Ben Francisco

Ben Francisco
New York Yankees – No. 45
Outfielder / Designated hitter
Born: (1981-10-23) October 23, 1981 Santa Ana, California
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
MLB debut
May 1, 2007 for the Cleveland Indians
Career statistics (through May 17, 2013)
Batting average	.253
Hits	400
Home runs	50
Runs batted in	190
Teams
Cleveland Indians (2007–2009) Philadelphia Phillies (2009–2011) Toronto Blue Jays (2012) Houston Astros (2012) Tampa Bay Rays (2012) New York Yankees (2013–present)

Francisco during his tenure with the Cleveland Indians in 2008.

Louis Benjamin Francisco (born October 23, 1981) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has played in MLB for the Cleveland Indians, Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros, and Tampa Bay Rays. He bats and throws right-handed.

Early life

He is a 1999 graduate of Servite High School, a Roman Catholic high school for boys, in Anaheim, California where he played on the same baseball team as former Indians teammate Ryan Garko. He later attended and played baseball at Cypress Junior College in 2000 and went on to play at the University of California, Los Angeles in 2001 through 2003.

Professional career

Cleveland Indians

He was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the fifth round (154th overall) of the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft. He was recalled from the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons on May 1, 2007, and made his major league debut that night as a late-game defensive replacement. On June 29, 2007, Francisco got his first hit and his first home run in his first major league start. His home run came leading off the bottom of the ninth inning, giving the Indians a 2–1, walk-off win over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Philadelphia Phillies

On July 29, 2009, Francisco was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies along with reigning Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee, for a selection of top minor league prospects including Carlos Carrasco, Jason Donald, Lou Marson, and Jason Knapp.

He spent the remainder of 2009 and the entire 2010 season as a reserve outfielder and pinch hitter with the Phillies. Following the departure of starting right fielder Jayson Werth, Francisco earned a regular spot in the Phillies' starting lineup at the onset of the 2011 season. By mid season, however, Francisco returned to his reserve role.

Though limited in play during the second half of the year, this year Francisco will most notably be remembered for his clutch performance in Game 3 of the 2011 NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals. In a scoreless game, with Shane Victorino on second, the Cardinals elected to intentionally walk Carlos Ruiz in order to face Francisco. After nearly hitting a home run against Jaime Garcia a few weeks earlier, Francisco blasted a 405 foot home run into the Phillies' bullpen. Francisco ended up being the winning run in a game where the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Cardinals 3–2.

Toronto Blue Jays

On December 12, 2011, he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for minor leaguer Frank Gailey.

Houston Astros

Francisco was traded to the Houston Astros on July 20, 2012, along with Francisco Cordero, Asher Wojciechowski, David Rollins, Joe Musgrove, and Carlos Pérez, for J. A. Happ, Brandon Lyon, and David Carpenter.

Tampa Bay Rays

On August 31, 2012, the Tampa Bay Rays acquired Francisco for a player to be named later.

Return to Indians

On January 21, 2013, Francisco signed a minor-league deal with the Cleveland Indians. The Indians released him on March 11, 2013.

New York Yankees

On March 11, 2013, Francisco signed a minor-league deal with the New York Yankees. He was added to the Yankees' Opening Day roster. He was used as the designated hitter against left-handed pitchers but struggled drastically batting .103 in the month of April.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)