Ryan Ray Franklin (born March 5, 1973), is an American former

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 ...

, who 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

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has been Citize ...

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

, and St. Louis Cardinals. Franklin currently works in the Cardinals’ front office.

Early life

He was born in

Fort Smith, Arkansas Fort Smith is the third-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 89,142. It is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas–Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area ...

and grew up in

Spiro, Oklahoma Spiro is a town in Le Flore County, Oklahoma, United States. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,164 at the 2010 census, a 2.8 percent decline from the figure of 2,227 recorded in 200 ...

. He graduated from high school in Spiro in 1991 and was named to the All-State baseball team. He went to Seminole Junior College, in Oklahoma, where he had a 20–0 win–loss record over two years.

Playing career

Seattle Mariners

Franklin was drafted by the

in the 23rd round of the 1992 MLB draft but chose to return to school. He signed his first MLB contract with the team on May 21, 1993. He made his MLB debut in 1999, appearing in 6 games. In 2000, he began the season in Triple-A, and then decided (with club permission) to not play at the MLB in September in order to participate in the Olympics. During those Olympics in Sydney, he and his teammates won a gold medal, defeating Cuba 4–0 in the title game. After missing the 2000 season in the big leagues, Franklin posted a strong spring training and won a job in the Mariners bullpen, appearing in 38 games. The next season, Franklin began the season in the bullpen but after the first half of the season, was moved to the rotation. He finished with a record of 7–5 in 41 appearances, 12 starts. In 2003, Franklin began in the rotation and was one of the Mariners most consistent starters, posting an ERA of 3.57 in 212 innings. He tied for the Major League lead in home runs allowed in 2003, with 34. In 2004, Franklin and the whole Seattle team struggled, losing 99 games. Franklin for his part went 4–16 with a 4.90 ERA in 200 innings. He struck out a career high 104. In 2005, he went 8–15 with a career high 5.10 in 190 innings. He struck out 93. After the 2005 season, Franklin filed for

free agency 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 ...

Philadelphia Phillies

On January 13, Franklin signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract with the

. Franklin shifted back to a bullpen role, appearing in 46 games.

Cincinnati Reds

On August 7, 2006, Franklin was traded to the

for a player to be named later, who turned out to be minor league pitcher Zac Stott. Franklin pitched the rest of the season out of the bullpen, appearing in 20 games.

St. Louis Cardinals

On January 22, , Franklin signed with the St. Louis Cardinals on a one-year, $1 million contract. He signed a two-year, $5 million contract extension with a $2.75 million club option for 2010 on July 5, 2007. He was promoted to closer on May 17, . Franklin was named to the

2009 All-Star Game 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Arabic digit In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra a ...

roster. On September 1, , Franklin signed a two-year, $6.5 million contract extension with the Cardinals. In 2009, he finished the regular season with a 1.92 ERA, and 38 saves. On April 19, 2011, Franklin (who blew 2 saves in 29 chances in the 2010 season) was removed from his closer role after (among other struggles on the mound) blowing four saves in five chances to start the 2011 season. Despite the poor season he is still considered a World Series Champion in 2011 with the St. Louis Cardinals. He was released on June 29, after recording an 8.46 ERA, giving up 44 hits (.367

batting average against In baseball statistics, batting average against (denoted by BAA or AVG), also known as opponents' batting average (denoted by OBA), is a statistic that measures a pitcher's ability to prevent hits during official at bats. It can alternatively be ...

), nine home runs, walking seven and striking out 17 in 27 2/3 innings for a 1.84

WHIP A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally ...

in 21 games with the Cardinals in 2011. He retired on December 9, 2011.

International career

Franklin was a member of the gold medal-winning

Team USA The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

at the

2000 Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug language, Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport ...

, where he had a 3-0 pitching record in 4 appearances.

Personal life

He is married to Angie Romberg and the couple has four children: Logan, Teegan, Casen, and Kaylin. He and his family live in

Shawnee, Oklahoma Shawnee ( sac, Shânîheki) is a city in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 29,857 in 2010, a 4.9 percent increase from the figure of 28,692 in 2000. The city is part of the Oklahoma City-Shawnee Combined Statistical ...

. His nephew, Kohl, is a professional baseball player in the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

organization. On August 2, , Franklin became the eighth MLB player, and second Mariner, to test positive for

steroid A steroid is a biologically active organic compound with four rings arranged in a specific molecular configuration. Steroids have two principal biological functions: as important components of cell membranes that alter membrane fluidity; and ...

use, receiving a ten-day suspension. On December 13, , he was named in the

Mitchell Report The ''Report to the Commissioner of Baseball of an Independent Investigation into the Illegal Use of Steroids and Other Performance Enhancing Substances by Players in Major League Baseball'', informally known as the Mitchell Report, is the res ...

to the Commissioner of Baseball of an Independent Investigation Into the Illegal Use of Steroids and Other Performance Enhancing Substances by Players in Major League Baseball.

References

External links

Ryan Franklin
at Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Professional Baseball League)
St. Louis Cardinals Scouts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Franklin, Ryan 1973 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada American sportspeople in doping cases Appleton Foxes players Baseball players at the 2000 Summer Olympics Baseball players from Arkansas Bellingham Mariners players Calgary Cannons players Cincinnati Reds players Everett AquaSox players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players suspended for drug offenses Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Memphis Chicks players National League All-Stars Navegantes del Magallanes players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Olympic gold medalists for the United States in baseball Philadelphia Phillies players Port City Roosters players Riverside Pilots players Seattle Mariners players Seminole State Trojans baseball players Sportspeople from Fort Smith, Arkansas St. Louis Cardinals players St. Louis Cardinals scouts Tacoma Rainiers players Tigres de Aragua players