Ryan Franklin

HUSBAND, FATHER, RIGHT-HANDED pitcher, Olympic gold medalist, All-Star, 12-year major-league baseball veteran, and member of the 116-win 2001 Seattle Mariners.

Ryan Ray Franklin was born in Fort Smith, Arkansas, on March 5, 1973, to Ken and Debbie Franklin. He grew up just across the border in Spiro, Oklahoma.1 His mother owned and operated a beauty salon out of their house, and his father ran a vehicle paint and body shop. He has an older brother and sister.

Franklin excelled at Spiro High School, earning All-State honors and garnering the attention of major-league teams. The Toronto Blue Jays drafted him in the 25th round of the 1991 amateur draft, but he didn’t sign. Mariners area scout Cotton Nye, who hailed from Franklin’s birthplace of Fort Smith, first scouted Franklin when he was at Spiro High but felt he lacked the physicality for professional ball. Nye was impressed, however, with his excellent “command and pitchability” and recommended him to Lloyd Simmons, head coach of the Seminole (Oklahoma) Junior College Trojans, two hours west of Spiro.2

As a member of the Trojans, the right-hander compiled a commanding 20–0 record across two seasons. Sandwiched in between those seasons, the Mariners selected him in the 23rd round (642nd overall) in the 1992 draft as a draft-and-follow player. This distinction allowed junior college players to return to play at their school and still be eligible to sign with the major-league club after the following season. Two dominating seasons with the Trojans proved plenty, and Franklin signed with the Mariners in 1993.3 “I saw him as a future back-end starter [in the] rotation,” Nye recalled in 2025. “I signed Ryan late at night with his parents at his home in Spiro. It was one of the best and most comfortable signings I had in my career.”4

Franklin’s steady ascent through the minor leagues took him through many minor-league affiliates. Beginning in Bellingham, Washington, and with stops in Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Riverside, California; Appleton, Wisconsin; and Port City, North Carolina, Franklin plied his craft primarily as a starter through 1996. A brief and successful stop with the double-A Memphis Chicks earned him a promotion to the Tacoma Rainiers, triple-A affiliate of the Mariners in 1998. He mixed starting and relieving that season, with 16 starts and 18 relief appearances.

As of 2025, Franklin is still regarded as one of the most impactful players in the Rainiers’ history as a Seattle Mariners affiliate. In 2019, he was named as one of the Top 25 players in Rainiers history.5 In total he pitched in 110 games for Tacoma, registering a 4.32 ERA in 527 innings pitched.

After parts of seven seasons in the Mariners’ system, Franklin, standing 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, made his debut in relief with the big club on May 15, 1999. It came in the sixth inning of a slugfest between the Kansas City Royals and the Mariners in front of 38,215 fans at the Kingdome, when Franklin entered the game with the Mariners leading, 8–5. It was a shaky debut, as he surrendered two runs in 2/3 of an inning. Two days later, he threw a scoreless ninth inning against the visiting Twins despite walking three. The righty worked a third game in May, then returned in July for three more appearances. He showed early glimpses of his potential but clearly needed further development. In 11 1/3 innings, he posted a 4.76 ERA.

With Tacoma in 2000, Franklin was 11–5 with a 3.90 ERA across 22 starts and nine relief appearances. More importantly, 2000 offered an opportunity to represent his country on the world stage. While Ben Sheets will rightfully be remembered for his historic gold-medal performance in the 2000 Olympic Games, Franklin’s contributions to the team cannot be overlooked. While in Sydney, Australia, Franklin won three games, tying the Team USA single-Olympics wins mark, and did not allow a run in four appearances. He was at his best in a crucial 13-inning win over Japan, throwing four shutout frames in extra innings. He also notched the decision in a 4–2 victory over Italy that clinched a medal-round berth. In the semifinals against Korea, he bridged the late innings with scoreless relief to push the US into the gold-medal game. There, Sheets completed a 4–0 shutout of Cuba, sealing the Americans’ first gold in Olympic baseball with Franklin a critical member of manager Tommy Lasorda’s bullpen.

Deciding to pitch “Down Under” with Team USA instead of returning to the big leagues that season was not easy. In an interview with the members of Team USA published in 2020, Franklin recalled the decision: “I was having a good year in Triple A in 2000, and I was going to get called up. The Mariners told me, ‘There were no guarantees you’re going to make it, but we’ll give you the option: Do you want to go to the big leagues with expanded rosters? Or do you want to go and try to do this?’ I’m like, ‘I’ve already been in the big leagues a little bit the year before.’ So yeah, this is something I never, ever thought I would have the opportunity to do. So I went and did it.”6

It may seem nearly impossible to go from a gold medal-winning club to another team and have more success, but this happened for Franklin in 2001. His successes in the Team USA bullpen helped shape his early role with the Mariners. Franklin served as a multi-inning relief arm who stabilized the middle frames. He earned his first major-league win working three innings of scoreless middle relief during a 6–5 victory over the Rangers on April 7 in Texas.

That season, he appeared in 38 games, all in relief (closing 14 of them), posting a 5–1 record with a 3.56 ERA over 78 1/3 innings. The Mariners went 22–16 in games he pitched over the course of the season.

Looking back, the impact of the Mariners’ historic season wasn’t lost on Franklin. “It was my first full year in the major leagues,” he said in 2025. “I got spoiled being on a team winning 116 games. So the bar was set a little high for the rest of my career. [Franklin laughs]. It was a lot of fun coming to the ballpark knowing we were probably going to win. There were a lot of veterans on the team that taught me how to play and respect the game.”

Despite the steady presence he supplied in the middle innings, Franklin dressed in uniform but did not make the roster for either the Division Series against Cleveland or the Championship Series against the New York Yankees.7 This decision proved to be controversial during the Mariners’ playoff run. In an early October article reflecting on the ALDS roster, ESPN’s Rob Neyer wrote, “We saw something else that concerned me, from Seattle’s perspective, entering the series. I obviously didn’t think it would hurt the Mariners much, else I wouldn’t have predicted a sweep for them. But why on earth were Joel Piñeiro and Ryan Franklin left off the postseason roster in favor of José Paniagua and John Halama?”

Neyer went on to point out how Piñeiro and Franklin’s statistics far outpaced Paniagua and Halama and issued what would be a prophetic warning for the ALCS against the Yankees. “Seattle’s strange use of roster spots could get them in trouble if a starter gets knocked out early and their hitters are able to return the favor to the other club. The Mariners have a great bullpen in the seventh inning and later, but they›re not so hot in the fourth through sixth,” wrote Neyer. Game Five of the American League Championship Series saw the Yankees capitalize on a key error by Mariners second baseman Bret Boone. After four innings, the Mariners trailed, 5–0, but the game was still within reach entering the sixth before the bullpen gave up four more runs to render a late Mariners rally moot.8

Franklin’s minor-league work as a starter and his 2001 work in middle and long relief presented him with an opportunity to earn starts in future seasons. He entered 2002 spring training in the mix to win the fifth starter role but lost to Piñeiro. Franklin did get his chance early in April, however, as manager Lou Piniella elected to break up the lefties Jamie Moyer and Halama. Franklin showed his familiar poise to the media ahead of his starting debut and shrugged off any pre-start jitters after being told of the assignment. “I don’t feel like I’m nervous now, but I might be a little that night,” Franklin said at the time. “It’s good to know [Piniella] has enough confidence in me, and hopefully I’ll have a good start and get some more.”9 Over the course of the season, Franklin logged time in the rotation (12 starts) and the ‘pen (29 relief appearances and 10 games finished), but his best outing was one of his last ones that season, an 8 1/3 inning, three-hit, two-run, nine-strikeout performance against the Rangers to keep the Mariners’ diminishing playoff hopes alive.10

The steps forward he took in the rotation late in 2002 carried over 2003 with him having the strongest season in his career. Even the Seattle Post-Intelligencer’s long-time writer Art Thiel went as far as to describe Franklin as pitching “more like a No. 1 starter” after a two-hit shutout in late July.11 Franklin’s success wasn’t reliant on pitching in the spacious dimensions of Seattle’s home field; he boasted a 3.21 ERA on the road compared to 3.83 at home. Unfortunately, despite 212 innings pitched and a 3.57 ERA across 32 starts, Franklin suffered from a lack of run support. He finished the season with an 11–13 record.

After a dynamic 2003 season, Franklin was open to experimenting with his repertoire to stay one step ahead of hitters in 2004. That spring training, he added a split-finger. “I’m hoping it will be a decent out pitch for me,” Franklin said. “I’ve got other pitches that can be an out pitch, but with the splitter, [the hitter] has got to either swing and miss or swing and hit a grounder.”12 He’d keep the pitch in his arsenal for the majority of his career, although it did not immediately buoy his performance. After back-to-back 93-win seasons in 2002 and 2003, the Mariners could not replicate their success, and Franklin’s production slipped. Once again suffering from poor run support, he went 4–16 with a 4.90 ERA in 2004.

The following year proved to be the most challenging of Franklin’s career. In spring training, he was confident he would put a disappointing 2004 behind him. Though it appeared his starting role was not guaranteed entering 2005, he used that lack of a guarantee as motivation.13 In the early part of the season, Franklin was making good on that promise with an ERA two full runs below his previous season’s output. Unfortunately, a handful of rough outings ballooned his ERA. As of July 31, 2005, Franklin owned a 6–11 record and 4.61 ERA. The following day news broke that he was being suspended 10 days for a positive performance-enhancing drug test. In the aftermath, Franklin maintained innocence and stated that he tested negative after the earlier positive test. He submitted multiple supplements that he was taking to the Major League Players Association during his appeal. “There’s got to be a flaw in the testing,” Franklin said at the time. “I have no clue. I don’t understand it.”14 Franklin returned in mid-August, but as the dust settled on the 2005 season, he went 8–15 with a career high 5.10 ERA. After that season, Franklin parted ways with Seattle via free agency. He never tested positive for a banned substance again for the remainder of his career.

Franklin is remembered for being a workhorse during his Mariners tenure. From 2003 to 2005, he made 30 or more starts each season and averaged over 200 innings pitched. Never known as a strikeout artist, Franklin embraced the art of pitching, mixing and matching from a diverse repertoire. Looking back, he credited the cutter he developed while with Seattle for helping him attack left-handed hitters.

Franklin’s time in the major leagues will forever be linked to Seattle and St. Louis, but he also spent abbreviated time with the Phillies and Reds. Exclusively a reliever in 2006 for both teams, Franklin struggled to find a footing in the bullpen. His teammate with the Phillies, Shane Victorino, reflected on his experience with Franklin several years later. “He was a guy that was good in Seattle and then unfortunately some things didn’t go right his way,” Victorino said. “Then when he came to Philadelphia he was changed away from the starter to the bullpen and he never really found his groove.”15 Franklin was traded to the Reds during an August waiver deal as Cincinnati was tied for the National League Wild Card. While the Reds did not make the postseason, Franklin was a dependable arm down the stretch, racking up a 5–2 record with a 4.44 ERA for Cincinnati.

Franklin’s second act as a reliever took off in the Cardinals’ organization, though relieving wasn’t his initial goal upon signing with St. Louis. “My heart is being a starter,” he said.16 He entered spring training in the mix to win a starting role but was edged out by Adam Wainwright and Braden Looper.

Franklin emerged as a dependable member of the 2007 St. Louis bullpen, often pitching in a setup role. Despite his desire to become a starter, he began to publicly embrace the added pressure that came with pitching out of the bullpen. “As a starter, it didn’t really start getting exciting until the fifth or sixth,” Franklin said. “Now, every time I come in it seems like I’ve got a little extra.”17 Only saving one game in his debut season in St. Louis, he still showed off the intangibles necessary to earn more save opportunities in future seasons. Those opportunities presented early in 2008 when Cardinals closer Jason Isringhausen struggled to begin the season. In mid-May, Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa named Franklin the closer, beginning a three-year (2008–2010) run as one of the most reliable back-end relievers in the game. His pitching style continued to focus less on strikeouts than on generating weak outs.

In 2009 it all came together for Franklin, who now emphasized his cutter on his way to compiling a 1.92 ERA and 38 saves in 61 innings. Along the way, he earned an All-Star nod, a two-year contract extension worth $6.5 million, and NL Reliever of the Year honors. He also appeared in the postseason for the only time in his career.18

The 2009 All-Star Game appearance was a moment that Franklin cherished, especially given that it took place in St. Louis in front of his home crowd and considering the long road that it took to reach those heights. “I think that [it’s] better late than never,” Franklin said. “… But [I’ll] definitely, definitely relish this the rest of my life.”19 In the third inning, he squared off against a fearsome trio of Derek Jeter, Joe Mauer, and Mark Teixeira who finished the year as the top three in the American League MVP voting. In signature Ryan Franklin fashion, he remained unfazed and racked up three weak outs.

After a sterling 2009, Franklin entered the 2010 season, comfortable closing. Despite years of moving between starting and relieving, Franklin had fully embraced a closer’s mentality. “After doing all the jobs of pitching, this was definitely the toughest,” Franklin said. “If you don’t get the job done you go home a loser. You get the job done and everybody wins.”20 That mentality proved fruitful as Franklin saved 27 games with only two blown saves while pitching to a 3.46 ERA in 65 innings on the season.

The successes he experienced in the previous seasons of his Cardinals tenure didn’t carry over to 2011. Franklin blew four of his first five save opportunities and the result was immediate calls by fans and media to remove him from the closer’s role.21 Franklin was moved to lower-leverage outings soon after, but the production didn’t turn around. Frustration got to both the Cardinals’ fans and Franklin himself after another rough outing. In response to a chorus of boos, the Cardinals’ former closer dropped a memorable line. Referencing the popular “Best Fans in Baseball” moniker the Cardinals’ fanbase had adopted, Franklin pushed back. “They are supposed to be the best fans in baseball. Yeah right,” Franklin said.22 The Cardinals cut Franklin at the end of June 2011.23

Franklin retired following the 2011 season. His career totaled a 62–76 record with a 4.14 ERA and 84 saves in 1,201 innings pitched. He finished his career with a .977 fielding percentage and managed two hits in 26 career plate appearances.

After retiring, Franklin remained with St. Louis where he served as a special assistant to the general manager from 2012–2020. In that role, Franklin had a multitude of responsibilities, including amateur and professional scouting as well as being sent on assignment to minor-league affiliates to work with players and evaluate internal prospects.24 As of the close of 2025, he wasn’t currently involved in professional baseball, but other members of his family were. His nephews, right-handers Kohl and Kaemyn Franklin, both began professional careers in the Chicago Cubs system. Ryan and his wife, Annie, have been married for 30 years and are parents to four children: Logan, Teegan, Casen, and Kaylin. The Franklins have three grandchildren—Hayes, Bekan, and Teddy.

SOURCES

In preparing this biography, the author relied heavily on interviews with Ryan Franklin, utilized statistics available from Baseball-Reference.com, and reviewed an earlier article from STLRedBirds.com from Richard Bray.

NOTES

1 Ryan Franklin, telephone interview, September 26, October 1, and December 2, 2025. Unless otherwise indicated, all direct quotations attributed to Franklin come from these interviews.

2 Cotton Nye, telephone interview, December 2, 2025.

3 “Ryan Franklin – Baseball,” Seminole State Athletics.https://sscathletics.com/sports/bsb/past-players/bios/franklinryan. Accessed July 12, 2025.

4 Nye.

5 “Top 25 All-Time Rainers: No. 21 Ryan Franklin,” MiLB.com. February 28, 2019. https://www.milb.com/news/top-25-all-time-rainiers-no-21-ryan-franklin-304588668. Accessed June 21, 2025.

6 Adam McCalvy, “Baseball’s ‘Miracle on Grass’: An Oral History.” MLB.com, September 27, 2024. https://www.mlb.com/news/featured/oral-history-team-usa-wins-gold-at-2000-olympics. Accessed May 17, 2025.

7 John Marshall, “Answer Guy: Some players all dressed up, with no chance of playing” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, October 18, 2001. https://www.seattlepi.com/sports/baseball/article/answer-guy-some-players-all-dressed-up-with-no-1069298.php. Accessed November 18, 2025.

8 Rob Neyer, “October 2001 Archives,” ESPN, October 16, 2001. https://www.espn.com/mlb/s/2001/1002/1258104.html. Accessed November 18, 2025.

9 David Andriesen, “Mariners Notebook: Franklin gets the start,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, April 12, 2002. https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/mariners-notebook-franklin-gets-the-start-1085732.php. Accessed November 18, 2025.

10 David Andriesen, “Franklin shines as M’s top Texas,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, September 17, 2002. https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/franklin-shines-as-m-s-top-texas-1096337.php. Accessed November 18, 2025.

11 Art Thiel, “Garcia, Franklin: Opposite options,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, July 23, 2003. https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/garcia-franklin-opposite-options-1120076.php. Accessed November 24, 2025.

12 John Hinkey, “Mariners Notebook: Franklin trying a splitter,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, March 24, 2004: 13. https://www.seattlepi.com/sports/article/mariners-notebook-franklin-trying-a-splitter-1140418.php. Accessed November 24, 2025.

13 John Hickey, “Mariners Notebook: Franklin fortifies case for rotation,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, March 18, 2004. https://www.seattlepi.com/sports/baseball/article/mariners-notebook-franklin-fortifies-case-for-1168957.php. Accessed November 24, 2025.

14 Jon Paul Morosi, “Franklin suspended over steroids,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, August 1, 2005. https://www.seattlepi.com/sports/baseball/article/franklin-suspended-over-steroids-1179666.php. Accessed November 24, 2025.

15 Luke Thompson, “Spiro’s Ryan Franklin happy to be an All-Star,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch. July 15, 2009. https://www.oklahoman.com/story/sports/mlb/2009/07/15/sprios-ryan-franklin-happy-to-be-an-all-star/61385909007/. Accessed September 12, 2025.

16 Richard Bray, “How Ryan Franklin became an All-Star Cardinals closer,” STLRedBirds.com. https://www.stlredbirds.com/2024/12/26/how-ryan-franklin-became-an-all-star-cardinals-closer/. Accessed September 12, 2025.

17 Bray.

18 Franklin appeared twice in the NLDS against the Dodgers. He blew a save in Game One and pitched a scoreless ninth inning in the Cardinals’ Game Two loss. The Dodgers swept the best-of-five series.

19 Bray.

20 Tom D’Angelo, “St. Louis Cardinals’ Ryan Franklin comfortable in closer’s role,” The Palm Beach Post, February 19, 2010. https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/sports/mlb/2010/02/20/st-louis-cardinals-ryan-franklin/7323219007/. Accessed December 11, 2025.

21 Rob Neyer, “Should the Cardinals Demote Closer Ryan Franklin?” SB Nation, April 18, 2011. https://www.sbnation.com/2011/4/18/2118531/st-louis-cardinals-ryan-franklin. Accessed December 12, 2025.

22 Drew Silva, “Franklin: ‘They’re Supposed to Be the Best Fans in Baseball,’” NBC Sports, April 21, 2011. https://www.nbcsports.com/mlb/news/franklin-theyre-supposed-to-be-the-best-fans-in-baseball. Accessed December 15, 2025.

23 “MLB Notes: Cardinals Cut Former All-Star Closer Franklin,” Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Washington), June 30, 2011. https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2011/jun/30/cardinals-cut-former-all-star-closer-franklin/. Accessed December 15, 2025.

24 Jenifer Langosch, “Cards let Franklin scratch itch to return to baseball,” MLB.com, January 9, 2015. https://www.mlb.com/news/cardinals-let-ryan-franklin-scratch-itch-to-return-to-baseball/c-105939058. Accessed December 11, 2025.