New York Mets: Jeff Francoeur Has Thumb Surgery

I know it’s been a rough couple of weeks for the New York Mets fans with the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series, so let’s give them some good news.

 

Mets rightfielder Jeff Francoeur had surgery on Monday to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb. Francoeur had the surgery in Atlanta.

How is having surgery good news?

Well, this is good news for a couple of reasons. First, and most important, Francoeur will be ready for spring training.

Second, Francoeur was traded to the Mets on July 10th. He hurt his thumb on July 23rd in a game against the Phillies. Despite that thumb injury, Francoeur still managed to hit .311 with the Mets and hit 10 home runs.

Mets fans should feel very confident that Francoeur, now with a healthy thumb, can produce for a full season what he did in only two-plus months with the Mets.

Francoeur should make for a solid third or fourth outfielder in most fantasy formats next season. Listen, we know he will never give you OBP. At this point, we know he is not going to walk.

But what Francoeur should give fantasy owners next year is a solid average (.275-.285), decent home run production (15-20), and a good amount of RBI’s (75-85).

Even if the Mets don’t sign or trade for a big bat this offseason (I think they will) Francoeur should benefit from a healthy Mets’ lineup. Francoeur should be batting fifth or sixth in the Mets’ lineup behind Jose Reyes, Luis Castillo, Carlos Beltran, and David Wright.

Hitting behind those batters should give Francoeur plenty of RBI opportunities next year.

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