Ryan Franklin is an All-Star, Remember Him?

Although all of the attention towards Raul Ibanez is understandable, very few Mariners fans have noticed that another former Mariner, Ryan Franklin, is also on the National League All-Star team this year. After six seasons with the Mariners, and a brief stint with the Phillies, Franklin signed with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2007 and has since established himself as their go-to closer.

As of yesterday, he has produced an incredible 0.83 ERA with 20 saves, and has not allowed a run since May 20th. Franklin's meteoric rise from an aging mediocre starter to a dominating closer was definitely not expected.

Personally, I am glad that Ryan Franklin is enjoying success. He was always a decent guy in the Mariners clubhouse, and although he was caught using steroids, I think everyone deserves a second choice. There should be very little room for excuse when dealing with cheating in any sport, but I can understand Ryan's case more clearly than most others.

He was on the cusp of making a name for himself while with the Mariners, putting up ERAs around 3.50, only a short step away from producing numbers that would land him a life-changing contract after floating around in the minors for so long. Steroids would have been nearly impossible to resist in a baseball culture that was so friendly towards them.

Franklin has stayed clean and has proven to others, and more importantly to himself that you can be great without using PED's. His shift from starting to closing is a good metaphor to the new leaf that he has turned over in his life, and although not the most boisterous name on the all-star squad, he should hopefully be an inspiring example for a new, cleaner era of Major League Baseball.