Franklyn Germán
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| Position | Relief pitcher |
| Team | Texas Rangers |
| Years of Experience | 4 years |
| Age | 26 |
| Height | 6 ft 7 in (2.04 m) |
| Weight | 260 lb (117 kg) |
| Bats | Right |
| Throws | Right |
| College | N/A |
| 2005 Salary | $300,000 |
| Place of Birth | San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic |
| Selection | |
| Drafted by | Undrafted (amateur free agent, signed with Oakland) |
| Major League Debut | September 7, 2002 |
Franklyn Miguel Germán Madé was born January 20, 1980 in San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic). He is a right-handed relief pitcher for the Texas Rangers franchise. As of the end of the 2006 season, he has a career ERA of 4.60, with 8 wins, 4 losses and 7 saves while appearing in 138 games, all in relief. He is a particularly large man for a pitcher, standing 6 ft 7 in (2.04 m) tall and weighing 260 lb (117 kg), which lends him a degree of batter intimidation, like most taller-than-average pitchers possess.
His pitch arsenal includes a blazing, 100+ mph fastball, and a very effective offspeed pitch due to his large stature. He works mostly in middle relief and sometimes as a set-up man for the team's closer, although many baseball pundits expect that he'll become a closer himself within the next few seasons.
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[edit] Early career
Germán was acquired by the Detroit Tigers on July 5, 2002, in a three-team trade between the Tigers, Oakland Athletics, and New York Yankees. He and first baseman Carlos Peña, along with a player to be named later (who turned out to be pitcher Jeremy Bonderman), was traded by Oakland to Detroit in exchange for pitcher Jeff Weaver, whom Oakland then traded to New York for pitcher Ted Lilly, outfielder John-Ford Griffin, and minor league pitcher Jason Arnold. Germán never played for Oakland, though he did spend 1997-2002 in their rookie league, A, and AA minor league affiliates before being traded.
During his rookie season (2003), he was known for his questionable ability to get batters out and as a result was generally unpopular with Detroit Tigers fans. Accordingly, he was subject to large amounts of criticism from the long-suffering Tigers fans, who haven't seen their team finish with a winning record since 1993.
[edit] Current career
Germán's inconsistency on the mound was in contrast to the Tigers' two primary starters at the time, Bonderman and lefty Mike Maroth, who were regarded to possess Major League talent but frequently suffered from insufficient run support on a team in the midst of having the worst season in American League history—that year, the Tigers set a new record for total losses (119), eclipsing the previous record (117) held by the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics. After spending much of the 2004 season on the Tigers' AAA minor league team, the Toledo Mud Hens, his form on the mound improved greatly, and he made the Tigers' 2005 opening day roster. Since then he has proven himself to be a viable relief option in any Major League bullpen.
After a mediocre spring training in 2006, the Tigers left Germán unprotected on the waiver wire by designating him for another assignment to Toledo. He didn't clear waivers, however, and on April 4, 2006, he was claimed on waivers by the Florida Marlins, and earned a spot on their opening day roster. This leaves Bonderman as the only player involved in the July 2002 three-team trade that is still, as of 2006, on the team he was traded to.
German became a minor league free agent after the 2006 season, and on November 17, 2006, signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers.
[edit] Personal life
Germán is married and has one child with his wife Luisa. The spend their offseasons residing in Palenque, Dominican Republic
Germán usually plays for Leones del Escogido in the Dominican Winter Baseball League, and played for the World Team during the 2002 All-Star Futures Game, which was won, 5-1, by the World Team.
He wears uniform number 62 for the Marlins.
Germán is pronounced using the soft Spanish G, making his surname sound like Hairmon when spoken. His Marlins uniform doesn't include the accent mark over the a, so many spectators unaware of the mechanics of the Spanish language refer to him as German, as if referring to someone from Germany.
[edit] MLB team tenure
- Detroit Tigers (2002-2005)
- Florida Marlins (2006)
