Former Texas Rangers great Julio Franco, who was last seen playing for the Fort Worth Cats last May at the age of 55, apparently still has some baseball in his now 56-year-old bones.
Franco, who began his big-league career in 1982, will serve as a player-manager for an independent league team in Japan the Ishikawa Million Stars announced in a press release. The club will hold a press conference Tuesday but Franco will not be in attendance.
One thing the Million Stars are getting is someone who is an outstanding shape. He showed that last year when he threw out the first pitch before a Texas Rangers game and in his nine games with the Cats.
He made his major-league debut at 23 with the Philadelphia Phillies and played for eight teams in the majors, the last being Atlanta in 2008 when he was 48.
Franco has played professionally in Japan before and also in Korea and Mexico.
MORE FROM FOX SPORTS SOUTHWEST:
- Five-star recruits who were never stars in college
- Ranking NFL quarterback salaries
- Oldest player on every NBA team
