The Francoeur trade: A sad but necessary ending
This is how much the Braves wanted rid of Jeff Francoeur: They traded him to a team they’ll play 19 times a year, which means they’d rather put themselves in the repeated position of losing to him than have kept him around here. That’s how far the Golden Child had fallen, and how fast.
If you’d hung around the team this summer, you could tell the Braves’ patience had reached its end. Even after his Texas tutorial with Rudy Jaramillio, Francoeur was the same as he’d been last season, give or take. Even after vowing many times to be a new Frenchy, he was the familiar flailing Frenchy. And the Braves had seen enough.
He’s not a bad guy — on the contrary, he’s a fine fellow — but neither is he easy to coach. He’d been a success in every sport at every level but couldn’t master the adjustments every successful big-league hitter must make. It’s not that he didn’t try to change. He changed his swing several times. Trouble was, he couldn’t change himself.
Francoeur is a baseball player with a football mentality, and that doesn’t cut it over the long haul. A baseball player must be measured in his approach. The same aggressiveness that made Francoeur one of the greatest high school football players this blessed state has ever seen — as a Parkview junior, he averaged a touchdown catch as a wide receiver and an interception as a defensive back per game — ultimately rendered him a substandard big-league hitter.
Terry Pendleton and Bobby Cox get hammered for not imparting plate discipline on their prized pupil, but Francoeur was swinging at everything before he became a Brave. He batted eight times in a playoff doubleheader his senior season at Parkview; seven times he swung at the first pitch. He could get away with it then because he was just so gifted, but gifts alone don’t cut it in the major leagues. Not for long.
Loading ...Francoeur arrived in 2005 and rose to the moment, and we really expected no less. After all, he was a big-time athlete who’d spent his young life rising to such moments. But the Francoeur of 2008 and 2009 was a shadow of the rookie Frenchy. That one was dauntless. This one was aimless. For that first giddy season we were shocked if he made an out; for the past two summers we’ve been surprised if he gets a hit.
I can’t say this trade pleases me — I’ve known Francoeur since he was 17 and like him very much — but I have to say I saw it coming. By going to Jaramillo, he’d damaged his standing with Pendleton and Cox, and the only way you mend a damaged baseball relationship is by producing. And Francoeur had stopped producing at an acceptable rate. He’d become a liability. He needed something he could never get as a Brave. He needed a new start.
And now he has one. I hope he makes it work. I hope he hits .300 and drives in 100 runs next season and every season thereafter, and I don’t care if he inflicts major damage on his former employer. For the good of both parties, this was a trade the Braves had to make. Even if the only team willing to take Francoeur was the hated Mets, the Braves still had to make it.
On July 7, 2005, Jeff Francoeur hit a home run in his first big-league game. Four years and three days later, he was traded for Ryan Church, a right fielder having an even worse year. Four years and three days later, the Golden Child was given the golden boot.
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531 comments Add your comment
guthro
July 11th, 2009
12:02 pm
Remember the 1997 Dye for Tucker and Lockhart trade? Think about Dye’s 301 HRs and 1009 RBIs since the Braves traded him. And his first two years in KC were worse than Francoeur’s 2008 season in Atlanta. And he’s a good guy, too. Trading Dye was a huge mistake. With him, the Braves might have had a couple of more Series wins. Meanwhile, how much better, if at all, is Ryan Church than Michael Tucker was?
Heyward will likely occupy Francoeur’s spot starting in about seven weeks. This was the Braves’ last shot to get something for Francoeur. They didn’t get much.
Dan E
July 11th, 2009
12:10 pm
I have been a die-hard Braves fan for 35 years. I was a Braves fan when 90% of you people did nothing but make fun of the Braves. Francoeur was guilty of one thing….trying too hard. He grew up loving the Braves and dreaming of playing for them. He was a team player not just a hired gun. He gave up Clemson University and football because the Braves drafted him. If anyone else had drafted him, he would be in the NFL right now. I hope Jeff becomes an all-star in New York because he is a great guy and he cares about more than just the money. The Braves are headed down the wrong road…half-ass attempt to resign Smoltz, screw-job on Glavine and now trade Francoeur to a team with some of the most vicious fans in sports. Hey Frank Wren, I have an idea…trade Brian McCann to Philadelphia for the Phillie Phanatic…bring us another clown for this team.
wp
July 11th, 2009
12:12 pm
Been a Braves fan since they got here and I’m not a big Francouer fan, I’m just tired of seeing trades made for temporary help giving up good young talent. Does anyone remember who we got for Butler & Jacoby,how about who the Braves gave up for Tex last year just to name some past and present screw ups. For JTD get out of here with your racist garbage, which black player on the team would you suggest we wear their jersey. Fact is I’ve never worn a players jersey just a Braves shirt and hat for the team not individuals
IlliniBrave
July 11th, 2009
12:48 pm
I can’t understand the criticism of Frank Wren on this and other AJC blogs. What has the guy done wrong?
We now have Church, McLouth, Infante, Vazquez, Lowe, Jurjjens, Kawakami, Ross, Kotchman, Gonzo, and Soriano. (Notice I didn’t mention Anderson). And we have given up what? Mostly middling prospects (Ascanio, Lillibridge) and mediocre/poor performers (Ramirez, LaRoche, Francouer, Renteria, Morton, etc.). Outside of Flowers and Hernandez, Wren has had to let go of very little farm talent.
Gonzo, Soriano, Vazquez, Jurjjens, Infante, and McLouth were all downright trade steals. Lowe, KK, and Ross were solid FA buys. Why all the hate for a guy who has been a pretty shrewd bargainer?
Shane
July 11th, 2009
12:48 pm
Great trade. But why couldn’t Wren have traded him, Kelly Johnson, and Kris Medlen for someone like Juan Rivera who is hitting over .300 and has 16 homers and 52 RBIS with a 3 year contract.
But lets not forget that Church was 8th in the NL with 46 doubles, 15 HRS, 70 RBIs, .272 av, and .349 OBP. in 2007 with 470 at bats. In 2008 he had 14 doubles, 12 HRS, 49 RBIs, .276 av, and
.346 OBP in just 319 at bats. Wren maybe should look into trying to steal Russel Braynan away from the Mariners for Kotchman who has 2 years left on his contract.
NEW CARS
July 11th, 2009
12:51 pm
I never really had a problem with Francouer, but the fact is that as Mark said, he’s a football player trying to play baseball. The fact that he never got it…whether it was taking a couple of pitches to extend an inning and give the pitcher a rest…to going the other way to move a runner over….He was always the star who didn’t have the to learn the intracacies of the game….Don’t know if he will ever make it, I hope he does because I think he is a good dude…..Maybe this will be the wakeup that he needs to go back to the very basics and do some learning about the science of hitting….
I do wonder if this is a prelude to another deal for a rh bat…We now have another piece that is at least worth something..Hopefully we can put a package together
JTD
July 11th, 2009
12:57 pm
Bottom line on this trade is that for atleast this season the Braves have managed to at worst stay the same while making their rivals worse. They could have put a card board cut out of Jeff in right field and the team would actually have been better off because he wouldnt have hit into a double play.
Now the Braves have given their rival a player that will regularly go 0-4 and kill rallies while Atlanta gets a player who atleast might get on base in drive in a few runs. Bottom line Jeff has gone 0 fer more times than not this year so you really can’t get the short end of a deal where 1-4 is an improvement.
marty
July 11th, 2009
1:01 pm
may be they need to get batting coach pendleton out of there and get some body else. francouer would still be there if they had
SeaAtl
July 11th, 2009
1:07 pm
Weird comments here, even from Bradley….By every measure Church is and always has been a better player than Frenchy, defensively and offensively. And though Church hasn’t had a great 2009, it hasn’t been worse than Frenchy’s as Bradley states. Not sure I understand the folks here who don’t like the trade – I’ve always heard Frenchy is a good guy, but he is simply a terrible baseball player. That’s not “hating”, that’s the truth. Good luck to him, but the Braves are a better team now that he is gone, regardless of what they got in return.
Wade Stinson
July 11th, 2009
1:09 pm
It was an idiotic, premature, & uneven trade. The Braves could have gotten big bucks and quality by waiting to trade Frenchy to Boston or The White Sox near the deadline. Trade Cox for better wooded bats!
braves70
July 11th, 2009
1:15 pm
I have been a major critic of Frank Wren, especially in the way Smoltz and Glavine were treated. Now, however I must say, good job Frank. Thank you on behalf of Braves fans, the Braves, and even Jeff Francoeur for ending this daily misery and getting anything in return. Best of luck to all of us. As a Braves fan, I feel as if a great boulder has been lifted from my shoulders and I actually look forward to the future.
don
July 11th, 2009
1:15 pm
Great for Francoeur because he escaped Atlanta. He now, like Wainwright, Marquis, Andrus, et als., has a chance to succeed. No more dealing with the morons in Atlanta (Cox, Schuerholz, Pendleton, Wren, McGuirk, and on and on).
Sad for the Braves management because they layed the groundwork for a trade that will backfire on them. Not quite as bad as the bonehead moves for Drew and Teixeira (probably the worst move in the history of the franchise) but still a further display of incompetence.
Sad for the fans. they will be forced to find some other scapegoat to explain the sub-.500 mediocrity of the team.
Great for fans of the other Eastern Division teams becuase they can be sure the Braves are going nowhere in the foreseeable future.
Possibly good for Heyward and Freeman. they may escape since the Braves have shown a trend of trading their best prospects for horse manure.
Go Rangers. Go Mets.
NEW CARS
July 11th, 2009
1:24 pm
Why does anyone think that Francouer was appreciating in value…Who was going to give us prospects for a .240 corner outfielder with no apparent power, speed or plate discipline….Baseball history is littered with guys like that, Glenn Wilson, Ellis Valentine, Brad Komminsk, Cory Hart….some grow out of it and turn in very good ballplayers like Jermaine Dye….but a lot don’t and we needed to turn the page…..Now if we can deal for a rh bat I will be a lot happier with the whole turn of events
BUCK
July 11th, 2009
1:26 pm
Francouer will have to change his number when he gets to NY. I think he should change it to 6-4-3.
boot
July 11th, 2009
1:26 pm
Its about time. This trade should have happened 2 years ago. The problem with the Braves is who they draft and what rounds they take these “great” players. Francoeur was a 1st round pick while McCann was a 2nd. Outfielders like Francoeur are a dime a dozen… while in his case maybe a pennie a dozen. Just look at their top 10 drafts this year. Half those guys this year won’t make it to high A ball and maybe one will make it to Mississippi. It’s too bad for #7 but maybe the braves need to start looking at players that want to play the game right and unselfishly.
wp
July 11th, 2009
1:30 pm
Amen Don, we’ve given up to much for to little just because Cox couldn’t handle them. I’m not just talking about Francouer, just look at the trades in Coxs history and why they were made not just for making the team better but he did not like them. Let’s talk about Justice
Habersham Brave
July 11th, 2009
1:31 pm
This batting order looks much better than the lineup from 1 weeks ago.
1. Mclouth
2. Escobar
3. Jones
4. McCann
5. Anderson
6. Prado
7. Church
8. Kotchman
Looking good!
bravesfanxince66
July 11th, 2009
1:35 pm
The braves should to get tid of Frank Wren, Terry Pendleton and Bobby Cox. Frank is an idiot, Terry can ruin a HOFers career(Andrew Jones), and Bobby’s been given some of the greatest players of this genaration and won 1 world series. I’ll never attend another braves game in my life. I’ve spent my last dollar on the braves. What a joke this whole torid affair has turned out to be. They all should have the balls to walk out together holding hands. BYE!!!!!
NEW CARS
July 11th, 2009
1:38 pm
The Justice and Grissom trade wasn’t a great one, but from an economic standpoint it allowed us to keep the trio of pitchers for 5 more years…Where we messed up was getting rid of Dye and then dealing Klesko a year or so later….Those two guys were a lot better than what we got for them…..And why do we keep calling Francouer a prospect….He’s working on 4 and a half years in the bigs…..
Duane
July 11th, 2009
1:40 pm
should have traded Frenchy and Yunel to the Pirates for Sanchez and LaRoche.
NEW CARS
July 11th, 2009
1:40 pm
I do think we need to keep Escobar and continue to work with him…I like him in the 5 hole right now
PHIL
July 11th, 2009
1:43 pm
To me Jeff saves more runs than this lazy Anderson ever will drive in. He makes me sick with his lack of effort and inability to catch anything not hit tight to him. And why in the world would Church be better to have on the team than Jeff? He can’t hit any better and he sure can’t play defense any better. It’s like Wren made a trade just to have something to do.
Skeezix
July 11th, 2009
1:49 pm
Mark: While I don’t disagree with any of the points you made, my gut tells me that this will turn out to be a bad decision by the Braves. Maybe as bad as the decision to let Dye go. Eventually Frenchy, a gifted athlete, will figure it out, and will put up really good offensive numbers for many years. The Braves are losing a great defensive RF with a lot of upside offensively. I do think Church will be a reliable bat—but not an even trade defensively. Again, however we have to question Wren’s ability—what was he thinking by dealing him off to the Mutts??!!
NEW CARS
July 11th, 2009
1:54 pm
Baseball is littered with gifted athletes that just didn’t get it….Did Bo Jackson, Deion Sanders, Jim Thorpe (didn’t really see him play), Josh Booty, George Lombard and so on, ever play to their “physical abilities”….That’s what make baseball such a great game…Look at Rickie Weeks and Martin Prado and tell me which one you would rather have…then let them play and choose..
c horton
July 11th, 2009
2:01 pm
now when tp is gone, the braves will certainly be better. if there is a worse hitting coach in baseball, please tell me. if he ever helped a single hitter, please tell me. what was the braves record before tp and what has it been since. WAKE UP OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BUCK
July 11th, 2009
2:08 pm
Skeeziz- I respectfully disagree. You either have talent or you don’t. Jeff doesn’t. At least not the kind of talent that we wished upon him. NEW CARS is right, 4 1/2 years is long enough he’s no longer a prospect, he’s a liability.
Raj
July 11th, 2009
2:13 pm
I think our team is full of position guys who are “good enough” to be in the major league.. Not many who can really stand out and take the mantle.. McCann is rightfully the only position player good enough to be an All Star this year.. Chipper is no longer the guy who carries the team load with 30/100 season.. with BM being a catcher who needs to take off every few games.. So we neither have a guy capable of carrying the load nor the team is slugging well as a team so that some one can take over..
Sad to see mediocre team hitting bringing down a great pitching year:(
Tjsorrow
July 11th, 2009
2:16 pm
now they need to fire terry p hes terrible as a hitting coach
francoeuristheman
July 11th, 2009
2:17 pm
i knew wren was an idiot but not this dumb….he needs to be the one getting the boot….lets go mets!
Wren BLOWS
July 11th, 2009
2:19 pm
Wren needs to be fired
Nick
July 11th, 2009
2:23 pm
Jeff Francoeur is a useless baseball player. He has no value whatsover. He is one of the three worst players in the league. Getting anything for him is a coup. He is physically and mentally incapable of coming back with the Mets and biting us in the butt. He is an awful, awful baseball player with no hope of redemption. Anyone who thinks different has very little clue about the game of baseball. The fact that anyone, much less the majority of people, are against this trade is truly mind-boggling to me, and speaks incredibly ill of this town’s baseball knowledge. In fact, the fact that he was coddled by everyone for so long and not booed out of town a year ago speaks incredibly ill of this town’s baseball knowledge. The man sucks. This team just got measurably better simply because he is no longer on the roster.
Frank
July 11th, 2009
2:31 pm
I’m so glad that we kicked the out machine out of Atlanta. But planting him on the Mets is a strike of genius. Thank God for Frank Wren (and Omar Minaya).
Frank
July 11th, 2009
2:33 pm
I have to add that in many comments above, the level of insanity is pretty high.
Daulton14
July 11th, 2009
2:35 pm
No different than Andrew Jones. Great guy, gifted but cant hit a curve nor layoff of it! 250 BA as a big leaguer……no way. You gotta go! In a way it does’nt matter as Bobby Cox still cant win if he batted 400…….Come on only 1 World Series with that team in the ninety. Bobby needs to go to…
Wren BLOWS
July 11th, 2009
2:50 pm
i think nick and frank are gay together
Hasta Lavista
July 11th, 2009
2:56 pm
At least we know where we´ll get one out in that Mets lineup.
D.R.
July 11th, 2009
2:57 pm
Mets win this one. Church will never get 100 RBI in a season. Francoeur has real upside potential that Church lacks. All he’s got to learn is that just because the pitcher throws it, doesn’t mean he has to swing at it. .308 career OBP is pathetic though.
Sage of Bluesland
July 11th, 2009
3:12 pm
Adios to yet another overrated, overpaid Hometown Hero (joining the laughably pitiful Keith Brooking from another Atlanta franchise earlier this year)…
Good job, Braves.
kevin
July 11th, 2009
3:21 pm
You know frenchy instead of cryin how unfair we were if been battin over 300 u would not be gettin booooed alot sir…so grow up n enjoy a new team n hittin coach cause if u start up n not do what the mananger wants and ask n hittin coach howard johnson say to bat right…U not be kissed in ass n stuff u be in triple A instead….sorry daddy of francoer u son got what deserve however if this finally knock some scense in him( bet it want) he help out at citi field if franceour is readin this he be okay n stuff….But u in new york n not goin cry at howard johnson n run off to texas if do u also be in AAA ball are double A u like that. Are be released if no give a dam sir….U not in kansas any more toto!
Wren BLOWS
July 11th, 2009
3:30 pm
kevin you must be black judging by the way you just typed out that paragraph..was that in ebonics?
Nick
July 11th, 2009
3:33 pm
And I think you and Jeff Francoeur are gay together
problem solver
July 11th, 2009
3:37 pm
I understand all the conjecture but once again I am here to save the day. Frenchy started his trade when he turned down his contract option. And we have a guy in Heyward which will show French how to do it. So all we have to do is take Schaffer, Kothchman, and Reyes and get Prince Feilder. We don’t need schaffer he will never have a better carrer than Mclouth. Than we don’t pick up Hudson’s option and sign Prince to a contract the Brewers do not want this guy they will not pay players. Imagine Mclouth, Prado, Chipper, Prince, Mccan, Escobar, and so on that’s a line up. We need a power producing first baseman not an outfeilder Then with the pitching in tact for several years well take the Divison easily. So listen to the problem solver. And just for the fun of it hawks pick up jerry stackhouse, Theo Ratliff and package Marivn willams and a pick for Carlos boozer. If they’ll take tyrus thomas and hinrick we can get boozer with those options. Then you have a lineup of
pg Bibby,Crawford,Teague
sg Joe,Stackhouse
sf Smooth,Evans
pf Boozer,zaza
c Horford, Ratliff, Anderson
Paul Lentz
July 11th, 2009
3:42 pm
ugaaccountant…….your posting at 7:38pm yesterday shows that you are indeed a MORON. The Braves did not “pay” the Mets to take Francoeur. Jeff Francoeur has a salary of $3.375 mil. Ryan Church makes $2.8 mil……for a difference of $575,000. The pro-rated difference is approximately $285,000 (the season is half over). Francoeur is owed approximately $1.6 mil for the rest of the season, Church is owed approximately $1.3 mil. The Braves sent the Mets almost $300,000 to offset the differences between Francoeur and Church’s salary for the rest of the season.
So for little kids like you who dont understand (and you have the nerve to call yourself an accountant), this trade DID NOT cost the Braves anything from a financial standpoint. It was a WASH. If the Braves had kept Francoeur, our payroll would still be the same. Church makes less than Francoeur, so kicking in a little cash to even out the salaries DOES NOT MEAN that this trade cost the Braves.
So called fans like you give REAL fans a bad name. You dont even take the time to do a little “logical” research before you make stupid postings.
The fact that we DUMPED Francoeur’s sorry bat on the Mets was a DOUBLE BLESSING. Francoeur simply does not have the ability to MAKE ADJUSTMENTS at the plate. If he did, then he would have a lot more than 16 homers and a .240 batting average in his last 904 at-bats.
Paul Lentz
July 11th, 2009
3:48 pm
Some of you so called Braves fans are real MORONS. You keep talking about “Francoeur coming back to haunt us”. “Haunt us”? Hell, I’m looking forward to the Braves facing the Mets. I hope that the Mets start him every time we play them. He is an easy out. Do you really think that our pitchers will “fear” facing Jeff Francoeur? Dude is a .240 hitter with NO POWER. He swings at slop and cannot hit a fastball down the middle.
What I am “more” FOCUSED on is seeing Ryan Church come back to “haunt” the Mets. I’d be willing to bet ANYTHING that Ryan Church will have a MUCH BETTER 4 game series next week against the Mets……then Francoeur will have against us.
Some of you WEAKMINDED so called Braves fans “fear” something that you have no reason to fear. Dumping Francoeur on the Mets can only HELP the Braves. The only thing better than trading him to the Mets would be if Frank Wren could have somehow traded him to the Phillies. I would love to see Francouer play right field for the Phillies. He would definitely help slow that offense down.
Facing Francoeur 18 games a year does not worry me at all. I’m looking forward to seeing him “make it easier” for us to beat the Mets.
Robert0259
July 11th, 2009
3:57 pm
Anyone who says Francouer was a loss for the Braves exposes their lack of knowledge of the game of baseball.
Shane
July 11th, 2009
3:58 pm
To go along with my last comment.
Why does everybody blame Pendleton. Andruw Jones’s mistake was that he was trying to hard to hit homers after only 26 in 2007. Texas and Rudy Jarmillo changed Jones back into the hitter that used to just play the game. Francouer can’t be taught to not swing at the first pitch he has to learn himself or see his career flushed down the toilet. Why would anybody want to get rid of Chipper? Some people say John Smoltz was the face of the Atlanta organization. Starting pitchers only play 35 games a year compared to 162 by a position player. To me Chipper was what sparked the world series title, 6 pennates, 13 devision titles, and 15 straight playoff apperances not Smoltz. Under the descussion that the braves need a big bat, they could possibly go out and get a veteran 1b like Paul Konerko or a 1b on the rise like Kendry Morales for maybe Kris Medlen, Kelly Johnson, and Casey Kotchman.
Paul Lentz
July 11th, 2009
4:00 pm
Again, some of you so called MORONIC Braves fans simply do not have the ability to exercise CRITICAL THINKING.
Jeff Francoeur had ABSOLUTELY zero trade value. Honestly, I did not thing that Frank Wren could find SUCKER to take Francoeur off our hands.
Here are the 3 choices that the Braves had with Francoeur:
1. Bench him and use him as a defensive replacement late in games when the Braves have a lead. You cant really use him as a pinch hitter because he will swing at the first pitch and hit a weak pop up or ground out. The Braves would be paying him his second half salary to play a few innings a week. In other words, not getting very much return on what we are paying him.
2. Send him to Triple A. In that case, the Braves would be getting ZERO return on what we are paying him.
3. Continue to start him, which would, in essence force the Braves to PAY HIM to be an offensive liability on our team.
None of those 3 scenarios were appealing. However, Frank Wren was able to do a straight up trade for Ryan Church. I understand that Ryan Church is not the long term answer to right field. However, I feel that he can provide MUCH MORE offense than Francoeur can. He’s hitting .280 and will draw some walks. While it would be nice for him to hit for a little power………the fact that he isnt an EASY OUT like Jeff Francoeur is an upgrade. I’ll take that right now.
For those of you who feel that the Braves should not have traded Jeff Francoeur…………let me ask you this? If Francoeur had continued playing for the Braves until the end of the season…………do you think that the Braves should have offered him salary arbitration after the season is over with? If they did, then they would be risking paying him $5-6 mil. His agent would be able to “spin it” that Francouer never gets hurts and plays a good right field.
Another interesting question would be “are the Mets going to offer Francoeur salary arbitration after the season”?
Paul Lentz
July 11th, 2009
4:15 pm
What EVIDENCE has Jeff Francoeur SHOWN that he will come back to “haunt” the Braves? My “proof” to the contrary is his .240 batting average, 16 homers, and 52 walks in his last 904 at-bats. He SUCKS.
You guys blaming Terry Pendleton for Francoeur’s “hitting woes” are no different than some parent blaming a school teacher because their “dumb, lazy” kid isnt getting straight A’s in school. Just like some parents do not want to “believe” that the fault lies with their kid…………..some of you fans do not want to “believe” that the reason why Jeff Francoeur has SUCKED the past year and a half LIES with Jeff Francoeur.
Talent and youth are not enough to excel in baseball. One has the have the ability to MAKE ADJUSTMENTS if they are going to have success at the plate, something that Francoeur has shown that he is simply UNABLE to do.
Some of you MORONS make me laugh with your “Jeff Francouer will come back to haunt us” nonsense. There is absolutely no EVIDENCE that he will. Just look at his production.
Even if Ryan Church were to get hurt tomorrow and have to miss the rest of the season…….the Braves still made out on this trade. That would just allow Matt Diaz to play more. Getting rid of Francouer is like Jeff Bennett breaking his hand. It’s addition by subtraction.
Fire Frank Wren
July 11th, 2009
4:16 pm
Mark, when will you stop being Frank Wren’s “Yes Boy” and start acting like an objective journalist?
Greg
July 11th, 2009
4:23 pm
The big issue here is not only that Frenchie stopped producing but that the Braves keep a substandard hitting coach on staff. When there was an issue with A Jones, Pendleton couldn’t work with him….he knows how to hit but not how to coach hitting. I venture to say that I could coach hitting better than Pendleton has over the long run….why? Because teachers teach and players play….its a rare thing for the two of them to merge…
I lay as much blame on Pendleton and Cox as I do Francoeur.