Jay Franklin (baseball)

John William "Jay" Franklin (born March 16, 1953) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Taken 2nd in the MLB draft in 1971 by the San Diego Padres at just 18-years old, Franklin pitched in three games before an injury caused him to sit out the 1972 season. He was relegated to the minors in 1973 and was released by the Padres organization in 1977.

Jay Franklin
Pitcher
Born: (1953-03-16) March 16, 1953
Arlington, Virginia
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 4, 1971, for the San Diego Padres
Last MLB appearance
September 21, 1971, for the San Diego Padres
MLB statistics
Win-Loss record0-1
ERA6.35
Strikeouts4
Teams

High school career

Jay Franklin attended James Madison High School (Fairfax County, Virginia) in Vienna, VA, graduating in 1971.[1]

Professional career

Franklin was selected second overall by the San Diego Padres in baseball’s amateur draft in 1971, earning a $65,000 bonus.[1] He remains Major League Baseball's highest high school draft pick from the Washington / Baltimore area.[1][2]

After being drafted by the Padres, Franklin was assigned to the Tri-City Padres of the Northwest League in Kennewick, WA, where he compiled an 8-1 record with 134 strikeouts in 104 innings.[1][3] The Padres called him up to the majors in September 1971, making him the youngest player in the National League in 1971.[4] He made his major league debut September 4th against the Atlanta Braves pitching two innings of shutout ball in relief and striking out two. He pitched out of the bullpen again on September 8th against the Cincinnati Reds giving up one unearned run in 1 1/3 innings of relief.[3] On September 21st, manager Preston Gomez gave the starting nod to Jay Franklin in another game against the Atlanta Braves.[1] After getting Felix Millan to pop out and Ralph Garr to ground out, Hank Aaron stepped up to the plate and hit his 638th career home run off Franklin. Franklin would pitch two more innings giving up home runs to both Darrell Evans and Ralph Garr before being pulled in the 3rd inning.[3]

After reporting to spring training in 1972, Franklin injured his elbow and was out for the entire season. He was injured again in 1973. Franklin spent two more seasons in Louisiana, then one each with AA Amarillo, TX, and AAA Hawaii before the Padres released him at the end of the 1977 season.[1][3]

References
  1. Barr, Josh. "Former Madison High pitcher Jay Franklin, No. 2 overall draft pick in 1971, blames subsequent problems on baseball". washingtonpost.com. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  2. Koubaroulis, BJ. "Northern Region's highest MLB draft pick continues 20-year battle with mental illness". connectionnewspapers.com. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  3. McBrayer, Wayne; Herman, Rebecca. "What happened to Jay Franklin?". Padres360.com. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
  4. "1971 NL Awards, All-Stars and Other Leaders". Baseball Reference.com. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
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