Francoeur needs to take a hint or he’ll go nowhere in career
Let me start by saying that for as much as he was ridiculed and lampooned during his spectacular crash with the Braves — and later in his many miserable months as a New York Met — former hometown hero Jeff Francoeur is one of the nicest guys you’re ever going to meet. He’s one of the finest all-around athletes you’re going to find in baseball, or any pro sport.
But one day in the midst of Francoeur-mania here in Atlanta, when the lower profile of the Braves’ two whiz kids, Brian McCann, was just starting to ascend, hitting coach Terry Pendleton said something to me: “I think we’ve all been paying attention to the wrong guy.”
Francoeur, once projected to be a franchise staple in right field for the Braves, like Dale Murphy, was traded for the second time in 13 months Tuesday night when the Mets dealt him to the Texas Rangers. He is a perfect illustration of how talent, energy and effort doesn’t guarantee success. He was hitting only .237 with the Mets, after actually having a career rebound following the trade to New York in July of 2009 (hitting .311 after starting the year .250 with the Braves).
Francoeur is still young enough (26) and certainly talented enough to have a solid career. But he has two significant problems he needs to fix:
♦ 1.) He’s hard-headed. He’s immature. For as good a guy as he is, he had a difficult time taking advice from Braves teammates and coaches. He never learned patience. The result was him trying to battle out of a slump himself. He pressed. Daily. Baseball can afford a hitter four chances a night and 24 to 28 in a week to break out of a slump. But that’s also more opportunities to go borderline psycho if an athlete doesn’t handle situations correctly. Francoeur didn’t handle things correctly. He opted for psycho.
♦ 2.) Francoeur’s representation has been poor. Baseball players don’t have salary leverage early in their careers. They must take what teams give them and wait until arbitration rights come around. McCann and his agent did so without a peep. Then in 2007, the Braves gave him a six-year contract. Conversely, Francoeur received bad advice from his agent, Molly Fletcher. They were unhappy with the Braves’ annual offers. Braves’ management rolled their eyes.
Then a few weeks ago, when Francoeur was being platooned, Fletcher actually requested a trade from the Mets, telling the Newark Star-Ledger: “We want to play every day.”
You want to make your client look bad real quick? Request a trade when he’s in a 15-for-88 slump.
Francoeur’s career is dropping parts on the highway. It’s not what anybody envisioned when he appeared on the Sports Illustrated cover five years ago this week. But guys labeled, “The Natural,” generally have more than talent.
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175 comments Add your comment
Cornholio
September 1st, 2010
12:33 pm
With his arm, I bet Jeff could make a good pitcher if his pride would allow him to go down to the minors for a few years and learn. Ankiel became an outfielder after being a pitcher. It would just be a waste if he didn’t pursue some other path in baseball with that good of an arm before he is too old.
JF McNamara
September 1st, 2010
12:33 pm
It’s Terry Pendleton’s fault…just kidding. He’s a flawed player, and he’s not going to ever be anything more than he is right now barring a personality transplant. He’d be a great safety in the NFL though.
Rusty
September 1st, 2010
12:35 pm
Jeff Francoeur is the definition of the entitled, “me first” athlete that a lot of us are tired of. A lot of Braves fans stuck by Jeff as his numbers steadily decreased and his star began to wane. The hissy fit he threw when the club sent him down to the minors FOR TWO DAYS was, for me, the straw that broke the camel’s back. A mature player would have used what should have been at least 3 weeks in the minors to improve his game and regain some of his confidence. Jeff didn’t see it that way, cried to the clubhouse and made a stink in the press, before returning to Atlanta and his slumping ways. He didn’t last much longer.
All of that could have been forgotten, but after the trade, Jeff ran his mouth to the press again, this time bad-mouthing not only the organization, but also THE FANS.
I can’t say I haven’t enjoyed watching him flounder.
Now, it appears he’s well on his way to becoming a journeyman, and we all know what that means for someone his age.
Jesse Stone
September 1st, 2010
12:37 pm
Frenchie traded? This can’t be true, because Christopher Chance kept saying just yesterday that the Mets were going to offer him arbitration. he said, “there’s no way the Mets don’t offer him arbitration”. Ha anyone heard from Christopher Chance today?
Oh No
September 1st, 2010
12:38 pm
I wonder how he’d do in Japan?
Turtsnap
September 1st, 2010
12:43 pm
I remember reading the statement from his agent. I got a kick out of the “we” aspect in everything the agent said.
Bets
September 1st, 2010
12:45 pm
Braves vs. Rangers world series.
Atlanta west vs. Atlanta east.
All of Schurholtz bad deals come back to bite him in the azz.
Brock
September 1st, 2010
12:45 pm
He’s a booger harvester. Everytime the camera is on him his finger is halfway up his nose. Must have learned that from Bobby.
Oh, and he sucks. Never liked the guy.
Jesse Stone
September 1st, 2010
12:46 pm
“All of Schuerholz’s bad deals” equates to two players on Texas.
Bets
September 1st, 2010
12:48 pm
And where is Mark Texiera?
The Texas Express
September 1st, 2010
12:52 pm
If he doesn’t produce in Texas, Nolan Ryan will give him the same treatment he gave to Robin Ventura!
Ostrich Racer
September 1st, 2010
12:55 pm
The best assessment of Francoeur’s problems came during his last weeks with Atlanta, from no less an authority than Chipper: “He’s talking to 500 people about how to fix his swing. And he’s listening to every one of them.” Like Schultz said, he has a problem with working smart.
Nick: I remember Charbonneau — could open beer bottles with his teeth.
JTH
September 1st, 2010
1:02 pm
Heyward>Francouer so nobody misses Coverboy(more concerned with making the cover of a magazine than becoming a better ballplayer).
Next August the Rangers will release him to preserve their playoff chances..
snakedoctor
September 1st, 2010
1:08 pm
I mentioned to one of the announcers on 640 when Jeff hit his first homerun, I hope he will not end up like Brad Kommsik? I wonder long will Jeff be in the league. Great defensive player. I hope he is able to rebound. Find him a good hitting coach in the offseason. Work being selective at the plate and level the swing more for better contact. Then I believe he will do will later on.
Coach
September 1st, 2010
1:15 pm
There are plenty of nice guys out there who are uncoachable. The biggest problem I see is that he still looks like he is in high school when he swings. Look at his swing compared to so many others. He’s just up there guessing and hacking. You can get away with that when you are facing scrub highschool pitching.
Some people peak faster than others and therefore get passed by later on. I played with a kid in little league that was a stud. Everyone just knew he was special. Byt the time we graduated highschool he was a #9 hitter hitting about .230. If you can’t hit .300 in highschool you aren’t a very good hitter.
Billy Ray Valentine
September 1st, 2010
1:15 pm
Snake doctor,
what makes you think that Frenchy will all of a sudden abandon his approach at the plate and his way of playing. After all, it did get him to the bigs. Problem is, his way of playing won’t keep him in the bigs.
Talent will get you so far, and then you better have something to back it up.
McCann came up right about the same time as Jeff. McCann didn’t burst on the scene with magazine covers like Jeff, but what McCann does better than most is make adjustments. He learned how big league pitchers were going to pitch him, and he adjusted his approach and what he was trying to do. Jeff just keeps doing the same thing, expecting different results cimply because he’s trying hard.
Guthro
September 1st, 2010
1:17 pm
Francoeur has a character problem. There’s no sign that it’s changing.
Gary O.
September 1st, 2010
1:18 pm
Lets not forget how upset Frenchy was, because the Braves had the nerves to send him down to AAA. What kind of attitude is that?
What about Rick Ankiel? He swings hard at everything too, just in case he hits it.
Since coming over to the Braves, I think Ankiel strikes out almost 40% of the time. That’s horrible.
And it’s not like his average is that good (under .250).
Braves Fan Since "80
September 1st, 2010
1:19 pm
If it were easy we would be players…. Jeff is human and not without faults but his faults are his own…… It’s one thing to have a JD Drew career and never live up to your potential or an Andruw Jones and never quite make it
Jeff has been overpaid and overrhyped….. he is no Ryan Klesko! He is just a media blip…… wish him well
Coach
September 1st, 2010
1:21 pm
Also, to the poster who doesn’t think there is a big difference between AAA pitching and MLB pitching, you are sorely mistaken my friend. There is a reason those hitters aren’t in the bigs. Most hitters can skip AAA if they are truly ready. Also, there is a huge difference for the pitchers as well. There is a reason so many AAA guys who are lights out come up and get shelled.
Don’t ever mistake how good the vast majority of Major Leaguers are at what they do.
Blue
September 1st, 2010
1:21 pm
By the way, Jeff…I nearly puked when I heard his female agent saying “we want to play every day” and “we” this and “we” that. As I am fond of saying…sounds like she has pronoun trouble!
Largo
September 1st, 2010
1:22 pm
I had it with Francoeur when he whined so much about being sent down. Didn’t care much for him after that . . . still don’t. Anyway, we have a right fielder now who will be much better than Frenchy. Heyward does, however, need to cure his “wall shyness.”
Billy Ray Valentine
September 1st, 2010
1:28 pm
Braves Fan Since ‘80,
No one is saying that we could hit better than him. No one is saying they don’t have faults, but when complain to the media because your employer sends you down to AA to work on your swing or you bitch and complain to the media that you want more playing time, you better prove them wrong by hitting higher than .237.
In your mind is any .237 hitter worth the money he’s making ($5million)
Coach
September 1st, 2010
1:28 pm
Braves fan since ‘80- By Andruw Jones “not making it” were you referring to his winning 10 consecutive Gold Gloves, his average of 33 HR and 100 RBI over that same time frame, or the fact that he’s hit over 400 HR over his career (majority of those were in ATl) and will be inducted into the HOF as a bRave. WHich one of these qualifies as “not making it”???
Skeezix
September 1st, 2010
1:31 pm
He has a ton of talent but a lack of patience at the plate is his problem and until he learns to make MLB pitchers throw him strikes, he’ll continue to struggle. When he finally realizes that, things will turn around for him. I believe the hitting coach at Texas suppose to be really good.
Billy Ray Valentine
September 1st, 2010
1:34 pm
Coach,
If you go back and read what I said, I said that AAA pitching is more like major league pitching than AA pitching.
From someone who’s been around AAA game, I can tell you, pitching is very close to MAJOR LEAGUE caliber.
How many picthers make the leap from AA to the bigs….can you name any?
Even King Stratsberg had a few weeks with Syracuse before making the jump to Washington.
So whatever high school you coach at, go back and sell crazy somewhere else, I’m all stocked up here.
Baseball Fan
September 1st, 2010
1:34 pm
Jeff Francouer is a product of Parkview High School, a school that in sports has always been arrogant, self-indulgent. His poor choice of agent Molly reflects his and his family’s expectations.
Sonny Clusters
September 1st, 2010
1:45 pm
Whoa! Hold on there! We was educated at Parkview High School, too, and we was always nice and friendly and never self-indulgent.
Bama Rules
September 1st, 2010
1:46 pm
He made a fatal error and began to believe everything that was written about him. Turned out to be fiction. His ego got between him and the ball. Good luck to the guy.
One dimensional dogs
September 1st, 2010
1:47 pm
The sad thing is his numbers aren’t that different from 4-5 braves everyday players. So you can see who’s carrying this team.
Iron-y Dan
September 1st, 2010
1:50 pm
Lots of good Clemson talk this time around. Even though he left the Tigers in the lurch and stomped Lassiter in the state championship circa 2002, I hope that dude figures it out. Anyone who has ever met him suggests he’s a good guy. I hope he can figure it out and have an awesome AL career.
FDAWG
September 1st, 2010
1:52 pm
Schultz….good article. I knew Frenchy was a head case but the part about his representation being less then spectacular was news to me. Insightful stuff…
Hammer This
September 1st, 2010
1:59 pm
To all you diehard baseball fans (sarcatically), the Texas hitting coach is now with the Cubs.
Hammer This
September 1st, 2010
2:02 pm
sarcastically
Region 1 5A fan
September 1st, 2010
2:07 pm
If Francouer does nothing else, I’m a fan because he helped whip Tift County while he was at Parkview. They deserved it.
Hammer This
September 1st, 2010
2:08 pm
The main reason pitcher’s don’t jump from AA to AAA is because the team’s continue to baby them along. And then they still wind up hurt (i. e., Strasburg)
Donny Corleone
September 1st, 2010
2:10 pm
Frenchy’s agent may be the female Jerry McGuire but Sonny Clusters is the male Miss Manners.
I Hate Tift County
September 1st, 2010
2:11 pm
Sure did Region 1 5A Fan. He killed them! How did Tift make it to the playoffs that year? They were terrible!
JON
September 1st, 2010
2:12 pm
Jeff has not been the same since he got hit in the face by the baseball. Does anyone remember this happening? I said at the time He might not ever be the same. It could all be in his head because of this.
North Gwinnett
September 1st, 2010
2:18 pm
Jeff is a great guy. Interesting, ya’ll mention Tift County though. We traveled to a game down there a few years ago. If Tift can get those officials every year, they shouldn’t ever lose. They cost us a trip to the dome that year.
59bulldawg
September 1st, 2010
2:22 pm
What an interesting and prophetic quote by TP! @ Right Field – I’m not sure but isn’t McCann from Gwinnett County too? If so how do you explain his success. I understand what you’re saying but don’t think affluence or early success has anything to do with it. Jason definitely seems to have it together at the moment but so did Francouer when he first came up. Frankly I just don’t understand how a person can seemingly just forget how to do the things that make them successful hitters but it also happened to Andruw as well. Yeah I know slumps happen but when batting averages start heading towards the Mendoza line and below it’s difficult to explain. Whatever the problem I hope he figures it out and has a solid career.
I Hate Tift County
September 1st, 2010
2:24 pm
North Gwinnet, its funny that you are talking about a different sport and I know exactly what game you are referring to.
skip
September 1st, 2010
2:26 pm
There is only one way JF can salvage his career…..he has to start hitting the ball to the off field.
North Gwinnett
September 1st, 2010
2:31 pm
Complete lack of class down there. I hope we never go down there again.
Region 1 5A fan
September 1st, 2010
2:34 pm
NG, don’t worry. They won’t sniff the playoffs as anything other than a 4 seed for the forseeable future. The Braves will win more games in October than Tift County.
Braves #17 Fan
September 1st, 2010
2:34 pm
He’ll get it together. He never had a shot at succeeding with a team he hated growing up.
Steve Skelton
September 1st, 2010
2:37 pm
Wow, you nailed it with that one. Nice guy, and a talented athlete, but if you are not coachable, you will never come close to your full potential. It’s a shame that he’s had to slide this far. I hope he figures it out sooner than later. He’s still young and has the chance to be very good for a long time if he learns how to learn from others.
gcs
September 1st, 2010
2:38 pm
I have to agree with being hard-headed and immature. I was so happy when the Braves sent him to AAA, because I thought it would teach him some humility. Unfortunately, there was an injury and he was immediately brought back up.
I knew he had to be traded from the Braves, away from his mommy & daddy, away from Parkview High School and comforts of home. I really thought playing in New York would knock that chip off his shoulder and teach him to focus but it did not.
I don’t expect him to do much better in Texas. I would wager he is waived after this season and will not get too many good offers.
.
I Hate Tift County
September 1st, 2010
2:49 pm
I think Stephenson goes down to Tifton next week. Should put a whippin on them. Those Blue Devils make a lot of noise early on but then quickly die with a whimper. Their reputation quickly soured when they sent Pablo Machado to Georgia Tech back in the 90’s.
I Hate Tift County
September 1st, 2010
2:56 pm
Tift County talks it every year and then fades in every sport. Stephenson is going to put it on them next week. Their reputation as an athletic school soured when they sent Pablo Machado to GT in the 90’s and it continued to dwindle with Frenchy’s performance