Julio Franco is making 41-year-old Ichiro look wet behind the ears.

The Ishikawa Million Stars of Japan’s independent Baseball Challenge League said they have signed the 56-year-old Franco as player-manager for the 2015 season, which starts in April.

Franco made his debut with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1982 and won the batting title playing for the Texas Rangers in 1991 with a .341 average. Overall he played for eight teams in Major League Baseball and was selected to the All-Star team three times. He last played in major-league ball in 2007 for the Atlanta Braves.

The native of the Dominican Republic announced his retirement in 2008 following a stint with the Quintana Roo Tigers of the Mexican League, but he returned to the field in 2014 as a player-manager for the Fort Worth Cats of United League Baseball. He had 6 hits in 27-at-bats.

A spokesman for the Million Stars said the team hasn't decided how often Franco will bat or which position he will play. The league has an upper limit for salary paid to managers, meaning the team’s deal with Franco is less than ¥7.2 million ($60,600).