Random Topps Card of the Day: 2004 Topps #593 Franklyn German

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Tuesday, March 12, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2004 Topps #593.
• Player Name, position, team: Franklyn German, pitcher, Detroit Tigers.
• Major League Debut: September 7, 2002.
• Last Line of Statistics: 2003 stats (Tigers): 45 G, 44.2 IP, 2-4, 32 R, 30 ER, 41 SO, 45 BB, 0 GS, 0 CG, 0 SHO, 5 SV, 2.06 WHIP, 6.04 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Signed with the Athletics as a Free Agent 07/02/1996. Traded by the Athletics to the Tigers 07/05/2002. Bats: right. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 2. This is his second and final Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "Franklyn is so highly regarded as a future closer, he made the 2002 Sportsticker All-Prospect Team at that spot."
• Commentary: I wasn't sure what Sportsticker (is it Sports Ticker or Sport Sticker?) was, let alone why they picked German as the closer on that team. So I looked it up. It actually is SportsTicker, and comes from a company called SportsTicker Enterprises LP. It is classified as a "Holding Company For Sports Wire Services." The major sports networks have used this company for the scrolling news at the bottom of the screen (similar to the business reports that have the stocks running continuously). How legitimate was this team? The 2002 Team, which Franklyn German was a part of, included Victor Martinez (C), Jason Stokes (1B, over Adrian Gonzalez...it says so in the article), Orlando Hudson (2B), Mark Teixeira (3B), Jose Reyes (SS), Rocco Baldelli, Carl Crawford, and Joe Borchard (OF), Kirk Saarloos, Brett Myers, Jerome Williams (RHP), and Billy Traber (LHP). For German's inclusion, the article states that he had "28 saves and fanned 85 in 61 inings." Used primarily in the bullpen, Franklyn Miguel (Madé) Germán was the victim of being on a couple of really bad Tigers teams. Decent won-loss records gave way to extremely high ERA's, WHIP, and low save totals even though he finished 40 of the 126 games he appeared). In 2004, he appeared in 16 games for the Tigers during a couple of call-ups during the year (a brief run in late June-early July, and again in September), pitching in 14.2 innings allowing 12 earned runs (for an ERA of 7.36) and striking out 8. In his first (and only) full season with the Tigers in 2005, he actually did a lot better. He finished 19 games (out of 58), going 4-0 and achieving a decent ERA of 3.66. He was placed on waivers by the Tigers in April, 2006, was picked up by the Marlins and made the team's Opening Day roster. He pitched in 16 games for the Marlins before being sent down to the minors in May. After signing a minor league contract with the Rangers in 2007 (playing for the Oklahoma City RedHawks), Franklhn made it back to the majors the following year with the Rangers. Although he went 1-3 with 9 games finished (no saves) in 17 games, German was designated for assignment. He signed on with the Pirates when the Rangers could not find a place for him, and was subsequently traded to the White Sox two months later. He did not appear with either team that year. In fact, those last games with Texas would be the last he would pitch in the majors. After finishing the season with the White Sox' affiliate in Charlotte, German was out of baseball. In 2011, he joined the Diablos Rojos of Mexico in the Mexican League.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.07-$0.20.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 2.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1985 Topps #183. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. We're looking back at a card from 1985 here on the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama