A year after the fall, a toughened Francoeur looks forward
Lake Buena Vista, Fla. — It was a different Jeff Francoeur who took the field Wednesday for the first full-squad workout of 2009. He’s thinner. He has a new swing. Mostly he’s different because he bears a layer of scar tissue.
Last season hurt him. In one flailing summer the Golden Child learned the harsh lessons he’d managed to avoid in the first 24 years of a remarkably charmed life: That fame is fleeting; that people are fickle, and that the child’s game he plays for a living is actually a bottom-line business.
“My first two years [as an Atlanta Brave] were nothing but a fairy tale,” Francoeur said. “But fairy tales end.”
By any standards, he had a terrible year. He hit .239 with only 11 home runs and 71 RBIs. His on-base percentage (.294) was among the worst in the majors. For an athlete who had never failed at any level of any sport, such failure was stunning. That said, nothing could have prepared Francoeur for the rancor directed his way by fans he believed had come to really, really like him.
“In this day and age, it’s, ‘What have you done for me lately?’ and you’re always going to hear the negative,” Francoeur said. “But I was a lost dog for much of last season. I didn’t know how to handle it.”
On the morning of the Fourth of July, the homegrown hero discovered that even his organization had lost faith. The Braves sent him to Class AA for a weekend, and there came a moment late on a Saturday night in Pearl, Miss., when he stood in right field and thought, “What the hell am I doing here?”
Recalling the demotion, Francoeur said: “It was a wakeup call. It made me mentally tough … People ask me about arbitration, and I say, ‘After what I went through last year, I can handle anything.’ ”
Francoeur is scheduled to fly to Phoenix on Thursday for his arbitration hearing. The Braves have offered $2.8 million and he’s asking $3.95 million, and an arbitrator will hear each side’s case and pick one number or the other. Hearing your own club nitpick your worth is never a pleasant experience, and Francoeur was asked if, between the July demotion and the upcoming hearing, he’ll ever feel as warmly toward the Braves.
“I don’t think there’s any way I can 100 percent,” he said. And then: “I want to play here forever; I’ve said that all along. But the business part of it is different.”
(Update: Francoeur and the Braves settled for $3.375 million late Wednesday night, thereby avoiding arbitration.)
Much has been made over Francoeur’s refusal to sign the long-term contract the Braves offered in 2007. Brian McCann, his former roommate, accepted a similar offer, and some bloggers seek to paint McCann as the loyal worker and Francoeur as the prima donna.
“There’s no competition between us,” Francouer said. “Brian’s my biggest fan and I’m his biggest fan. He was my shoulder last year … It’s a business. At no point do I regret not signing that contract.”
As for 2009: “Nobody was more ready for last year to end than I was, and nobody is more ready for the new season than I am … I can’t tell you I’m going to hit 35 home runs, but I am going to get back to smiling on the field … I didn’t smile much last year.”
He arrived in Florida on Feb. 9, nine days ahead of schedule, and he has been working daily to calibrate his new swing. He stands with his feet closer together, his front foot slightly open, and he takes a small stride. He’s also holding his hands lower and pulling them backward in a cocking action. He looks comfortable, it should be said, in the batting cage.
What was the genesis of his redesign? “Some guy,” and on the record he would say no more.
That bit of mystery aside, Francoeur has set this as his spring mission: “I’m going at it as if I have to win the right-field job. I’ve been working my [rear] off.”
The Golden Child just turned 25, and the old tag no longer seems apt. Francoeur no longer seems so golden, nor does he sound as youthful. He has matured in the way that maturity descends on most of us: Via abject disappointment.
“I was bitter for a while,” he said Wednesday, “but last year was last year and that’s where I’m keeping it.”
He unleashed a familiar full-bore Frenchy smile. “Last year,” he said, “is a distant memory.”
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89 comments Add your comment
Idiots
February 18th, 2009
9:05 pm
Terrance Moore should have been born in the 1800’s so he would have been worth the life he was given.
The Rickster
February 18th, 2009
9:06 pm
So, we hear now that Griffey, Jr has decided not to be a Brave. This could be the motivation for Francoeur. Yes, bringing in Griffey, Jr would have added a spark to our otherwise lethargic outfield, but destiny has been served and it is what it is. The outfield we felt we were gonna have to go with, is the outfield we will have to live with. And after the letdown of the Griffey, Jr deal, Francoeur is gonna take the reins in his hands and produce an All-Star season. He knows that it’s up to him to make something happen; and I know that he will.
Lifetime Hawks Fan
February 18th, 2009
9:07 pm
I would love to ask Frank Wren how those eggs taste, since they are all OVER his face!!
Lifetime Hawks Fan
February 18th, 2009
9:08 pm
I just hope they don’t make the mistake of taking Swisher in a trade. You think Frenchy’s year was bad last season???
falcon21
February 18th, 2009
9:11 pm
Thought it was a done deal AJC. Where in the heck do you get your info?
Lifetime Hawks Fan
February 18th, 2009
9:11 pm
With my negative comments out of the way, I would love to see these current Braves rise above the mess that has been this offseason. I hope Chipper can get that new extension he so badly deserves. He needs to end his career where it began. Also, I hope the revamped rotation pitches like we are all hoping they will. Plus I want to wish Frenchy all the best. If we can get X onboard for a year, that just might be enough to compete for a wild card if not the division.
AJC= AFFIRMATIVE ACTION
February 18th, 2009
9:13 pm
THATS WHY t. moore still has a job.
Mark Windsor
February 18th, 2009
9:14 pm
SEEMS BRAVES /WREN got used and abused again Griffy got mo moolah out of Seatle….something like this happened a weeks back…Probably really we were all just thinking of the name and not thinking of the needs the team has Griffey is old and really doesnt have much to offer…except…that name “Junior”….
Realist
February 18th, 2009
9:18 pm
So who is having a worse offseason, Frank Wren or Dave O’Brien? Tough call.
The Rickster
February 18th, 2009
9:20 pm
What I hope to see is for the Braves to win the World Championship, and all these players that turned their back on us during this offseason, kick themselves in the butt for not being a part of the Braves. Chomp on that you losers!
Chris in Marietta
February 18th, 2009
9:20 pm
Jeff will probably bounce back this year….but we need to BOUNCE Frank “the wreck” Wren before he makes Atlanta a complete joke. He’s screwed up at least 5 free agent signings – including Smoltz – and doesn’t deserve the big paycheck and arrogant manner. He’s not EARNED it.
tyler
February 18th, 2009
9:21 pm
This is ridiculous. We have washed up players using us to get a couple thousand dollars extra? Sad sad sad. You are doing a GREAT job Wren, seriously.
Chris in Marietta
February 18th, 2009
9:22 pm
PS – the “sports reporters” in Atlanta SUCK. Give me the crew in New York any day. They’re smart, hard-working, and ACCURATE. Send those bozos at the AJC and packing now!!!
dissapointedfan
February 18th, 2009
9:24 pm
I must admit I was pretty excited about JR. becoming a Brave. But yet again another front office blunder! Let’s don’t blame the AJC for this one I mean they put out the latest and up to date information it is no their fault that Wren does not know how to close a deal. The Braves better get a bat before Opening Day or I will be HIGHLY dissapointed!! Braves and Braves fans work through this adversity and dissapointment and still let’s continue to support our team. In all of the pre-season predictions everbody has the Braves underated let’s suprise them this season and get back on top!! Go BRAVES!! Keep up the good work MB and everyone at the AJC!
Joe
February 18th, 2009
9:28 pm
Griffey’s negotiations with the Braves were moving at a steady pace until Tuesday afternoon, when the veteran outfielder learned of a report in The Atlanta-Journal Constitution which indicated he’d already decided to play in Atlanta.
But Griffey told MLB.com in a telephone interview at that time that he had not made his decision.
Since then, Griffey had limited contact with the Braves.
Supes
February 18th, 2009
9:31 pm
Realist, that’s easy. Wren is the one, he keep striking out! Unbelievable if you ask me.
Mark, I can tell you right now that Jeff isn’t going to be a “career brave” like Chipper unless a miracle happens and he hits .280 with 25HR, 100+ RBI and .300 or better with RISP while considerably cutting down on his K’s. One more “down year” from Jeff and he’s gone.
The way I see it, he’s keeping RF warm until J.H. is ready to step up in 2010 or 2011.
DC Braves Fan
February 18th, 2009
9:35 pm
Maybe the fault isnt with Frank Wren–ok, not all of it. After all, he has put together a top tier rotation (Lowe, Jurrjens, Vasquez, Kawakami, Glavine and Hanson and a couple of others to fill any voids. Ill take that every day of the week and twice on Sunday).
Maybe the main fault is with the AJC who cant seem to follow even the most fundamental industry best practices. This isnt journalism. Its a mixture of wishful thinking and rumor mongering. Shame. You can do better AJC.
Poorjeff
February 18th, 2009
9:35 pm
Thought Jr wanted to play for Bobby Cox? So much for that BS.
Frenchy, talk is cheap, put up or shut up you big baby.You should be paying the Braves this year after the crap you put up last year. I hope you lose your case and piss the Braves off enought so they trade your a@@ to the Royals. A. Jones smiles all the time and it didn’t do him any good and you both smile alot when you miss that outside curve ball. Love the fake smile.I’d never pay to just see you play.
BugKiller
February 18th, 2009
10:54 pm
Again, the writers and editors of the AJC refuse to see or write about, or inquire into the REAL problem with the Atlanta Braves:
Bobby Cox.
Bobby Cox ruined Andruw Jones by coddling him, hitting him clean-up for a full year when he hit .200 because, “He’s just going through a rough patch, he’ll come out of it, I’m gonna go pick my nose now.”
Bobby Cox is now in the process of ruining Jeff the French Whine. The ONLY reason he was sent down was because Wren wanted it. If it were up to Cox, he’d have been hitting clean-up.
Bobby Cox got the credit for 15 years for making out the line-up card and pitching rotation of one of the most talented teams in baseball history, put together by the REAL genius, John Schuerholtz (and to a lesser extent, himself).
And Bobby Cox gets absolutely NONE of the blame, from his acolytes in the media and fandom alike, for his horrible and horrendous managerial decisions in October that have cost his team again and again.
And Bobby Cox gets none of the blame for Andruw Jones or now Frenchy.
Here’s another thing: if Cox were as truly “great” as so many suggest, he’d be able to take average to mediocre teams and make them better.
The last three years have proven, finally, without a shadow of a doubt, that Bobby Cox is NOT a great manager.
Just someone in the right place, at the right time, to take advantage of John S’s genius in putting together a great roster of players and Turner’s willingness to pay for that roster of great players.
Now, with average to mediocre teams, Cox makes them worse.
The Myth of Bobby Cox, ladies and gentelman.
If Joe Torre managed the Braves during those 15 years, they win the 1991 World Series, and the 1995, 1996, and 1997 World Series for sure.
4 World Series titles out of 14 playoff appearances, THAT is this crapshoot you Bobby Cox apologists keep talking about.
1 World Series title out of 14 chances is NOT a crapshoot.
It’s an overrated manager dooming his team with terrible crunch-time decision making.
You wanna blame someone for Andruw and Frenchy?
BLAME BOBBY COX!!!
Ted Striker
February 19th, 2009
1:06 am
1) What’s the big uproar about Griffey returning to Seattle? Deals aren’t done till they’re in blood. Wren’s critics might as well work double time & nail the culprits for cancer, tsunami’s, & the good dying young. Just say ‘no’ to assigning blame.
2) About Frenchy. Puhleese. Did you ‘pseudo GM’s” secretly win the lotto and buy Liberty Media — $19.586 billion in shareholder equity? If not, how do you have a stake in what Francoeur earns — i.e. Francoeur is “worth?”
3) Context: Mike Hampton earned just under $60 million for 8 wins during the last 4 years. Earth dollar translation: that’s $7.3 million per win — or approx. $418 per ace bandage.
4) Context Part Deux: The Tom Glavine 2008 Industrial Average closed 2008 at $4 million PER victory during the last annum. If Tommy could win 20 games a year (like he did back when a ‘national crisis’ was Bill Clinton getting favors from an intern) – the Bravos couldn’t afford him.
5) Context, Ad Nauseam: Patron saint of undervalued Braves’ John Smoldz(sp) earned $4.67 million per win in ’08 — $14 million for last year. And the 50-60% of fans polled ranks Smoltz’s departure as the most disappointing offseason loss.
BA
February 19th, 2009
4:48 am
Here’s some stuff about Braves minor league pitchers:
http://minorsandmajors.com
Mac
February 19th, 2009
7:51 am
If Frenchy hadn’t turned into Brad Komminsk all of a sudden, the Braves wouldn’t have an outfield quandry at all. Hope he bounces back this season. We need him, badly.
Mark Bradley
February 19th, 2009
8:31 am
Jeff Francoeur isn’t Brad Komminsk. Brad Komminsk never had a 100-RBI season, let alone two of them.
Me, I think Francoeur will be fine.
brewdawg
February 19th, 2009
9:01 am
Well my friends, today is a happy day for Mr. Bradley. Not only did the Braves “start looking forward” this off-season by letting Smoltz go – ah let’s forget the fact they signed a 36 year old starting pitcher whose career doesn’t hold a candle to JS’s to a 3 year deal and then have it hailed as a great sign – they now have missed out on the active career homerun leader who, while past his prime, just didn’t pass the “Bradley Seal of Approval”. In all seriousness though, make no mistake about it, between giving up one of our best prospects for the immortally mediocre Javier Vasquez, and the Furcal, Smoltz, and now Griffey fiascos, that you have to start considering the fact that Frank Wren has absolutely no idea how to run a ball club. Before you bash me, ask yourself, what professional club has had themselves so publicly embarassed with 3 separate free agents over the course of five years as the Braves have been this ONE year? And I’m not even counting the entire Peavy thing. It’s an absolute joke. But hey, we signed a 33 year old overseas pitcher that nobody had ever heard a thing about right?
Zollie Bob
February 19th, 2009
9:51 am
Bradley,
I haven’t read your stuff in a while. You’ve become a better writer. Good job.
DirtyDawg
February 19th, 2009
9:58 am
I’ll always appreciate the role Terry Pendleton played in the rejuvenation of the Braves in ‘91 and the run of Division titles, but I have to ask, ‘Just what does the man do to earn his money as a hitting coach?’ You never hear of players thanking him for what he does to help them adjust or get back to what’s been successful for them…you don’t ever hear anybody calling him a ‘hitting guru’…come on people, get somebody that can make a difference in these guys. I you want Terry then make him the ‘bench coach’, or the third-base coach or something, just get us somebody that can turn the Francoeurs and the Andruw Joneses around before they have to go someplace else to fix what’s wrong.
Dirty Dan
February 19th, 2009
10:11 am
Down and away, up and in. A Jones and J Francoeur. I taught my Little League pitchers that and you know the major league guys will continue to work Jeff over if he does not change his approach.
Terry Pendleton is not a batting coach, is there not some one out there who can get through to these guys?
Fischerking04
February 19th, 2009
11:25 am
Man yof you people expect way too much out of the athletes that you root for. Keep in mind they are human and thus, they have human emotions.
Jeff had a bad year last year which was a new experience for him. Like most people would be he went through a rash of emotions that come with that: anger, dissappointment, unease. To expect him to deal with all of that (all the while in the public eye) and the burden of being dubbed the Golden Boy had to have been tremendously difficult. This year he has done everything in his ability to bounce back and still people are hounding him. And he hasn’t even seen his first Grapefruit League pitch yet! His attitude has been nothing but understandable.
And for a guy that has hit over 100 RBI in 2 of his first three seasons I can’t help but think that he has the talent to do it a few more times before he is done.
Great Article MB!
Mark Bradley
February 19th, 2009
12:14 pm
Thanks, Zollie Bob. Thanks, FischerKing.
Mark Bradley
February 19th, 2009
12:16 pm
And we know now that Francoeur and the Braves settled late last night, thereby avoiding arbitration. Francoeur will make $3.375 million this season.
Popeye
February 19th, 2009
3:18 pm
I hope some of the nut job’s that have shown up on several of the Braves blogs the last couple of days will soon crawl back under their rock. Some of it is unconscionably offensive. Who wants to read that!
Chris Broe
February 20th, 2009
1:05 am
We should have three more world series rings, that were lost because of Bobby Cox. We have one ring that was won because of Bobby Cox. I used to say, that if you look at the won/lost series games record of Bobby Cox, that he looked pretty good.
I want to win World Series rings. Not look back after we lose and say, “we’ll, we did pretty good”. I hate pretty good. I want rings!
See my fingers? They’re empty. You know what they want? RINGS!!!!
What I don’t get is why Mark Bradley doesn’t ask Bobby Cox what he was thinking in New York when he let that uber-fast ball pitcher throw an offspeed pitch in game six, when we had them. I’ll never forgive you for that, bobby cox.
What I don’t get is why Mark Bradley doesn’t ask Bobby Cox what he was thinking in Minnesota in 1991 when our runner got “deked” by the shortstop, instead of obeying the third base coach’s signal about how to run those bases while that ball was bouncing off the wall….. That lost the series and the ring. I’ll never forgive bobby cox for that. I despise bobby cox for tha,t forever and ever and ever..
Aw the whole thing makes me so sick I cant believe in baseball anymore, sorry. Mark, you write drivel-tripe. You just run at the mouth, do you know that? And it makes me sick. Either hold our coaches accountable, based on a truth about each sport you write about and quit thinking that we’re satisfied that you know the roster of players and their stats, and that’s supposed to be enough. Quit. Retire. Resign. I dont care, but get serious about your f’n career.
I’m sick of losers. SICK!!!
Okay, you want examples? Look at dirtydog’s 9:59. Hitting coaches. Hitting coaches. Hitting is a natural thing. You either have it or you dont. Now, there’s been volumes written about the stance, or whether you should wiggle your butt, or wave the bat around, or go forward or backward in the batter’s box. It’s all hooey. If there was a formula, then everyone would hit .300. The reality is that players are born with eye-hand co-ordination. A pitcher can fool a batter with a clever motion, but if the batter understands the count, the score, the inning, the point in the season, and the standing of the team the pitcher is throwing from, then he can deduce when the fat one is coming. It’s called management. A real coach would know when to signal to the batter when that fat one is coming. Any true blooded american should know when that time is. Bobby Cox couldn’t decipher a pitching sequence if his jock strap was…..aw, I’m too upset to finish this.
G
February 20th, 2009
8:19 am
You know a couple of things grab me on these blogs. First you forget that “Athletes” are people too. Everyone jumps on them if they are not doing well and if they are doing great everyone wants to buy their jerseys. As far as a regular job, guess what no it is not. You have Thousands of fans screaming at you each and every game, you have frequent flyer miles out the gazoo, 3/4 of the year you do not know where your home is, all of the worlds media is constantly keeping you under their microscope and even keep tabs on what you eat each day, when you sleep, how long you stay on the toilet, who you date, and basically makes life He.. . Do they deserve the millions, with what they put up with and who all they have to please it is a close call. However, remember the ones that provide us pleasure and remembrance of “our glory years” are also human beings with normal emotions, hurts and frustrations that are multiplied beyond belief. For the ones that call yourself a “Fan of JF” are you really?
Mark Bradley
February 20th, 2009
8:46 am
Where to start, Chris? First of all, it wasn’t Game 6 in New York. It was Game 4 in Atlanta. And Cox doesn’t call every pitch for his pitchers. They have control over what they throw.
And how exactly could Cox have been expected to keep L. Smith from getting faked out by Chuck Knoblauch? Should he have run on the diamond and yelled in L. Smith’s ear as he was moving from first to second? Wouldn’t that have been a violation of, you know, the rules?
And if your fingers are metaphorically devoid of rings, what happened to the one from 1995? Sold it on eBay, did you?
Oh, and if hitting is something you either have or you don’t, why are you complaining about the manager? What’s he supposed to do in the case of what you claim is innate? Alter a batter’s DNA?
peedie mac
February 21st, 2009
12:02 pm
I thought that Frenchie’s attitude was wrong when he got sent down last year. For him to feel submarined as he alleged, meant that he felt he was too good for relearning how to hit from a stint in the minors. I wish we had not brought him back in 3 days, but had some veterans tell him to get his head straight, get his confidence back, and make the best of the situation by having the opportunity to hit against guys who were not quite yet big league caliber. that could have made a big difference. instead he acted like a brat. Even now for him to say he can’t ever be 100% about that demotion shows that he still has that attitude. I understand these guys almost have to think they are great to withstand the minor letdowns and not let their confidence be destroyed, but I remeber a couple of times when this worked. When Ron Gant was struggling, Bobby sent him down and it really helped. Also when Andrew Jones was lolligagging in center field, Bobby jerked his butt out of the game. Both of these guys then picked up their own slack while Frenchie floundered. Go figure.
Jack G.
February 22nd, 2009
11:50 am
BugKiller
A mans intellegence is measured by how much he agrees with you. You sir are a smart man.
DC Braves Fan
February 23rd, 2009
1:17 pm
Francouer is a lot like Soriano — they both swing at anything. Everyone started to give up on Soriano a few years ago when he went through a deep slump (including the playoffs). He had to adjust, and I think Jeff will as well, to the reality that if you swing at anything, pitchers will throw anything.
Neither of these guys will ever be 100 walk guys. But there is a threshold of selectivity that has to be mastered even for the most aggressive hitters. Getting there, however, is a process, and it usually takes a year like Francouer had last year or the one Soriano had his last year with the Yankees before that process is mastered. 2009 will be the defining year in Francouer’s career.
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