Results tagged ‘ Jeff Francoeur ’
The Francoeur Era is Complete
When my wife and I were dating she surprised me with tickets to a Braves game. It was a Sunday game in 2005. I had of course seen this new kid Jeff Francoeur on tv, but I hadn’t seen him in person yet. Two hours, a HR, and two direct strikes from RF to homeplate later…and I was a HUGE fan of Frenchy. Through the 3 1/2 years that Francoeur has been a Brave there have been a lot of ups and downs. In the over the past season and a half it has been more down. I tried not to let my fanness for Francoeur get in the way of this blog and writing what I thought was best for the team, but in the back of my mind I always hoped that he could get things worked out and become the superstar that we all know that he can be.
Even though he now plays for a team that I loathe, I still wish Fracoeur the best and I hope he does well for the Mets. I also appreciate all that he did in the Braves uniform. So, please when the Mets come to Atlanta after the break, don’t boo Francoeur. He did the best he could, and he worked really hard while he has here. The Francoeur era in Atlanta is complete; thanks for all you did Frenchy!
Francoeur Benched for Third Consecutive Day
Jeff Francoeur has been benched for the third straight game tonight. Bobby Cox says that he can’t keep Diaz’s bat out of the lineup, but I feel that it may have some to do with the Braves trying to shop Frenchy. You have to agree with Cox though, in the past five games Diaz has hit .632 with a .947 slugging %. In a struggling offense it’s hard to get rid of a bat like that.
Prado wins NL Player of the week: Martin Prado had a pretty good week. He led the Braves to a series sweep of the Phillies, earned a starting spot in the lineup, and won the NL player of the week. Nice job Martin!
Time for Kelly Johnson to find his groove
In the 8th inning of last night’s loss to the Yankees Mariano Rivera was brought in to protect the Yankees then two run lead. I kind of chuckled when I saw who was strolling to the plate for the Braves…Kelly Johnson. I thought to myself, “Can’t this guy get a break?” As most of you already know, Johnson has had a tough time at the plate as of late. As a matter of fact his batting average was .297 in May and so far it is a dismal .132 in the month of June. To make matters even worse he’s had only 2 RBI’s this month after knocking in 18 over the first two months of the season. Bobby Cox has shuffled him every where from 1st to 7th in the lineup trying to find Kelly a groove, but nothing seems to work. Often times we see that when a guy goes into a small slump it turns into a HUGE slump because he’s let it get to his head. Maybe that’s what has happened to Johnson, but whatever it is, it needs to be fixed soon. I say give Kelly a little more time to find his swing, if he doesn’t, let him take a little vacation to AA much like the one Francoeur took last season.
Speaking of Frenchy…how many people were surprised to see him launch one last night? I know I was, but let’s see about 20 more of those by October before we consider taking Francoeur off the trading block.
And finally, the deadline to vote for the All-Star game is 11:59 pm on July 2. At last check McCann was still trailing Yadier Molina, which is ludicrous considering he is beating him in almost every category. Hey, I don’t like that the fans vote for the starters but this is the system for right now. So, let’s keep those votes coming and push McCann to the top!
Francoeur for Guillen?
Recent MLB trade rumors say that the Royals have been scouting Francoeur in hopes that they can trade Jose Guillen to the Braves. I’m going to let you guys decide whether this would be a good idea for the Braves or not:
Numbers: Guillen has a lead in this category. So far this season he has a .266 average, with 8 HRs, 33 RBIs and a .775 OPS. Frenchy is currently batting .249 with 4 HRs, 30 RBIs, and a .624 OPS. However, one part of Francoeur’s game that is most criticized is jumping on the first pitch, but Guillen has seen 117 less pitches than Francoeur this season. The Braves need someone who is patient, and one has to wonder if Jose can provide that.
Contracts: This is where the Braves have to ask themselves if Jose Guillen would be worth the money. Guillen is making $12 million this season and he’ll be owed an equal amount before his contract expires at the end of the 2010 season. As most of you remember Francoeur signed a $3.3 million this past offseason to avoid arbitration. If the Braves feel like Guillen would provide a much needed boost to their OF they might be willing to assume the price tag for him, but that doesn’t sound like Frank Wren.
Team Chemistry: If you’re just a Braves fan and you don’t follow a lot of the A.L. teams you may not know about all the baggage that would follow Jose Guillen. In his career he has been linked to several altercations, including “inappropriate conduct” while with the Angels, having HGH sent to him while with the Mariners, and even an argument with a fan during a game with the Royals. In other words no matter where he goes drama seems to follow him. I’m not sure how Bobby Cox would appreciate him in the Braves dugout.
The Braves need another stick and Francoeur has had more than enough time to find his swing. But I don’t think that Jose Guillen is the answer. I know the Braves aren’t going to get a lot for Francoeur considering the way he’s played in the last year, but if they’re going to try a trade they need to make sure that it’s a right fit for their club.
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