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?
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
476 comments Add your comment
Ron
June 12th, 2009
11:33 am
If the Braves can get a bag of salted peanuts for Jeff, the Braves will gotten the better deal in that trade.
rhynster
June 12th, 2009
11:33 am
You can’t trade him for jack.
He has options.
Why can’t we just send him down?
rabiddawg
June 12th, 2009
11:36 am
FYI, I would love it if JF would deliver on the expectations, however lofty they may be, but I just don’t think that he will. You gotta do what makes your team better now, rather than later. We all don’t want the TED to be anymore of a ghost town than it alreay is (except when yanks, sox or cubs are in town).
RHR
June 12th, 2009
11:36 am
What about Garrett Anderson? Kotchman? KJ? Frenchie is only part of the problem.
The difference is, GA, and CK have been streaky for what? 40 games? KJ? At least he IS streaky and when he is slumping he DOES draw walks now and then. He is notorious for his hot hitting streaks. Jeff? A hot streak? Yeah. Not so much. I would be thrilled if Jeff was streaky but the problem is, we’re in the 2nd year of waiting for his “slump” streak to end. Only in Atlanta would a guy with a .280 OBP play every day. And only Parkview’s Golden Boy would get that privilege.
I agree with Mark that a change of scenery could do him a world of good. Or maybe he’s just not that good. We’ll never know until he goes somewhere else. I wish him all the best wherever he goes but it’s just not going to happen for him here. Too many impossible expectations.
And on that note, I hope the AJC and other local/national media LAYS OFF Tommy Hanson and just let him be whatever he is going to be. Don’t rush to call him the next Maddux or Smoltz! Of course we all hope for that and he may very well meet or match their success but how about we just let him just be Tommy Hanson for a while?
Will
June 12th, 2009
11:37 am
All of you numb nuts out there including Mark Bradley need to ask yourself. Who in the hell is out there that we can get who can replace him? The market is terrible and no one is looking to make any moves. Just sit tight for the rest of this year. Trading for nothing is NOT a good move.
Turk 182
June 12th, 2009
11:37 am
If we can’t much in return for him, then why not send him to AAA? That would be a fresh start as soon as he changed his attitude.
jay
June 12th, 2009
11:37 am
Mark – not on the Frenchy subject (T.P. needs to go first), but, it’s been a week – where are the teams beating down Glavine’s door for a craft, veteran left-hander who can still bring it??
Bob Horner
June 12th, 2009
11:38 am
Bradley – we’re tired of hearing about the Texas hitting coach thing. Jeff was struggling mightily and wanted to try something else. Why could anyone (TP included) fault him for that? Secondly, what are you going to get for him in the trade market? He’s not costing the Braves much and he still has upside as a run producer. Trading him for some boob would not make sense. Why not start Diaz in Right, and just bench Jeff? Make him a situational hitter, but don’t feel obligated to run him out every night. Maybe he needs to be the platoon guy, and not Diaz. If this helps him get his mind right, then great. If not, then try to move him. But right now, you aren’t going to get a musty sack of balls for him (pun intended) in thetrade market
chc4
June 12th, 2009
11:38 am
Wow, this article is only a year too late. The question is no longer should we trade him, it’s should we release him.
Daniel
June 12th, 2009
11:39 am
No, they should not deal Jeff. 1) He has gone back to the heavier bat, which is bringing back the pop. 2) He has ability and swagger that make his ceiling very high. 3) He has been toying with his hitting for 2 years now, and is finally fed up and sick of listening to other people. He is going back to being a power hitter/run producer that he showed the potential to be in his first full season. 4) He realizes that hitting bloopers to right field is overrated. His vicious swing is back, and his confidence will soon follow.
CNSYD
June 12th, 2009
11:41 am
If the Braves haven’t ruined him, he can go where he should have in the first place and play DB for Clemson.
Mikey101
June 12th, 2009
11:42 am
Heck yes trade him and send that useless Garrett Anderson with him.
hal
June 12th, 2009
11:43 am
frenchy has the exact same plan as everyone else ,none!!! wonder how long it will take tp to ruin mcclouths swing its a work in progress im sure lol
UGA89
June 12th, 2009
11:44 am
Get rid of him along with Anderson. This has got to be the worst outfield the Braves have every put on a line-up card. At lest the bad teams of the mid-late 80’s had Murph. Question is who to put in right?
Steven Lemon
June 12th, 2009
11:46 am
I agree that Frenchy is the reincarnation of Andruw Jones. He has no concept of the strike zone and his “big hits ” come on huge mistakes by the pitcher. Were it not for his arm and his glove I would have traded him a year ago. Blaming his problems on TP is like blaming the pitchers’ problems on the fat that Mazzone is no longer around. I love Francoeur, but he is not the guy I want to see at the plate in a crunch. I don’t know if I would trade him, but I would certainly entertain the thought of platooning or sending/sitting him down for a while.
BTW, will I be first to rain on Tommy Hanson’s parade? I notice how everyone is smoothing over his debut, but what I saw was a guy with good stuff who leaves everything at the belt or higher. I think even Jeff Francoeur could make a good living hitting against a pitcher like that. Until Hanson learns to keep the ball down he will be another flash in the braves pan, llike so many before him.
rabiddawg
June 12th, 2009
11:48 am
One other thing, Who else is tired of haring BC make excuses for the loses?
Mike
June 12th, 2009
11:48 am
Jeff set our expectations with his first two seasons. I do not know if he will get back to that level or not. I do know that he is a gifted defense outfielder who has either led the league or been close to it in assists since he got to the Show. He is also a Gold Glove winner. This guy is a good outfielder, and I think he will recover. Not all the way but he will come back. Gee, I have seen players stay in the majors for years by producing 71 RBI’s. Another hit a week and a few more walks and he turns around. Maybe we should dial it down a notch and let the guy off the hook. I know we would all like to see him succeed.
Biscuit
June 12th, 2009
11:50 am
Trade him for some crap prospect and he hits .350, bank on it.
Jan
June 12th, 2009
11:50 am
Jeff has a hard time with the concept of “team”. His I’ll swing at anything and pull everything approach will never make him a run producer or win contributor. .240 and 70 RBI’s is shameful. The Braves 14 games back and mired in 4th place (again) is shameful. Isn’t this Jeff’s walk year? If so he better get his head out of his arm pit and show he’s coachable and a do what it takes to win kind of guy or he’ll be playing in Kansas City for the minimum. Come to think of it Atlanta is the NL’s Kansas City and Jeff is playing for a little over the minimum. Maybe we could package Jeff, Kelly and TP to Japan.
David Rushforth
June 12th, 2009
11:50 am
Mark:
You mentioned that you thought Francoeur was the “greatest high school football player I’ve seen in 25 years at the AJC”. Did you ever see a guy named Michael Hart from Troup County in the early to mid 70’s? I played with him there for a few years and he was the best athlete I’ve ever seen. He started at quarterback, safety, punt return and kickoff return and scored many touchdowns from all positions. He had a powerful arm but we didn’t have many receivers at the time who could catch him and that didn’t matter so much because of his other talents. He was the quickest and fastest player on the team and we specialized in the ‘option-style’ offense. I heard that he got All American Honorable Mention. He was an African-American kid who graduated in ‘75 and I believe went to GA to play for Vince Dooley. After that I lost track of him but I heard that things didn’t work out for him. Perhaps he got injured. Do you know? A more gifted individual physically I’ve never seen. It might be interesting to compare the two players.
hal
June 12th, 2009
11:51 am
o agree with that one poster if any gms dumb enough to take garret’LOAF” they may actually take frenchy too play with one outfielder we have been doing that anyways lol
Ted Striker
June 12th, 2009
11:52 am
“Well, a couple of grand slammers and the Brewers are right back in this one.” – Bob Uecker during the 8th inning of a game the Brewers were losing 8 – 0
On Francouer, it’s one thing for fans to question a guy’s results. It’s an entirely different matter when fans start claiming he’s selfish, questioning his heart or attitude and they don’t even know the guy.
If you find yourself saying things like “Francouer should just man up” it’s time to turn off your TV, take a walk, pet your dog, make love to your wife, and quit fixating on JF and whether he goes 2-3 or 0-4.
GWJ
June 12th, 2009
11:54 am
Frenchy has all the tools…….It’s what between his ears that keeps him from being successful at the plate. Until he develops patience at the plate he will never be the hitter is capable of being. The truth is, a change of scenery might be the only thing that clears his head and allows a chance to gain that patience.
Missing the Braves of the 90's...
June 12th, 2009
11:58 am
I would hate to see us have to get rid of Frenchy but we are running out of time. I say not to trade him if we can’t get something valuable in return. Otherwise we might as well keep him and see if he gets any better.
I think TP should go. The fact the whole team (pretty much) is not hitting should tell you something. Too much coincidence that our hitting is so bad. Its not all his fault but a hitting coach should have the respect and confidence of his players or else they won’t listen too him.
Anybody else wondering if we would be better without Bobby Cox. I love the man and all the great things he has done for us, but man, maybe we just need some new blood and new philosphy on this team. We are getting worse every year now for the last 5 years. Bobby was great, but think his ho-hum attitude just isn’t cutting it any more. This team needs some SPARK!!!
Also, just have to say the handling of the Smoltz and Glavine situations makes me sick. After all they did for us we could have let them go a little bit more tactfully than that. Not sure if I believe in this Wren guy….
SC Ace
June 12th, 2009
12:03 pm
A couple points:
* Further complicating the whole picture is that, for better or worse, it seems like they are grooming TP to be the manager when Bobby finally hangs ‘em up, and as Bradley has documented, he and Frenchy have a strained relationship at best. (
* On a side note, that HAS to be why they hang on to Pendleton despite his apparent ineffectiveness in his current role – I read more about young guys like Schaefer getting help from Chipper than from TP.)
* I find it amusing to see comments in which some people are talking about how the Braves rushed Francouer and put too much pressure on him as the homegrown golden boy; while in the same thread people are advocating bringing Jason Heyward up from Myrtle Beach! You know what they say about those who forget the past (not to mention the present?)
* Trade Francouer to an AL team where he can be a useful defensive substitute for now with potential for more later.
Bama Aaron
June 12th, 2009
12:04 pm
Frankly trading him would be a waste of time. His stock has fallen so much at this point you would just be giving him away and that doesn’t help anyone. My opinion, trade and/or sack Terry Pendleton. Either at Turner Field or at home on the couch I’ve watched around 150 a season for a lot of years and I’ve never seen him effectively “coach” anyone into better hitting.
Missing the Braves of the 90's...
June 12th, 2009
12:05 pm
OH yeah, one more thing. Get rid of Garrett Anderson. He shows no emotion or heart out there. He looks like he could care less to be in Atlanta. Give his job to a young guy who wants it. The experiment didn’t work- should have got Griffey or something! lol. Give me Diaz any day over GA!
ed simmons
June 12th, 2009
12:05 pm
Terry needs to move on most of the team are underachieving.
Atlanta Cowards
June 12th, 2009
12:05 pm
LOL @ Francine fan base. Fan favorite……hahahhahahahahha. I can hear the booooos all the way up in chicago
GBRAVE
June 12th, 2009
12:06 pm
This newspaper should be looking to part ways with a terrible writer who got his little feelings hurt.
PMC
June 12th, 2009
12:07 pm
Could it be some sort of physical thing with him like an eye problem or something? Didn’t he have an eye injury a few years back? Maybe he’s just not seeing the ball like he used too or something too?
Atlanta Cowards
June 12th, 2009
12:08 pm
“1) He has gone back to the heavier bat, which is bringing back the pop.”
hahahahahahahha. The stuff in this blog is comedy gold. how did you people get the internet way out there?
yogi2
June 12th, 2009
12:13 pm
Trade Freaky Franqueor for anything . Pay someone a zillion to take him. Please dont send him to Gwinnett. I am a Gwinnett fan and it would make me sick to see his sorry ass stinking up the team
smitty
June 12th, 2009
12:14 pm
Send him to AAA or AA and let him complain for a few weeks until he realizes he’s not coming back until he changes his attitude and starts to get success. None of this “3 days in the minors” crap.
Missing the Braves of the 90's...
June 12th, 2009
12:17 pm
Anyone know when the last time the Cubs made it to a World Series?
I can’t remember either!???
Space Monkey
June 12th, 2009
12:17 pm
I’m voting no on trading Francoeur. The team needs to send him to the AA for the rest of the year. He needs to go back and learn how to play. He’s just 25. He still has potential. He needs to go back down and find his swing.
Boo Boo
June 12th, 2009
12:24 pm
I remember back in late 2005, when Francoeur (name means Frenchie at heart) was leading the league with batting average with runners in scoring position, some reporters up north said he was the biggest mirage they had ever seen, and the bubble would burst. Now, I don’t know if they have some magic formula for determining who gets more squib hits or flares that fall, or if they simply made a Jeff Francoeur voodoo doll and filled it with pins, but they seem to have known their business way back then. If so, he should still be playing in Jackson, MS and the Braves should have bought a Pitch-Back to play right field until they could muster up the money to sign someone who could hit. Of course, one would think that was Garret Anderson (name means .250 hitter without power), but I think another Pitch-Back would hit about the same.
THW
June 12th, 2009
12:27 pm
FTA: “He needs to go somewhere where every swing and miss doesn’t stir civic angst.”
There rules out a trade to Boston for Brad Penny. He’ll be tossed off the Tobin Bridge after a weekend of his free-swinging 0-5’s.
chbeyer
June 12th, 2009
12:27 pm
Jeff has the tools to be an all star and he will be. Its just a matter of time. He deserves better, however, than what he is getting from the fickle fans. Lets give away this talent and watch as he goes elsewhere and this year or next or the following hits .310, 115 RBIs and 35 home runs with a golden glove to boot. He has proven that he can do that (his first year). I do think Pendleton has not been effective at helping JF so lets keep TP and dump Frenchy. Makes sense to me.
Firing Terry P first
June 12th, 2009
12:29 pm
He is the current version of Andrew Jones. I call him Rally Killer not Jeff anymore.
But the common denominators is…….Terry Pendleton. He needs to go first! And the Braves score how many runs on average 3?
Pathetic!
R. Brave
June 12th, 2009
12:30 pm
How come everyone can see we need to get rid of Pendleton except the GM. Its that simple. Like someone said the only ones hitting consistanly is Chipper and Mac and they have their Dad’s as the coach. the rest just suck.Get rid of TP
Atlanta Cowards
June 12th, 2009
12:31 pm
I all seriousness though, itsn’t obvious that Wonderboy must have broke and that is the true root of all of his problems. Stupid maple bats….
The_Superhoo (Montana by way of Virginia)
June 12th, 2009
12:31 pm
chbeyer: he deserves what he’s getting. fans arent being “fickle” with him. read the tea leaves, he isnt hitting, and he isnt hitting for power. he needs to be relegated or traded NOW.
STH
June 12th, 2009
12:31 pm
Jack Daniels, you must have been drinkin your name to request letting Bobby go
Lank
June 12th, 2009
12:33 pm
Trade Frenchie to Cleveland for their seagulls?
The_Superhoo (Montana by way of Virginia)
June 12th, 2009
12:36 pm
“Lank
June 12th, 2009
12:33 pm
Trade Frenchie to Cleveland for their seagulls?”
HILARIOUS!!!!
Boo Boo
June 12th, 2009
12:38 pm
My cousin works down at the GM plant (or used to). He was the quality control supervisor. He had goals to reach each month, meeting with all the laborers and telling them how important it was to build a good car, while demonstrating how each job should be done. One laborer kept welding the doors together wrong, so the doors leaked when it rained. People stopped buying GM cars, they fired my cousin, and the laborer is working for Ford now.
Moral of the story: Terry Pendleton cannot make any player hit for average, or hit home runs, if the player is incapable of remembering these instructions: “Watch the ball all the way into your bat. Try to catch the ball with your bat.” I believe Terry Pendleton first learned to mimic those instructions shortly after he was out of diapers. He just remembered. Francoeur (name means Frenchie with a heart) is looking at the limelights and is blinded to the balls he used to hit.
Greg
June 12th, 2009
12:38 pm
I’ll say it again. Jeff’s problem isn’t that he needs a change of scenery, or that the hometown crowd expects too much of him. It’s that he has ZERO plate discipline. If I’m a Major League Pitcher, and I know a guy will swing at a slider in the dirt, why on god’s green earth would i throw him a fastball over the plate? Go back and look at the career paths of similar players who simply would not take a walk. The result is always the same. They start hot (sometimes), scouts get a read on them, and then their careers fizzle (always), because hitting MLB pitching is hard enough when you keep the pitchers honest, when you don’t, you have no chance to succeed.
Jeff was raw and undisciplined when he came up, got off to a blazing start, and that has really hurt his career. He’s too stubborn to change. A trip to the minors or a long stint on the bench might be the only things that will wake him up.
STH
June 12th, 2009
12:38 pm
I agree I would really hate to see frenchy go, I really believe he is going to be a player, but he is not helping us winn ball games. I laughed so hard at a recent blog that said we should send Frenchy to the plate without a bat for the first two pitch’s cause he would start an a bat 0 and 2 either way. I hate it but we need some changes big time. We have the best starters in the league through the first three and with Hanson soon four out of five, but ajc is right you cant win with one run a game
csg
June 12th, 2009
12:40 pm
Bradley, where have you been and what have you been watching. All true braves fans who know anything about baseball couldve told you that Frenchy should’ve been traded/released/sent down about 2 full seasons ago. Why are you just now noticing this? He’s now working on his 3rd season with a sub .300 OBP in 5 yrs, I guess 2 out of 4 years wasnt enough. Start paying attention or quit writing about the Braves