season with Greensboro Grasshoppers
The Greensboro Grasshoppers are a Minor League Baseball team based in Greensboro, North Carolina. They are members of the South Atlantic League and are the High-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They play their home games at First National ...
, going 1–6 with 7.29 ERA in 54 innings.
Atlanta Braves
Franco was selected by the Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in B ...
in the minor-league phase of 2015 Rule 5 draft. He played for the Carolina Mudcats
The Carolina Mudcats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Zebulon, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh, and play their home games at Five County Stadium. ...
in 2016, going 6–12 with a 4.69 ERA in 144 innings (3rd in the Carolina League
The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 un ...
). Franco was selected as a member of the Venezuela national baseball team
The Venezuela national baseball team (Spanish: ''Selección de béisbol de Venezuela'') is the national team of Venezuela. It is currently ranked sixth in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confederation, directly behind the US and ahead ...
at the 2017 World Baseball Classic
The 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, composed of 16 competing nations, held from March 6 to March 22, 2017. It was the fourth iteration of the World Baseball Classic. The first-round hosts ...
. He split the 2017 season between the Rome Braves
The Rome Braves are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They are located in Rome, Georgia, and play their home games at AdventHealth Stadium. From 2003 to 2020, the team served ...
, Florida Fire Frogs
The Florida Fire Frogs were a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League from 2017 to 2020. They were located in North Port, Florida, and served as the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Atlanta Braves.
Founded in 2017, the Fire Frogs ...
, and the Gwinnett Braves
The Gwinnett Stripers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at Coolray Field in unincorporated Gwinnett County, Georgia (with a Lawrencevi ...
, going 6–6 with a 3.86 ERA in 120 innings. He split the 2018 season between the Mississippi Braves
The Mississippi Braves, or M-Braves as they are referred to locally, are a Minor League Baseball team based in Pearl, Mississippi, a suburb of Jackson. The team is the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and plays in the Southern League. ...
and the Gwinnett Stripers
The Gwinnett Stripers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at Coolray Field in unincorporated Gwinnett County, Georgia (with a Lawrencevi ...
, going a combined 7–9 with a 3.85 ERA in 132 innings.
San Francisco Giants
Franco elected free agency following the 2018 season, and signed a minor league with the San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...
on January 24, 2019. He spent the 2019 minor league season with the Sacramento River Cats
The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics for 15 yea ...
, going 6–5 with a 5.97 ERA in 113 innings.
On September 15, 2019, the Giants selected Franco's contract and promoted him to the major leagues. He made his major league debut on September 18 versus the Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eig ...
, allowing one run over one inning of relief. In 2019 in five relief appearances for the Giants, he pitched 5.1 innings and had a 3.38 ERA. On June 30, 2020, Franco was outrighted off of the 40-man roster. He did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
. He became a free agent on November 2, 2020.
Lotte Giants
On November 21, 2020, Franco signed a $245K contract with the Lotte Giants
The Lotte Giants ( ko, 롯데 자이언츠) are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Busan. They are a member of the KBO League. The Lotte Giants are owned by Lotte Corporation, which also owns the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Pr ...
of the KBO League
The KBO League (), officially the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League, is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers are ...
. The contract also includes a $55K signing bonus. He made his KBO debut on April 6, 2021. Franco became a free agent following the season.
Generales de Durango
On March 2, 2022, Franco signed with the Generales de Durango
The Generales de Durango (English: Durango Generals) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League (LMB) that was established in November 2016. The team is based in Durango, the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Durango. ...
of the Mexican League
The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country.
The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...
. In 6 starts, he posted a 0–3 record with a 9.85 ERA over 28.1 innings pitched. Franco was released on May 25, 2022.
Fubon Guardians
On June 17, 2022, Franco signed with the Fubon Guardians
The Fubon Guardians () are a professional baseball team in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) in Taiwan. The team is owned by Fubon Financial Holding Co. and play their home games at Xinzhuang Baseball Stadium in New Taipei City.
H ...
of the Chinese Professional Baseball League
The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL; ) is the top-tier professional baseball league in Taiwan. The league was established in 1989 and played the first season in 1990. CPBL eventually absorbed the competing Taiwan Major League in 2 ...
.
See also
*Rule 5 draft results
Below are lists of Rule 5 draft results since 1997. Players selected in the Major League Baseball (MLB) phase of the Rule 5 draft must be kept on their new team's active roster for the entire following MLB season, or they are placed on waivers ...
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Franco, Enderson
1992 births
Living people
Bowling Green Hot Rods players
Carolina Mudcats players
Dominican Summer League Astros players
Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic
Florida Fire Frogs players
Generales de Durango players
Greeneville Astros players
Greensboro Grasshoppers players
Gulf Coast Astros players
Gwinnett Braves players
Gwinnett Stripers players
Hudson Valley Renegades players
Lotte Giants players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Major League Baseball players from Venezuela
Mississippi Braves players
Navegantes del Magallanes players
Sportspeople from Anzoátegui
Rome Braves players
Sacramento River Cats players
San Francisco Giants players
Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Mexico
Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in South Korea
Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States
World Baseball Classic players of Venezuela
2017 World Baseball Classic players
Fubon Guardians players
Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Taiwan