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
Paul Lentz
July 11th, 2009
4:31 pm
The more I read from the “Jeff Francouer jock sniffing brigade”, the more I laugh. Some of you bring up about how Smoltz and Glavine were “treated”…………I say SO FCUKING WHAT? The Braves paid those guys A LOT OF MONEY last year to spend most of the year on the disabled list. They made their money. Once their production went down and injuries kept them from performing…….then Frank Wren made the ABSOLUTE RIGHT DECISION in letting them go.
This is a business. As a TRUE BRAVES FAN………my loyalty lies with the TEAM. I want to see the team WIN. If a player can help us win, then I’m more than ok with him making his money. However, once he CLEARLY shows that he cant help us win……..then I say get rid of his A$$. Nothing personal.
Look, I grew up a Dale Murphy fan. When he was traded, it hurt. However what HURT MORE was all the damn losing that we did in the mid to late 80’s. WE SUCKED back then. Trading Dale Murphy allowed David Justice to move from 1st base to right field. That is when he went on that 2 month tear that allowed him to win Rookie of the Year in 1990. And we all know what happened when 1991 came.
I’m also a Dallas Cowboys fan (I grew up in Arkansas following the Braves on TBS and watching the Cowboys on Sundays). When Jerry Jones fired Tom Landry, it was disappointing because Landry was a legend. However what was more disappointing was the fact that the Cowboys went 3-13 in 1988, with an aging, slow roster of players. Jimmy Johnson took over, cleaned house, the Cowboys got younger and faster. Within 4 years, the Cowboys win the first of 3 Super Bowls in a 4 year period.
Point is, sentiment “isnt cheap”. Sentiment can lead to complacency, which can lead to losing. Slumping is one thing. Chipper is having one right now as far as power is concerned. However, Chipper’s “body of evidence” has shown over the years that he will eventually bust out of his slump and carry the team. So I see no reason to “get rid of him” like some of you do. As long as he is healthy, I want to see him hit in that 3 hole in the line-up.
However, a slump does not last 900 at-bats. SUCKING for 900 at bats shows a TREND, shows what you are truly capable of, which is why Jeff Francoeur is no longer a Brave.
RT
July 11th, 2009
4:37 pm
Time to get rid of Chipper and Cox too!
TLG
July 11th, 2009
4:37 pm
You people that are against this trade are doing so entirely on an emotional basis. I would have loved to see Frenchie have a great comeback year or at worst, trade him for a big HR hitter. However, those options were just not available. By platooning Diaz and Church in RF we are getting a combined .338 Avg., .391 OBP and .469 slugging % against respective L/R pitchers based on this year’s L/R stats, which I would say is the best production from any RF in baseball. Church has had a higher defensive rating than Frenchie because he gets to more balls. Anderson hits L/R about the same so there is less advantage to platooning him other than defense. I think this was a brilliant trade by Wren.
k483
July 11th, 2009
4:42 pm
Hey, MB, I’ve got a question. Just what are the mechanics of a player trade? When is the player a rostered member of the new team? Does it happen at the signing of an agreement, or at meeting of terms, or when MLB decides? Could a player like JF be told before a game “you are being traded?”, play that night for his old team, and then leave?
DAVID
July 11th, 2009
4:50 pm
THIS MOVE HAD TO BE MADE, FRANCOEUR CAN BALL, BUT HE WASN’T PRODUCING… 162 GAMES IS A LOT OF BASEBALL TO BE PLAYED AND NOT MAKE THE PLAYOFFS.. OVERALL THE BRAVES DONT LOOK THAT BAD, THEY GOTTA START HITTING, HOPEFULLY CHURCH CAN GET THE BRAVES BACK WHERE THEY NEED TO BE…
sarfdawg
July 11th, 2009
5:16 pm
The whole crew of rookies that came up in 2005 has gone down the toilet after being under Pendleton. Orr, Langerhans, and now Jeff are gone. Kelly Johnson now can’t hit his weight. All of these guys were under Pendleton, and now their Braves careers are virtually over. When is Pendleton going to be held accountable?
Pendleton himself admittedly came to the plate five times a game, and he would have five different stances. How can he possibly qualify as a good teacher of hitting?
I hope for the best for Jeff. He’s a good guy, and hopefully he can get himself straightened out at the plate in NY.
Shane
July 11th, 2009
5:22 pm
Another Comment:
Wren needs to do some trading with the padres! They have a second baseman batting .190. Why not trade Casey Kotchman and Kelly Johnson for Adrian Gonzalez. If they had to they could eat about $500,000 dollars out of both Kotchmans and Johnsons contracts.
Nick
July 11th, 2009
5:33 pm
Also, getting rid of TP is fine by me. I think he’s awful. But that doesn’t change the fact that Francoeur was the single most worthless player in the game.
Sage of Blueland
July 11th, 2009
6:20 pm
What a TERRIBLE move!
Say, does Frank Wren have a 5-year plan…?
LoveTPbut...
July 11th, 2009
6:32 pm
Any bets on how long before Church’s BA drops 25 points and Frenchie’s goes up 25?
Sean Connery
July 11th, 2009
6:49 pm
Any bets on how long before Church’s BA drops 25 points and Frenchie’s goes up 25?
Ill take that bet Trebek!!!
Hillbilly Deluxe
July 11th, 2009
7:52 pm
I wonder if this is a record for most comments on an MB blog?
mike
July 11th, 2009
8:05 pm
The glory days are gone..except it…front office is out of touch with
what it takes to win a ring…some pitching (allstars) an allstar
everyday player or players…we have nothing..could we have got Tory Hunter???Players are not developed anymore..just hung out to try,,,,you want a chance to get a ring…compare your lineup to the yr we won one…we are guessing to much with players knowone else want…We need
a change from top to bottom before the fans can sit anywhere they want.
twisted
July 11th, 2009
8:26 pm
Being a hated Mets fan, I am here to tell you that you guys got a really good player in Church. We are stuck with your garbage in Frenchy. Jerry Manuel’s doghouse is being purged. Church has not been treated right since Manuel took over last year. If he stays healthy, he will be a good rbi guy and a great right fielder. We’ll miss you Ryan!!
mike
July 11th, 2009
8:31 pm
Can`t win a ring with a bunch of no-namers…just that simple…we got to get a couple big names in here to mix with the young crew…if not
will be like the 70`s braves…Just that simple…The front office is
out of touch..
UGA 75
July 11th, 2009
11:25 pm
Mark I’ve been a long time supporter of yours. I think in general you are among the best sports writers around. I also think that you’ve reached your pinnacle, and now you are on the downhill part of your career. You refuse to place the blame for hitters not developing on the total lack of a hitting coach for the Braves. If you are so smart, as you claim to be about the Frenchy trade, then simply name a single, just one player who credits Terry Pendleton with helping them in ANY facet of the hitting game or process. I think Frenchy will be a superstar, and I sincerely hope Frank Wren is in a serious traffic accident with you and Terry Pendleton as passengers. Hopefully no loss of life, just a coma for all three of you bums for the next 4 Months.
Jack Hass
July 11th, 2009
11:25 pm
I may not be the sharpest tack in the pack, but….
Why are we batting McLouth LEADOFF? The guy was headed for 100+ RBI before the trade when he was batting third for Pittsburgh. Why put him in the leadoff spot? I know he can swipe a few bases, but if he’s clutch, why waste it?
Poorjeff
July 11th, 2009
11:27 pm
Not sad but glad.
Mark Bradley
July 12th, 2009
12:43 am
This isn’t a record, no. We’ve topped 1,000 before.
Dale Morphy
July 12th, 2009
2:14 am
The real story ought to be Cox’s clubhouse. What used to be described as a “professional” atmosphere when they were winning now seems more disconnected and distracted. They just don’t seem to play with as much heart as some of the young, hungry teams that are succeeding without big name talent. Stories keep leaking about discontent and “cancer” in the clubhouse too. Being a “players manager” is great unless that means losing control. Maybe time for a change.
Ted Striker
July 12th, 2009
9:21 am
Hoping for “a serious traffic accident and a coma” for three people isn’t just classless, it’s inexcusibly classless.
Mark Bradley
July 12th, 2009
11:36 am
As I understand it, once the teams have reached even an oral agreement, the trade is considered done. That’s why sometimes you’ll see a guy scratched from his (old) team’s lineup before a game even though the trade won’t be announced until afterward. The acquiring team wouldn’t want its new man getting hurt playing for the old club, would it?
Lieutenant Dan
July 12th, 2009
12:19 pm
Another Frank Wren debacle. He has no business running a baseball organization yet he landed in Atlanta after we ran him out of Baltimore. He was a PR disaster in Baltimore and has shown no improvment in that area. Terrible move.
James Adams
July 12th, 2009
12:55 pm
524th!!!!!
JustDon in Georgia
July 12th, 2009
1:13 pm
Another trade? Who for who? OMG… who cares? Next question. The Braves at Colorado look pretty good and the pitching is pretty good too. There is our future, not who for who!
Michael J
July 12th, 2009
1:22 pm
Bad trade. Get rid of Pendleton. He’s the problem. No one inside the Braves organization has the guts to admit it or do anything about it. The kid had good range in right field, and a cannon for an arm. He struggled at the bat as did Andruw, Langerhans, now KJ, to name a few. He screwed up Jordan Schaeffer, and killed his confidence. The Braves better get him out of the way or he’ll totally screw up Heyward too. Frenchy put fannies in the seats. Gave autographs before games – smiled – was a great ambassador for the franchise. Really bad deal. I love the Braves, but I hope he goes 4 – 4 every time the Mets play us.
the truth...
July 12th, 2009
10:12 pm
4 for 9…………….
Coach (2010 or Bust)
July 13th, 2009
3:28 am
Count me among the retarded, after all it’s 3:30 a.m. in the morning and I have nothing better to do than chat with all you happy folks.
Let me start by saying…..I smell a rat, BIG TIME.
Javier Vazquez supposedly has some sort of lower abdominal strain? Yea right.
The Dude is 3-4 with an ERA of 2.33 in his last ten starts. Seven of those starts have been of the “quality” type. Eight were starts where he gave up two earned runs or less. Not to mention the 69 K’s in 65.2 innings of work. Injured? If he is Javy should have started Sunday because he seems to pitch better that way.
Something is up and it’s not an injury if you ask me.
P.S. we were six games back when Teixeira went to the Angels last year and we are presently six games back of the Phillies.
Call me retarded, crazy or both. I’m not buying it, not for a second.
chuck7
July 14th, 2009
12:58 am
The Braves made yet another dumb move. The REAL problem is TP, who cannot help players hit. Chipper Jones is the real hitting coach. Get rid of TP, who costs a lot less and get a decent hitting coach. Jeff will be missed by his fans, the kids who admired him, the T-shirt sales he promoted, the way he supported the community and worked for good causes. My desire to attend games has dropped due to the mediocrity of the team — and now Frenchy being gone. Frank Wren is horrible, as is the ownership, which is a DENVER company and not commited to Atlanta.
chuck7
July 15th, 2009
10:26 am
Frenchy is 4 for 9 for the Mets — bad trade Braves. It’s time for a management shake up. They can’t bring us a playoff team. Under this management, we are sub .500 – a losing team.
Who misses Jeff Francoer? | Fresh Loaf
July 16th, 2009
6:13 pm
[...] reports on how he was liking the Big City. Each columnist took the opportunity to reminisce about Frenchy. Jeff Schultz already wants to take the trade [...]