All-Trade Friday: Should the Braves deal Jeff Francoeur?
I thought it would work. I thought Jeff Francoeur would remember how to hit and the masses would forget he’d forgotten and all would be bliss for the hometown kid and the team of his dreams. But it’s not working, and I’ve come to believe it won’t.
Too much has happened. He got too big too fast. It wasn’t his fault. He was great from the moment of his big-league arrival in July 2005 and we — meaning the fans and the media and the Braves themselves — loved him and reveled in every detail of his charmed young life. But then, after two mostly solid full seasons, he stopped hitting. And everything changed.
Francoeur was upset when the Braves sent him to Class AA on the Fourth of July. “I don’t think there’s any way I can [feel as warmly toward the organization] 100 percent,” he said in February. “I want to play here forever; I’ve said that all along. But the business part of it is different.”
The Braves weren’t thrilled when Francoeur went to Texas to work with Rangers hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo. Said Terry Pendleton, the Braves’ hitting coach: “I asked Jeff, ‘Why didn’t you come to me?’ Obviously he felt the need to go elsewhere. It’s his winter. [But] it bugged me at first. Not hearing it from him, that got me more than anything. I told him, ‘I thought our relationship was better than that.’ ”
Loading ...Where once there was sunshine, there’s distrust and frustration. The Braves wonder if Francoeur can be coached. Francoeur wonders if the Braves have his best interests at heart. He tries too hard and falls back on bad habits. The Braves drop him in the order and struggle to be patient. And here he is, batting. 245 with a microscopic on-base percentage of .280. He’s on pace to finish with 11 homers and 71 RBIs — same as he did last year.
I thought it would work, but it isn’t working and I don’t believe it will again. Francoeur and the Braves need fresh starts. He needs to go somewhere where every swing and miss doesn’t stir civic angst. The Braves need a right fielder whose persona doesn’t outstrip production. Both parties need to breathe deeply again.
I would hate it if Francoeur played elsewhere. I’ve known him since he was a junior at Parkview — he remains the greatest high school football player I’ve seen in 25 years at the AJC — and he’s a fine fellow who tries to accommodate everyone. But I’d hate it more to see this psychodrama drag into August and beyond. It’s time for both sides to cut their losses. It’s time to trade Frenchy.
What could the Braves get for him? Probably not all that much, but that’s not really the point . They’d be better off without him, and he without them. He could slip into another uniform and be someone other than the homegrown Golden Child. He could relax. He could just go play ball again, as opposed to feeling compelled to sign every autograph and pose for every picture.
I am, as we know, wrong about everything, and I wouldn’t mind being wrong about this. I’d love to see Francoeur become the Francoeur we all thought he’d be, but the time for that seems past. I don’t see a happy ending for this player in this city with this team. Wish I did, but I don’t.
Other installments: Should the Thrashers trade Ilya Kovalchuk? And also: Should the Hawks trade Josh Smith?
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476 comments Add your comment
ElonBrave
June 14th, 2009
9:11 pm
Why not stick Diaz out in RF and leave him there? Why platoon two guys in LF who are each hitting 270-280 and keep a guy in RF everyday who is hitting 240? — Wren, You’re Kidding Right?
I can’t figure out why they don’t make that move either. The only possible thing I can see keeping them from doing that is that it would take the level of Defense in the outfield down considerably. But I think I’d rather have the bat.
ivan babbit
June 14th, 2009
9:12 pm
The Braves have basically 4 great starting pitchers and a great closer in Soriono. When Hudson comes back perhaps the very best rotation in the bigs.
We have some players that need to go and the need for two middle relievers and we could go all the way. Look at Tampa Bay. If I
had a vote , Frenchy stays. We get rid of Frank Wren who has seriously
ruined the player moral off and now on the field. He needs to pack
his bags and lets get back to winning a pennant
cdog
June 14th, 2009
9:33 pm
WELL WELL WHATS THIS?MIKE WOODSON TAKES THE HAWKS TO THE NEXT LEVEL, THE PLAYOFFS. HE GETS CRITICIZED, AND PEOPLE IN ATLANTA WANT HIM FIRED. I DON’T HEAR TOO MUCH ON BOBBY COX BEING FIRED DISPITE HIS CONSTANT FAILURES.HIS STUBBORNESS TO KEEP KELLY JOHNSON AND YUNNEL ESCOBAR ON THE FIELD IS KILLING THE TEAM. LEAVE JEFF FRANCOER ALONE COX AND MANAGEMENT FAIL TO SURROUND THE NEEDED HITTERS AROUND HIM. HE IS NOT THE PROBLEM.THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS, SINCE LEO MAZZONE LEFT THE TEAM AND PITCHING STAFF HAS NOT BEEN THE SAME. BUT COX STUBBORNESS HAS BEEN THE MAIN CULPRIT.HE MANAGES WITH HIS HEART MORE THAN WITH HIS HEAD NOW.
cdog
June 14th, 2009
9:37 pm
FRANCOER IS STILL YOUNG. CHIPPER WOULD BRING IN TOP PLAYERS GIVEN HIS AGE AND INJURY PRONESS FROM A TOP CONTENDER. FRANCOER CAN BE A PLAYER TO BULID FOR THE FUTURE GIVEN THIS CURRENT BRAVES TEAM DON’T CARE ABOUT WINNING THIS YEAR.
francoeuristheman
June 14th, 2009
11:46 pm
cc your an idiot, im pretty sure we just brought in nate mclouth, apparently an all star center fielder who everyone is so excited about, and his average is only 4 points higher than jeff, yet jeff is the only one talked about in the lineup…over the past few games he has shown he’s making adjustments and is starting to make better contact which will only result in him regaining his swing
drumzalicious
June 15th, 2009
1:01 am
I’ve said it before and I’m prob the only one who will think this but . .
IF we are so desperate for a bat and we have no financial means left to pursue that bat why don’t we do something unexpected that kinda makes sense.
Why don’t we trade Lowe?
Now I’m not saying this because Lowe did badly today against Baltimore. Just hear me out.
Lowe is a nice arm in any rotation. He ideally is a #2 but could be substituted as a #1. He has great control and will do well as long as he has a good defense behind him catching those ground balls.
Yes he is in his late 30’s but someone wrote an article about how because Lowe didnt become a starter till so late in his career he doesnt have as much mileage on his arm and is essentially coming into his prime as a starter.
Yes I know he is being paid more than a lot of teams would want to pay him as well.
Now what we would need is a team with a pretty good INF Defense. A team that has an OF that we could acquire that would bolster our lineup in a Big Way. And a team that desperately needs pitching.
So I present to you the Texas Rangers.
Here is a team that has a young core of pitchers coming through the gate with Kevin Millwood on his way out and no one to really head the rotation.
They have a very solid defensive infield.
And they have a Bat we could use.
Why dont we trade:
Derek Lowe
Francoeur
Cash (Say 4 Mil a year on Lowe’s Contract)
For
Nelson Cruz
The Rangers get a Pitcher to slot either behind or infront of Millwood. Lowe also most likely wouldnt see a drastic increase in his ERA since he is a GB pitcher (Although I’m not 100% on this). They also get him for 3 1/2 Years.
Yes they lose Cruz in RF. BUT they gain Frenchy. With the way their hitting coach has turned around Andruw Jones and how Frenchy started the season so much better after being under him not to mention the ballpark his numbers will get better for that team and he will be at least league average.
Then they get Hamilton back in July.
Braves will of course lose their “Staff Ace” but we still have a solid 1/2 behind JJ and Vazquez. Kawakami is pitching like a #3 starter with league average ERA and has shown signs of improvement. From there they can slot Medlen in the #5 hole.
If you want to take it further they could then possibly do a trade for a decent starter to hold them over till Hudson gets back since they will have cleared most of Lowes salary.
Now if you really want to stretch it you could delve into the whole issue that appears to be happening with Escobar where we might see him get traded Escobar and or Kelly Johnson would certainly be enough to net us a pitcher and im talking BETTER than Brad Penny
Sadtoseeitthisway
June 15th, 2009
4:14 am
Too bad about Frenchy. Great looking, local guy with a big warm smile. What`s not to like? Oops! He just struckout with runners on (again} and looked bad doing it. Doesn`t somebody on the Braves know how to fix this problem? Maybe they don`t notice all those empty seats means their fans aren`t very happy with the current team.
Brian
June 15th, 2009
7:53 am
The Braves will get nothing in return for Francoeur, who is largely viewed as a legend in his own mind and a big fat bust here. Send his butt to AAA and trade laconic, injury-laden Chipper “Ow my pinkie hurts” Jones while he still has some value left.
Pendleton needs to be sent packing. Cox is a legend and I thank him for 1991-2005, but now it’s time for him to take a seat in the boardroom. McDowell is doing a better job than I would have predicted and has Jurrjens coming along nicely in particular.
jerry
June 15th, 2009
8:07 am
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall, and all the King’s horse’s asses…….
yogi2
June 15th, 2009
8:39 am
trade him or release him now. he has negative value. frenchy makes almost $4 million for nothing in return . just close this chapter and move on. After the season is over the Braves will not offer him arbitration,they might end up paying him more. So he’s gone either way
Submariner
June 15th, 2009
9:30 am
The matter is payroll. Trading is one thing, but trading for quality goes hand in hand with payroll. In order for the Braves to trade for someone who brings value, they have to clear payroll. Who ya gonna give up? Vazquez? Hudson? Kawakami? One of those guys would have to be in any package to get a quality, power right-handed bat. The lesser of two evils is to hold on to Frenchy and hope he starts hitting for power. This team has plenty of offense. You can’t point the spotlight at just one guy. You can hide Jeff’s power outage if the other eight hitters are gettng it done. They’re not!!! If you’re not a power ball team, then you have to play small ball and Bobby won’t play SMALL BALL! He keeps waiting for the 3 run homer. It ain’t happinin with these guys. When’s Bobby gonna wake up and smell the coffee?!
JOHN STEPHENS
June 15th, 2009
9:39 am
IT IS TIME FOR BOBBY COX TO GO.
Frustrated with Frenchy
June 15th, 2009
9:51 am
The sad thing is Jeff Francoeur has so much talent and his arm in right field is perhaps the best in the game! Its too bad he swings at everything like a little league player. If he could only learn a little patience at the plate and only swing at strikes he would become the player he is capable of being. I would much rather see him strikeout looking than looking like a fool swinging at pitches two feet out side of the zone. You say he needs to change and go to a different team will help. I know that you all are wrong! It will not matter if he goes to a different team because until he gets that he has to be patient at the plate and wait for his pitch to hit his batting will always stink!
James D Feely
June 15th, 2009
10:29 am
Why don’t they let hm return to the style of hitting and fielding that got him to the Bigs. This experimental crap rminds me of when Smoltz was young and they had him with a sports psychologist and just about everything short of a witch Doctor. Francouer will evolve with what he brought to the dance or he won’t. Pendelton is not a batting instructor. Notice who Mac latches onto when he talks about hitting. Leave him to his own means and ask him to relax and return to his comfort zone.
Phillip Armstrong
June 15th, 2009
1:27 pm
I agree completely he should be traded although I am amazed that the so-called hitting coaches he has (Pendleton or Jaramillo) haven’t identified a basic batting flaw that is easily correctable. Specifically, Jeff has what is known as a “hitch” in his swing. When the ball leaves the pitcher’s hand, Jeff takes the bat back ever so slightly, i.e., he’s moving the bat backwards instead of beginning a forward motion towards the pitcher. As a result he can’t get the bat through the hitting zone quick enough, which is why he tends to hit everything to right field. I had a hitch when I played Little League. My coach corrected it and I hit fine thereafter, even leading the league in hitting when I played Pony League at age 16. In short, get rid of the hitch and Jeff will start hitting again.
Doug
June 15th, 2009
2:23 pm
I am a Jeff Francoeur fan. Where he plays makes no difference to me.
Unfortunately, here, he didn’t have the “ah-ha” experience needed to be a consistent hitter. He finds it and then loses it. It might be what the psychologists call “resistance.” He really knows how to hit, but unconsciously he won’t.
It might be that he was/is over rated.
He needs a fresh start. Maybe he will never have that “ah-ha” but the Braves need to let him find out somewhere else. A trade is all too often seen as a snub. Maybe all too often it is. Ideally it is about improving the teams involved. Jeff Francoeur can help somebody.
A trade can be an opportunity.
Will
June 15th, 2009
4:28 pm
Why trade him for nothing. Send him to AAA to get himself together and if he doesnt like it too bad he can suck it up and deal with it.
francoeuristheman
June 15th, 2009
5:18 pm
mark i hope you read each one of these, because in my opinion YOU ARE AN IDIOT, and someone who claims to be a braves fan and francoeur fan doesn’t sound like one…how bout some positive reinforcement every once in awhile. i don’t think a-rod could get out of a slump the way you would probably bash him. how about writing an article talking about how he got some hits a night (for example he went 3-4 the other night with 2 rbi’s and not a word was said. maybe if you write something positive you could boost his confidence you idiot, because confidence is a big key to success in baseball.
ch
June 15th, 2009
11:38 pm
Frenchy needs to stay. He’s not having the greatest season but hes still producing in clutch situations, like against the cubs a few weeks back. He is a very streaky hitter, and right now he is on a role. I think that Terry Pendleton needs to do his job and work with him more. Jeff Francoeur is the most energetic player in the braves lineup, and no matter how bad he is doing, i always have a good feeling when he is at the plate. I think that the Braves best answer would be to unload garret anderson, and keep matt diaz there untill jason heyward or jordan schafer is ready for the bigs.
joe c
June 17th, 2009
5:26 pm
at least francouer has decent range in the field and a rifle for an arm. make a deal for someone like brian roberts at 2B, drop franceour to the 8 spot and sit or trade kelly johnson. he’s been just as bad at the plate as francouer has!! why is frenchy taking all the heat at the ajc?
Doug
June 18th, 2009
11:27 pm
Francoeur is one of my favorite players and has been since his meteoric rise in 2005. I think I still have the SI with him on the cover somewhere around here. However, I do believe that a fresh start would be of benefit to him. Send him to Gwinnett…or trade him…or put him in the clean-up spot and tell him, once again, “you’re our guy, go, man!” He still hits well with two outs and has had a few at bats at clean-up this year and done pretty well. Like Yogi said, “half of baseball is all mental” (or something like that). Maybe a confidence boost will be what he needs. If BC doesn’t have the guts to try that, do the trade or AAA.
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12:35 pm
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Derekp
June 24th, 2009
11:15 pm
I think i’ve seen this somewhere before…but it’s not bad at all
Cooper
July 8th, 2009
1:48 pm
I WANT JEFF FRANCOEUR TO STAY IN ATLANTA BECAUSE HE IS MY FIRST FAVORITE PLAYER.
Waiting, too
July 10th, 2009
6:12 pm
To trade Jeff Francouer is an awful decision. I will NEVER attend another Braves game!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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July 10th, 2009
11:13 pm
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