ST. PETERSBURG, FL – SEPTEMBER 7: Nick Franklin #2 of the Tampa Bay Rays hits a two-run home run off of pitcher Dylan Bundy of the Baltimore Orioles during the second inning of a game on September 7, 2016 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images)

As a Major League Baseball general manager, I’d be horrified to learn some of the things my players did during the offseason. However, it seems like I’d be glad to hear what Tampa Bay Rays utility infielder Nick Franklin did with his time.

Prior to heading home for the offseason, Franklin admitted he’d be making an attempt as an Uber driver. While Franklin didn’t do this a whole lot, he did it enough to be able to talk about his experience.

As Franklin pointed out heading into the offseason, his first attempts with Uber weren’t great:

Franklin said he got off to a rough start, getting a speeding ticket for his first trip, but has enjoyed the experience, making around 25 trips in his truck, usually around downtown Orlando hotspots, even providing water and tissues for his passengers. He said his driver rating is 4.9, on the 0-5 scale.

No one has recognized him as a ballplayer, but Franklin, who made around $350,000 this year, did have a couple of awkward moments picking up former high school buddies in his hometown.

“I told them I’m just doing it for fun,” he said. “I ended up meeting some pretty cool people along the way.”

The best part of this whole thing remains the fact he started as an Uber driver because he needed something to do on the weekends. Find a hobby — or a drink — Nick. That’s probably more fun than driving randoms around.

[NBC Sports]

About Ryan Williamson

Ryan is a recent graduate of the University of Missouri and has recently returned to his Minnesota roots. He previously has worked for the Columbia Missourian, KFAN radio in Minneapolis and BringMeTheNews.com. Feel free to email me at rwilliamson29 AT Gmail dot com.