Julio Franco tells Bret what it was like growing up in the Dominican and how baseball is viewed there.
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Apple intelligence coming this fall. We mentioned earlier you started in you started in Philadelphia you went to Cleveland spent some great years in Texas where you're a three-time all-star you won a batting title in 1991. Five silver sluggers. I didn't know you had five silver sluggers but pretty darn impressive. You go in the 2000s you play for the Braves and the Mets. You finish in 2007. Go back to where you grew up. Dan Pedro's day. Mark Arise. I'm trying to get it right. The Dominican Republic has had such a huge presence in the game of Major League Baseball. Always has been. I've never been but talk to me about growing up there what it was like then now how much it's changed some shoot now we're talking in the mid-70s for you fast forward 50 years later still a huge presence in the game and I know in your country baseball is is everything and and just tell me how that's changed over a 50 year you're one of the few guys that could talk about it in 50 year increments. Well it was pretty easy in the Dominican Republic to choose what to play we know that as you know we're not a tall nation we don't have to facilitate the place soccer in American football basketball we don't have these things but we pray professional baseball and we see the how the the professional live they have nice cars my houses and and and that's something that we all drive to have this is a you know we we grew up poor in the poor country and playing baseball it was fun at the time if you see Mariano Rivera talking about the milk art and glove yeah yeah that's what we used to do too you know we used to do that we used to we used to have the broken bag and get a hammer and nail it and put some tape on it is what we use you know we get the we get the old balls and you know ripped and get some tape you're not macking tape they used to tape your ankles we tape those balls and we used to use you know and and you will try to get a sign you know $2,000 here when the scout came it was a lot of money now is in the five six million to sign the guy back then you don't have hidden culture you don't have baseball economy well the United States have all the economy here now they have the coaches American coaches all professionals get the game if you come to all those facilities you've got 10 15 18 million dollar facilities five field like spring training one main field they've been teaching English yeah it's a it's school now yeah cool yeah you got to talk to America you can speak English I mean and the players now have the facility like we talked before you guys in here you got the baseball economy like we call him the buccones a guy get a kid a 10 years old and he buying the spikes buying the glove buying the bag buying the batting glove take him to his plates feed him train him for 30 percent out of the signing bonus we didn't have that we got to do it on our own and that's the difference right nowadays and the scouts come to those academies to get kids and they stop following the kids when they're 12 years old 12 13 14 15 to sign last 16 but when they 13 14 they're already at the MLB economy here scout cinnamon seeing them they say an economy of one month at a time just to get their feet wet just to get them get them enthusiasm the attitude to see the players I mean it's a lot of difference and nowadays and you don't mean it and then what it was when I play what when I was a kid there wasn't easy back then it's easier now for them you know I think in a way a lot of positive things you know a better conditions always better the conditions the money the the eyeballs that get put on at a bigger level it it's tough to miss a kid out of the Dominican maybe back in the day they didn't see that one gem that that didn't get that you know what I'm saying so I think a lot of things about today's scouting and in the DR are for the better definitely positive but you talk about you know and it just rings to me and and I don't want to act like I grew up in that but you talk about the gloves and the mariano milk carton and taping up the balls with that man you talk about hungry for what you want to do and and I don't want to say desperate but almost desperate you know you when you get handed things and and things are a little bit easier maybe you don't work quite as hard and you're not quite as hungry so I I'm not saying go back to that and want to people to grow up poor but the hunger that you had to make it to the big leagues it's probably something that a lot of people can't really relate to money I'm always grateful I'm always grateful for the United States I'm only grateful a guy for me the United States is to open the door for so many of us not only the Americans look at me wrong all over the world to come to the United States and fulfill your dreams but you're right you know it's back then we were desperate to make it it was desperate to become a ballplayer we were desperate and to go to the United States to show just give me the opportunity and I'm going to show you that I can do it you know it wasn't easy it's easier nowadays like you say because now they have all the facilities all the equipment all the brand new balls the brand new bats the exercises all the technology I mean we don't have none of that so back then we were desperate desperate to find I mean myself I remember when when Rico Carvey Alberto Luis Alfredo Griffin all those guys come here we used to shine just to get the old balls we will wish you a broken bat so we can tape it and use it we don't have those things we don't have the spikes we don't have that it was it was just for a time because like I said I put a first fight in my feet when I signed a brand brand new first fights I mean you rip it and you take it and you take it and you take it and you take it and fix it you don't have those opportunity they don't have to store here the selling some Pedro you have to go to the capital and if you pour good love boy yeah you're your first pair of spikes didn't have your name on it and your number I thought they had your name and your number on it in a catch phrase okay I want to talk about through the years you know different techniques and obviously you were famous for having a very unique batting style we all have our style it's all important for great hitters what to get in the position when the balls in the hitting zone but we all get there in in different ways I think some of the some of the iconic batting style Julio Franco Jeff Bagwell Tony Batista on the on the far end how bizarre and he hit 40 home runs with that with that stance but you look at think of a ukulele in Boston and and a guy you mentioned Rod Carrou how did you come up with that stance well Bonnie is a great question and being born again Chris I'm gonna give the glory only to God for a couple of reasons and I'm gonna explain to you first of all for you to develop something you have to either see it and somebody has to teach it to you since I was a little kid nobody teach me how to hit like that because I didn't see anybody to hit like that but the batting that stands I don't see anybody's and nobody the top process to teach me that nobody teach me that and doesn't be wrong I have great hitting coaches and all of them helped me become a good hitter physically and mentally but when they come to my batting stance I came to this planet like that I put the bat there feels good and from there on couple hitting coaches tell me you'll never hit like that yeah no yeah back in the 80s I mean nobody hit like that and nowadays I don't think I make it I don't think I will have the opportunity to make it the big weeks if I put the bat there because no one will believe me that I could do it
