The Meteoric Rise and Fall of Jeff Francoeur

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

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.

However, it would prove to be one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dismal season for both Atlanta and their star outfielder.

Battling an onslaught of injuries, the Braves struggled to keep pace with their division rivals, as many inexperienced players were thrust into the fire in Atlanta.

Faced with a desire to help his team and a self-imposed overextension, Francoeur tried to do too much at the plate, becoming overeager and careless with his mechanics.

Francoeur's trademark aggressiveness at the plate became his fatal flaw, as he developed a tendency to swing at almost every pitch and recorded nearly three times as many strikeouts (59) as walks (20) through the end of June.

In addition to a lack of plate discipline, Francoeur also struggled to reach base whenever he put the ball into play—mustering a miniscule 77 hits in 232 at-bats at June's end.

As a result of his offensive woes, Braves management decided to demote Francoeur to Double-A Mississippi July 4 in hopes that it would help him relax and regain his confidence.

The Braves hoped that Francoeur’s strong bond with Mississippi manager Phil Wellman would enable Wellman to help Frenchy to “find his swing” and turn his season around.

While Francoeur was upset by the abrupt decision to send him down to the minor leagues, he responded well, noting that he had developed a better sense of comfort in the batter’s box.

However, as the Braves were further decimated by endless injuries, they were forced to cut off the Francoeur project and call him back up to Atlanta just three days after sending him down.

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