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
Dr. R
July 10th, 2009
8:25 pm
Larry, if he’s not a great manager, how did he win more than 2,000 games? It’s a bottom line business, my friend. His job is not to impress you with his vast baseball knowledge. It’s to win games. Only three men in history have won more. Yes, he had talent, as do all managers who win. There also are many with talent who DON’T win because their team doesn’t play for them. Don’t just go by me but real baseball experts in real baseball towns who don’t just bide time until the Bulldogs open training camp. I’m definitely in the minority in this blog, which I think puts me in good company overall.
Mark Bradley
July 10th, 2009
8:25 pm
As far as understanding the fan base: If Frank Wren read these blogs, he’d have traded Francoeur last June. And I disagree that Wren treated Francoeur shabbily. He traded him to a big-market team that’s in contention. It’s not like he’s going to Pittsburgh or K.C.
BeachGaBulldog
July 10th, 2009
8:25 pm
I have been praying that the Braves would finally cut Francoeur loose. I am ecstatic about this trade.
PN
July 10th, 2009
8:26 pm
CJDawg, not surprising given your screen name, you are an idiot. You are blind. Look at Andruw? What are we looking at, his .158 last year or the .222 two years back? Ohhh, you’re talking about his decent numbers as a platoon player, gotcha. You consider Andruw a success…he players intermittently against lefty pitchers only…and he still can’t keep his average above a .260 for any sustained period of time. His power numbers are nice, sure, but he is playing against lefties primarily, so that dulls the effect out. Bottomline, you’re a homer and made no relevant points.
Chris
July 10th, 2009
8:26 pm
…I’ll take a .273 career average over a right fielder who seemed to approach every at-bat like it was his last. GOTTA SWING, GOTTA SWING!!
ALTAman
July 10th, 2009
8:27 pm
Mark, when I read this column I think of “obituary” columns…journalists write obits on famous people long before they die so the piece is all ready to go. You could have written this (and probably did) weeks ago. Good column…he’s a great young man, extremely gifted, but has not to this point been able to make needed adjustments. At the big league level it’s much more about adjustments than talent–that’s why you see mid-80s pitchers with long MLB careers but minor league guys with much better arms not able to advance. The overall point is this: Jeff (& all big leaguers) needs to thank the Lord that he’s getting great money to play a game he loves, whether here or NY or wherever. I hope things work out great for him but it was the right move.
Reality
July 10th, 2009
8:27 pm
Mclain, that Texas hitting coach made no difference at all for Francine. The problem is clearly with him at this point, not the coaching (though I’m not a big fan of TP, but blaming Francine’s problems on him is not fair). Hell, even Andruw Jones has turned it around because he swallowed his pride and decided to finally accept the fact that his instincts and approach was no longer working. Francine has not yet figured that out.
In principle, I agree with you about trading with a Rival, but keep in mind, that also made a trade with us. The sad truth is that NO other team in the majors was willing to make any comparable deal for Francine. This was the absolute best the Braves could do, and it just so happened to be that the one team willing to do it was the lousy stinking Mets.
spider
July 10th, 2009
8:27 pm
if your not happy with the trade talk with your wallet(as clark howard would say) dont go to the games
ToddH
July 10th, 2009
8:29 pm
Mark, good point, but the squeaky wheel gets the grease. That’s why all the postings were of people complaining. I’m from Macon myself, but you’ve got to admit, Frenchy had a lot of fans since he was from the Atlanta area. I’ve seen more pro-Francouer postings on here since the trade than I ever did before.
DHD
July 10th, 2009
8:30 pm
A Diaz/Church platoon in right is going to hit around .300 for us with few strikeouts. This is a stop gap until we get Heyward in here. Ask me in a year if it’s a good deal. People who say it is a great trade or a terrible trade cannot predict the future. You don’t know if it’s good or bad right now.
AGTFan
July 10th, 2009
8:33 pm
The only question left is who is going to be the next scapegoat as this mediocre team continues to lose? And for the ones saying give Wren more time, why? So he can do here what he did in Baltimore?
Michael
July 10th, 2009
8:34 pm
Quite possibly the dumbest trade I have seen in a while. I get all the reasons MB listed above, but the Braves sent him AND CASH to the Mets for a guy who is older, more prone to injury and apparently doesn’t have much power. Why even waste the cash part if you just ride out the year with him and let him leave as a free agent? You would normally trade someone to make your team better. This is a lateral move at best. I think it’s a win for the Mets, lose for the Braves.
Mrs. Chanandler Bong
July 10th, 2009
8:34 pm
Once again, well-written, MB. Sad but necessary is pretty apt. For all the people who are saying it was a bad deal, let’s see who ends up starting the majority in RF from here on out… I’m willing to bet it’s NOT Ryan Church.
MoWreck
July 10th, 2009
8:34 pm
TP had no control over Frenchy, nor did the Texas Ranger batting coach, because Frenchy does what he wants to do at the plate. I like Frenchy, even bought my grandson a shirt with no. 7 on it and hate to see him go. I believe he will make the Braves sorry for the trade, but hope I am wrong there. Maybe a trade is what he needed. Hope the guy coming in helps us some. Anyway, good luck in New York Frenchy.
Waiting, too
July 10th, 2009
8:37 pm
I am saddened to hear of the trade of Jeff. Jeff is an outstanding Christian young man and his family is absolutely wonderful. Jeff has worked hard and I for one am tired of his stats being compared to Brian’s. I hope when the Mets come to town they cream the Braves for trading Jeff. The worst trade the Braves ever made was Brett Butler!!!!
Dr. R
July 10th, 2009
8:37 pm
Just saw an interview with Frenchy in which he thanked Bobby for his support and handled it all with class. There’s not a player who doesn’t come through Atlanta who fails to say what a treat it is to play for Cox. Y’all don’t think that matters? That a good manager should treat players like crap so they’ll play harder? That’s football stuff. Bobby’s presence has helped bring good players to town because they want to play for him. Don’t take my word for it; listen to baseball people.
Manny
July 10th, 2009
8:38 pm
Frenchy, Church- same guy, just a 5 year difference.
I think both of them needed a change of scenery, and just swapped places on their respective buses.
Church is stop-gap for the Braves. He’s not long-term. And they had to pay the Mets because Frenchy’s problems are huge and mental. His RISP percentage is scary.
And quite frankly, I don’t that the whole “Rival team” thing applies to this trade. Frenchy doesn’t scare the Braves. Our pitchers knows how to throw the ball high and inside. Frenchy LOVES that High and Inside pitch, you know. And the Mets aren’t scared of Ryan Church, either.
So this is just a tit-for-tat deal that isn’t going to hurt anyone. Ryan Church can get his chance; and if he doesn’t do well, he can find his place on the bench where Frenchy used to sit.
Wrangler
July 10th, 2009
8:38 pm
No, not Vasquez! Trade Lowe, for cryin’ out loud. I wonder: Was Ryan Church the only semi-warm body available for a deal, or was it the Mets just wanted The Braves to have Church more than they wanted Frenchy?
Dan
July 10th, 2009
8:38 pm
Read between the lines…Frenchy’s Wunderlich isn’t so hot. He’s not that bright. He’s not that coachable. No more than a level 4, Russell Branyan type in the long run. Church is a bit better, but the trade is a wash, really.
25-Year Braves Fan
July 10th, 2009
8:39 pm
There are too many prospect players who made it to Atlanta and then collapsed. Was the group that includes Chuck James, Scott Thorman, Ryan Langerhans, Jo Jo Reyes and a few others just never that good, in which case, Braves’ scouting missed the mark? Is Jordan Schafer any good, or is he just a flash? Will those kids Heyward and Freeman come to the majors and then fizzle once they hit Atlanta? Why do we let guys like Jermaine Dye get away? Have you looked at Mark DeRosa’s numbers the past two seasons? DeRo has 219 hits, 137 RBIs, 43 doubles and 34 home runs since the start of last season. How much money went to Kawakami that could have been spent at first base or in left field? Why did Chipper get that huge contract when he can barely walk on and off the field? I hope Jeff Francoeur resurrects himself in a new setting, albeit New York is a tough place. Ryan Church is just another spare part collecting in Atlanta.
Mark Bradley
July 10th, 2009
8:41 pm
ALTAman, I’m never right about anything, but I did feel this coming. That three-game benching was a major thing in my view, and we can surmise now that the Braves put him back in the lineup to let the Mets take a look at him.
Ted Turner
July 10th, 2009
8:42 pm
Dear Mr. Wren,
I guess we, the beaten down fans of a team we used to call the Braves, can chalk another one up to the seemingly endless idiotic moves you continue to make. I, for one, will never buy another ticket until you no longer have the ability to further wreck this organization. What a disaster my team has become under your watch…
You can whine all you want about the free agency era being much more difficult to be a GM (than say the Schuerholz era), but I can not continue to overlook what a cold, unfriendly, dysfunctional clubhouse you have created.
I understand just as much as the next guy that baseball is a business, but winning is as much about chemistry as is it talent – clearly an subject that you are completely clueless about. We all might as well face the fact that many of the promising young players that are living through all of your unfathomable moves (from completely slapping a Hall of Fame pitcher in the face to trading a struggling player to a division rival) will eventually tell the Braves to pound salt when their contracts are up (Can you say McCan?). If you disagree, I’d love to hear your take.
All of that being said, trading Francoeur was probably inevitable given the circumstances. But to the Mets for an equally depressing option in Church? Are you really that desperate/ incompetent? Given your track record, I guess I really shouldn’t be surprised.
With this move, I have resigned myself to the fact that it’s only a matter of time before you run off Bobby Cox and the last remaining semblance of the team that we grew to love when Sid slid, Nixon leaped and Pendleton led. It’s really the only thing that you could do to screw it up further. However, I can’t say I’ll be surprised when it happens. Maybe then I can buy the team back and bring back some semblance of respectability to this club and our city.
Yours truly,
Ted Turner
David
July 10th, 2009
8:45 pm
Mark,
1. Spot on — Frenchy had to go. The fact that only the Mets would take him speaks volumes about his viability.
2. Newspapers may be dying, but you’ve figured this whole internet thing out. I love the blogging, the pics, etc. Congrats on being one of the few in journalists who have successfully made the transition.
DenverDawg
July 10th, 2009
8:45 pm
yeah, yeah, yeah…. but what does TED STRIKER think????
Nativebird
July 10th, 2009
8:46 pm
Will not have any effect on the Braves season…period. Ryan Church? You’re just swapping deck chairs. It may have been a necessary MENTAL cleansing on the part of the management, but this first round draft choice needed to pull a heck of a lot more than Ryan Church before I’d send him packing. Desperation move. dont like it.
Unless we sent Terry Pendleton with him.
ToddH
July 10th, 2009
8:47 pm
haha, I don’t know if that was “the” Ted or not, but whoever it was: well said! Ya know, in the end it’s like Seinfeld said, we’re all just rooting for laundry. Players come and go I guess, right Frank?
Johnny Hazeltine
July 10th, 2009
8:47 pm
I putting in my vote of NO CONFIDENCE for Frank Wren.
NCBravesFan
July 10th, 2009
8:48 pm
I go back to some comments Chipper made a few weeks ago. Speaking about how hard Jeff worked on his batting and how he had asked Chipper for some tips.His comments were along the lines of – “I can suggest some things, but he can’t feel it .. he can’t feel what I’m talking about in his swing.”
Kinda gave us all a window into how frustrating this must have been for so many people (fans included) – and I guess it goes back to Mark’s point about JF possessing the mentality of a football player.
Kyle
July 10th, 2009
8:49 pm
For all of you thinking that Chipper should be traded…You need to remember that he was given a contract extension earlier this year. The obvious move(if you can get Chipper to buy into it) Chipper moves to 1st, Prado to 3rd, trade Kotchman and some future talent for a 2nd baseman. By the way does anyone know when Chase Utley become a free agent?
Bruce
July 10th, 2009
8:49 pm
Hey Bradley, how much are the Braves paying you to spin for them?
I knew they were shopping Frenchy, but I thought it would be a trade that was designed to improve the ballclub to compete this year. We get another lefty which we don’t need (we’re now unbalenced)
This is the worst trade ever. Francouer had far more upside than Church.
FRANK WREN IS A CANCER FOR THIS ORGANIZATION! … AN ABSOLUTE DISASTER.
Boomer
July 10th, 2009
8:51 pm
Will someone please do some research and put together the stats for Jeff before and after he got beaned a couple years ago. I suggest his hitting problems began then. Remember he was hit in the face in A ball and then up here. Things like that have changed many a career in the bigs. Check it out. He has been different and nobody is taking about it.
grounder to second, 4-6-3 double play!
July 10th, 2009
8:52 pm
MB, You lost me. Your last paragraph say French was traded for Church ‘a right fielder having an even worse year’. How do you figure that? Church is 30 points higher ba, 50 pts higher obp, more hits in fewer ab’s, if I’m not mistaken. How is that a ‘worse year’?
Ben
July 10th, 2009
8:53 pm
Good thing the Mets had a lot of players injured or they would have never taken this guy. The Braves probably got lucky on this one.
Dr. R
July 10th, 2009
8:55 pm
You’d think Southern fans would be happy to deal a Frenchy for a Church. This is, after all, the Bible Belt. And those Frenchys don’t bathe or shave their legs.
Sorry, that’s pretty bad ….
lifetimebravesfan
July 10th, 2009
8:56 pm
I’m shocked that so many people have an opinion on this subject. Why don’t you folks put that energy into attending games at the Ted instead of skimming desparate blog entries? Atleast then we won’t have to contend with New York, Chicago, or Boston fans on our home turf!
Sonny Clusters
July 10th, 2009
8:56 pm
I dont like the talk about Jeff having a football mentality when everyone knows a football is not mental its just leather and a bladder with some air in it. When we was playing ball together back in school Jeff played some football and played some baseball and we was on the same teams and was state champion and I think Ryan Church was probably not.
Reality
July 10th, 2009
8:56 pm
Ben – You are right. The Mets were the only team in the Majors willing to give up more then a box of bats for this guy.
Navigator
July 10th, 2009
8:57 pm
Too many times in baseball, the Francoeur story has been repeated. A great player comes out of high school, picked high by his local team, breaks out the first year or two with fantastic years only to falter. When a team picks a player who seldom had to struggle growing up runs up against better competition, unable to grow and adapt. I call it the the high school quarterback syndrome, accolades, gets all the girls, everybody wants to be them, graduation happens and the real world sets in. The really good athletes pick themselves up, dust themselves off and grows into a good player. We’ll have to see later if Francoeur is one of the good ones.
25-Year Braves Fan
July 10th, 2009
8:58 pm
Ted Turner got it right in his post at 8:42p.m.
In fact, Atlanta today wouldn’t be much of anything without his contributions.
Mark Bradley
July 10th, 2009
8:58 pm
Thanks, David.
Ryan Church: Two homers, 22 RBIs. Jeff Francoeur: Five homers, 35 RBIs. I’m sorry, but I consider right field a power-hitting position. And five beats two.
Alex
July 10th, 2009
9:02 pm
the dude is 25 years old. this is more ridiculous then BRUNO.
he has a rocket for an arm in right field and we couldve sent him down again and made him correct his hitting techniques until we were satisfied.
what kills me the most out of this is that once again the braves have shown a lack of loyalty to fan and club house favorites. smoltz, glavine, and now frenchy have all left atlanta bitterly. listen to chipper on braves live, does he sound happy? no way. how are we going to attract big name players if we dont show any loyalty.
and we send him to a division rival for another lefthanded hitter with very similar numbers + cash. makes no sense.
yunel escobar is a punk and a club house problem. nice unnecessary barehand the other night.
Edwin Richardson
July 10th, 2009
9:03 pm
Are you kidding me? Franceoeur for Ryan f….ing Church? I’ve been a Braves fan for for 43 years and this trade makes me ill. F the Braves.
chemdawg
July 10th, 2009
9:03 pm
Guess what? Here comes the Terry Pendleton test… Does Francoer succeed in NY with a different batting coach? Debate!
Chris
July 10th, 2009
9:04 pm
Bradley, you may be right about RF being a power-hitting position, but even Frenchy was going to finish with 10. That’s basically nothing when you compare it with bygone Braves like Justice, Sheffield, Drew. Maybe Church will actually get hits when it counts. That, or he’ll be a good fourth outfielder while Matt Diaz becomes a star. I see good things coming out of this. Better than the status quo, at least.
I’ll echo what David said. The idiots here don’t quite “get” good writing and good journalism. They seem to think you’re a good writer if they agree with you on everything. Not so. Keep up the good work here.
Mrs. Chanandler Bong
July 10th, 2009
9:04 pm
What did I tell you Mark? All the “masses” calling for #7’s head are now calling for Wren’s…
Ted Striker
July 10th, 2009
9:05 pm
Neither player was going to play much for their respective teams. It’s like the Braves swapped a locker-room attendant and some ace bandages for Church. On the flip side, it’s like NY sent towels, folding chairs, and a DVD player by FedEx for Frenchy.
HOW DATING IS NOT LIKE BASEBALL. If dating was like baseball, you could break up with ‘original girlfriend’ at 3:00 p.m. and be receiving ‘replacement girlfriend’ affections at 9:00 p.m. While there’s no guarantee it’s better than what you had the night before, it saves you from searching the “free agent girlfriend pool” at Starbucks or the produce section at Publix. (Which could still happen later).
No More Bobby 2.
July 10th, 2009
9:06 pm
Dr. R and ToddH. Have you guys been living under a rock for the last 3 yrs? Sure the old fart won a bunch of games when he had Class A players, but the last 3 years he has been an awful in-game manager with his handling of the bullpen. His continually playing people like Francouer, Jeff Bennett, Reitsma, Andruw Jones who were hurting the team while better choices were riding the pines is why he needs to go.
tiger7_88
July 10th, 2009
9:08 pm
I like Ryan Church already…
Church was stunned by the deal.
“Shocker. Came out of nowhere,” he said outside the Mets clubhouse. “The good thing is I get to play these guys (the Mets) next week.”
New York opens the second half at Turner Field on July 16. Church immediately sent Chipper Jones(notes) a text message.
“They’re (the Mets) going to have to change up a lot of signs. I know everything,” Church said. “I’ll definitely fill them (the Braves) in.”
edlowery
July 10th, 2009
9:08 pm
Mark – You’re seriously rating the relative merits of Francoeur’s and Church’s seasons based on their HR totals? Neither of those guys has any power, but at least Church doesn’t make an out in 72% of his plate appearances. And FWIW, Church has a higher SLG % than Francoeur as well, particularly away from Citi Field.
Tater
July 10th, 2009
9:08 pm
Are you kidding?For Ryan Church?????Someone please start a website ‘FIRE FRANK-WREN’..PLEASE FIRE FRANK WREN.He’s a one man wrecking crew.First Smoltz,Glavine and now Frenchy.He’s been in a slump but loooooookkk at the slump the Braves have been in since Wren took over…Enough said!