We're not going to be represented by an active player in MLB:
Julio Franco is finally calling it a career.The 49-year-old has retired from baseball, according to a report on The Seattle Times’ web site Saturday.
Franco, who played 23 major league seasons, reportedly made the announcement Wednesday to his Mexican League team - the Quintana Roo Tigers.
“It was the hardest decision in my life,” Franco said in an interview published Saturday by Mexican sports daily Record. “I always said I would be the first one to know the exact moment.
“I think the numbers speak for themselves, the production speaks and this is the right moment. I understand that my time has passed and the great men and athletes know when to say enough.”
Franco last played in the majors in 2007, when he participated in a combined 55 games between the New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves.
He batted .222 with 16 RBI, creating headlines with his lone home run - a blast that made him the oldest player to hit a homer in the majors.
The Dominican, who played with eight teams during his career in the majors, retires with a .298 average, 2,586 hits and 173 home runs.