(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
When the Atlanta Braves made Jeff Francoeur their first round selection in 2002 MLB Draft, a lot of hype surrounded the kid from Parkview High School—and for good reason.
A two-sport star in high school, Francoeur made headlines when he decided to turn down a football scholarship from Clemson University in order to play professional baseball.
The Braves organization cheered Francoeur's move as he soared through Atlanta's farm system, accumulating a great deal of accolades including the distinction of being named the Braves' best prospect by Baseball America in 2004.
When Francoeur was finally called up by Atlanta during the 2005 season, he did not disappoint in his big league debut, smacking a three-run home run to seal a 9-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs at Turner Field.
However, Francoeur, who brought a passionate fervor and joy to the field when he played the game, was just getting started.
Teaming up with fellow "Baby Braves", catcher Brian McCann and second baseman Kelly Johnson, Francoeur helped give Atlanta the push they needed to clinch their 14th consecutive NL East division title.
Although the 2005 season ended with a disappointing loss to the Houston Astros in the NL Divisional Playoff Series, the Braves' rookie right fielder had quickly become a rock star in Atlanta.
Displaying a unique aggressiveness in the batter's box and a rocket arm that rounded up 14 outfield assists in a mere three months, "Frenchy" was a sure fire fan favorite.
The hometown hero only added to his growing legend during the 2006 season, using his momentum from 2005 to pound NL pitching in his first full season in MLB.
In addition to hitting a walk-off grand slam to defeat the Washington Nationals 8-5 in May, Francoeur became a run-producing machine for the defending NL East Champions.
Despite hitting for a pedestrian .260 batting average, No. 7 smashed 29 home runs, drove in 103 runs, and became just the fourth Brave to ever play in all 162 regular season games.
While Frenchy's 132 strikeouts and 23 walks brought up concerns about his patience at the plate, they were mostly ignored as a result of his productivity.
Yet, despite his durability and power numbers, Atlanta struggled through to a third place finish in the NL East—snapping their streak of consecutive division titles.
Determined to get Atlanta back on a winning track, Francoeur lit up opposing pitchers for 19 home runs and 105 runs batted in during the 2007 season and, most notably, brought his batting average up to a sterling .293.
In addition to his great year on offense, Francoeur channeled teammate Andruw Jones in the outfield, tallying 19 assists and winning his first Gold Glove Award in right field.
However, by no fault of Francoeur's, the Braves once again failed to reach the playoffs, finishing third in the NL East for the second consecutive season.
The frustration of missing the playoffs for back-to-back seasons placed Francoeur under a great deal of pressure to perform at the highest level.
In addition to facing increased personal expectations, he also had the challenge of filling the void left by Andruw Jones—both in the outfield and in the batting order during the 2008 season.
As a result of his newly assumed responsibilities, Frenchy worked to bulk up during the offseason in an attempt to return to his power-hitting form of 2006.
Francoeur hit the ground running in 2008, slamming two home runs and knocking in seven runs in an early-season matchup with the Nationals.
10 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete