What The Atlanta Braves Really Got When They Traded Jeff Francoeur

When the Atlanta Braves traded Jeff Francoeur, it was like losing a son.

A son that did crack and was perpetually having to be bailed out of jail by you.

Even though you love your son, when he finally moved to another city, you were quietly happy he was gone.

Jeff Francoeur, though a model citizen (I don't want to insinuate that he actually did crack), was a rally-stopper on the diamond.

Batting him in the six or seven-hole, you were guaranteed to have him strikeout with runners on base or ground into a double play.

By trading him, the Braves got a power right-handed bat to hit down in the order: Yunel Escobar.

Since the break, the young Cuban shortstop has gone 11-for-21 (.524) with two home runs, nine RBIs, and five runs scored (just goes to show that the guys that were behind Frenchy can produce too) while batting in the five or six-hole.

With Martin Prado, Chipper Jones, Brian McCann, Garrett Anderson, and Escobar all seemingly finding their respective strokes (and best spots in the line-up) simultaneously, this Braves' roster had muscled it's way into a four-way tie for second in the NL Wild Card race and the team is batting a robust .300 for the month of July.

I asked not too long ago if they could keep it up, and, so far, the answer is easy.

Yes.

With the combination of doubles, home runs, and clutch hits over the last week, this team has seemingly turned a corner (knock on wood, sacrifice a virgin, etc.).

Add to that the same old, same old from the staff, and we are looking at a playoff contender.

I have been in northern Virginia since Friday, and was only able to enjoy Met debacles on Thursday and Sunday (thank you ESPN), so I have not been able to see this offensive explosion with my own eyes.

But from highlights on MLB.com, FantasyCast and SportsCenter at 12:00 and 1:00 a.m., it is obvious that this team has found it's groove.

Interesting fact from the realms of stupidity: Only five active NL teams are batting title-less: Milwaukee, Arizona, Florida, Houston and the New York Mutts... I mean Mets.