St. Louis Cardinals hand aging Ryan Franklin his unconditional release – MLB News
Ryan Franklin was unable to hit form this season for the St. Louis Cardinals and the management did not have a polite answer to this. Already giving ample chances to the right-handed pitcher, the management decided to hand Franklin his unconditional release,
completely cutting ties with the player.
Ryan joined the Cardinals in the 2007 season and his performances since had earned him the closer’s job in the All-Star Team in 2009. His statistics in 2009 were astonishing when he managed 38 saves at an ERA of 1.92. He was brilliant in 2010 as well, managing
27 saves at an impressive ERA of 3.46.
This year he has been in all sorts of pitching problems and this is nothing new in baseball. Plummeting from high-form is just a matter of few bad pitches. In 2011, Franklin has managed just one save and has been hammered 27 runs, nine of which have been
home-runs. Five of the nine home-runs have come in the last four appearances. Ryan’s win-loss record of 1-4, coming at an ERA of 8.46, is a true picture of the suffering he has had this season.
Franklin’s performance against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday, June 28 triggered the management to make this decision sooner than later. He gave away two runs and three hits against the Orioles, including a home-run. It was apparent that his spark as a
closer was now nearing an end.
John Mozeliak, the General Manager for the St. Louis Cardinals, explaining this decision said that Franklin just could not hit back on form, even after numerous chances and the decision has been made in the best interest of the team. Mozeliak said, "It just
came to a tipping point."
This decision could be in the best interest of Franklin too. Given an opportunity with some other team, Franklin may get to re-discover his lost charisma in pitching and end his blue patch. However, at the age of 38, chances are bleak of another run given
the intense nature of competition.
Franklin became prominent at the Cardinals’ bull-pen when he took over the closer’s role from Jason Isringhausen. He was faced with a similar problem but has since joined the New York Mets and is on a roll for them. Franklin will hope for something comparable,
if not equal.
The St. Louis Cardinals, on the other hand, purchased the contract of Brandon Dickson from Triple-A Memphis on Thursday, June 30, to complete their roster. Dickson had been performing above par with the Memphis, yielding a 4-7 win-loss record from 16 games
with an ERA of 3.86. The Cardinals will be hopeful of the 26-year-old Dickson to replicate his performances in the Major League. He will be the eighth player to make his MLB debut with the St. Louis Cardinals this season.
Tags: