Louis Benjamin Francisco (born October 23, 1981), is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

, who is currently a major league scout for the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

, Philadelphia Phillies,

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

, Houston Astros,

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home v ...

, and

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

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 Ryan Francis Garko (born January 2, 1981) is a former professional baseball outfielder, first baseman, and designated hitter. In college, he was a catcher. He played for the Cleveland Indians, the San Francisco Giants, and the Texas Rangers in M ...

. He later attended and played baseball at Cypress Junior College in 2000 and went on to play at the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California S ...

in 2001 through 2003.

Professional career

Cleveland Indians

He was selected by the

in the fifth round (154th overall) of the

2002 Major League Baseball Draft The 2002 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 4 and 5. It is featured in Michael Lewis' 2003 book ''Moneyball''. First round selections Supplemental first round compensation selections * * ...

. He was called up from the Triple-A

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen ...

on May 1, , and made his major league debut that night as a late-game defensive replacement. On June 29, 2007, Francisco got his first

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

and his first

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

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 The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home ve ...

Philadelphia Phillies

On July 29, 2009, Francisco was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies along with reigning Cy Young Award winner

Cliff Lee Clifton Phifer Lee (born August 30, 1978) is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher who played for 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Between 2002 and 2014 he played for four teams, most notably the Philadelphia Philli ...

, 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 Shane Patrick Victorino (born November 30, 1980), nicknamed "The Flyin' Hawaiian", is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodger ...

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

in exchange for minor leaguer Frank Gailey.

Houston Astros

On July 20, 2012, the Blue Jays traded Francisco, Francisco Cordero,

Asher Wojciechowski Randall Asher Wojciechowski ( ; born December 21, 1988) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Cincinnati Reds, Baltimore Orioles, and New York Yankees. Early life Wo ...

, David Rollins,

Joe Musgrove Joseph Anthony Musgrove (born December 4, 1992) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played within the Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros, and Pittsburgh Pirates organ ...

, Carlos Pérez, and a

player to be named later In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...

( Kevin Comer) to the Houston Astros for

J. A. Happ James Anthony Happ (born October 19, 1982) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros, Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners, Pittsburgh Pirates, New Y ...

Brandon Lyon Brandon James Lyon (born August 10, 1979) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, and New York ...

, and

David Carpenter David Joseph Carpenter (born May 6, 1930), a.k.a. The Trailside Killer, is an American serial killer and serial rapist known for stalking and murdering a variety of individuals on hiking trails in state parks near San Francisco, California. He ...

Tampa Bay Rays

On August 31, 2012, the

acquired Francisco for a player to be named later.

Return to Indians

On January 21, 2013, Francisco signed a minor-league deal with the

. The Indians released him on March 11, 2013.

New York Yankees

On March 11, 2013, Francisco signed a minor-league deal with the

. He was added to the Yankees' Opening Day roster. He was used as the

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by th ...

against left-handed pitchers but struggled drastically batting .103 in the month of April. Francisco was designated for assignment on May 26, and was released from the team on June 3, 2013.

Lancaster Barnstormers

On June 8, 2014, Francisco signed with the Lancaster Barnstormers of the Atlantic League. He was active for the Barnstormers next game the following day against the Camden Riversharks.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On December 15, 2014, Francisco signed a minor league contract with the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...

. On March 15, 2015, he was released by the Diamondbacks.

Rieleros de Aguascalientes

On May 8, 2015, Francisco signed with the

Rieleros de Aguascalientes The Rieleros de Aguascalientes (English: Aguascalientes Railroaders) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Aguascalientes, Mexico. History Baseball arrived in Aguascalientes in hand with the railroad at the beginning o ...

of the

Mexican Baseball League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five t ...

. He was released on May 24, 2015.

Post-playing career

In 2016, he was hired by the

as a scout. In 2022, Francisco was inducted into the

Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame The Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame was started by the Buffalo Bisons organization in 1985 to honor former members of the Buffalo Bisons (1878, 1887–1888), Buffalo Bisons (1879–1885), Buffalo Bisons (1886–1970), Buffalo Bisons (1890), Buffalo ...

, in recognition of his three seasons with the

References

External links

Ben Francisco
at Astros Daily {{DEFAULTSORT:Francisco, Ben 1981 births Living people African-American baseball players Akron Aeros players American expatriate baseball players in Canada American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Baseball players from California Cleveland Indians players Cypress Chargers baseball players Dunedin Blue Jays players Houston Astros players Lake County Captains players Lancaster Barnstormers players Los Angeles Angels scouts Mahoning Valley Scrappers players Major League Baseball outfielders Mexican League baseball right fielders New Hampshire Fisher Cats players New York Yankees players Philadelphia Phillies players Rieleros de Aguascalientes players Servite High School alumni Sportspeople from Santa Ana, California Tampa Bay Rays players Toronto Blue Jays players Tucson Padres players UCLA Bruins baseball players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people Anchorage Glacier Pilots players