Sports Page Atlanta

The Braves resume playing tonight as they take on the Washington Nationals.

Here is how some of the current Braves have done at the all-star break the last 3 seasons…

Chipper Jones: 2008 - .376 avg  18 hr 51 rbi

                            2007 - .329 avg  15 hr 41 rbi

                            2006 - .315 avg  11 hr 50 rbi

Brian McCann: 2008 - .302 avg  18 hr 53 rbi

                            2007 - .262 avg   9 hr 49 rbi

                            2006 - .343 avg  6 hr 29 rbi

Mark Teixeira: 2008 - .271 avg  17 hr 69 rbi

                            2007 - .302 avg  12 hr 41 rbi

                            2006 - .275 avg    9 hr 49 rbi 

Jeff Francoeur: 2008 - .234 avg    9 hr 44 rbi

                            2007 - .289 avg   10 hr 58 rbi

                            2006 - .260 avg   17 hr 63 rbi

With all of the Braves players hitting the disabled list today, it was necessary for the team to recall Jeff Francoeur from his three day stint at Double-A Mississippi. Obviously, Frenchy can mash Double-A pitchers as he went 7 for 13 with a triple for a .538 batting average while there.

I’ve got a few problems with this… Let me explain by commenting on a few quotes.

It was originally planned that Francoeur would stay in Class AA for a minimum of 10 days, until after the All-Star break. However, with the rash of injuries that hit the Braves over the weekend the Braves saw an opportunity to call him back up.

If this demotion was really a learning experience, and not punishment, why would the Braves bring him back after only three days? And, better yet, why would they only “originally plan” on leaving him in Mississippi for 10 days? How much could Jeff really learn in 10 days about his swing? And, if 10 days was really the plan, why even send him to Double-A? The Braves could have benched him and gave him personalized, on-on-one instruction here in Atlanta, and not wasted the travel time, expense, and headache caused by this whole ordeal. And, in a pinch, Frenchy could have pinch hit. I still believe that a slumping, and benched, Francoeur would have been a better pinch hit option than Ruben Gotay or Jason Perry.

“It had everything to do with the four hits he had yesterday and seven hits he had in three days and starting to relax,” Braves general manager Frank Wren said Monday. “It was not until we had our call with the coaches this morning we had made the decision. It was not predicated on injuries at all. When we felt like he was comfortable swinging the bat and looking like his old self, we wanted to bring him back.”

If you believe this, I’ve got some beach-front property here on Peachtree to sell you. It’s going to take more than three days to get Jeff back to looking like “his old self”. He’s been manhandled by Major league pitching this season, and, obviously, he can manhandle Double-A pitching. This is the equivalent of a washed up boxer beating up on some grade schoolers and feeling he’s ready to challenge for the Heavyweight belt again. Francoeur isn’t ready for Major League pitchers, and three days of beating up on 20 year-olds isn’t going to help in the long run.

Update 7/7/08 4:32 PM : Good insight from the folks over at Fanhouse. This whole thing stinks to me!

Jeff Francoeur was just sent down to Mississippi and you might be wondering how did Frenchy do when he was in the minors the first time around.

Well…

2002 in Danville (Rookie League) .327 avg, 8 hr, 31 rbi

2003 in Rome (Single A) .281 avg, 14 hr, 68 rbi

2004 in Myrtle Beach (High Single A) .293 avg, 15 hr, 52 rbi

in Greenville (Double A) .197 avg, 3 hr, 9 rbi

2005 in Mississippi (new Double A site) .275 avg, 13 hr, 62 rbi

and then he was promoted to the show…. all together he was…

.282 avg, 52 hr, 222 rbi in 1,416 career minor league at-bats.

Like Barrett Sallee suggested the other day, the Atlanta Braves sent down Jeff Francoeur to Double A Mississippi and brought up former Georgia Tech player Jason Perry.  Francoeur was batting .234 this season including .206 in June and .083 in 3 games in July.  He is also hitting just .198 this season with runners in scoring position.

Perry turns 28 next month hit .314 in Mississippi and .302 in Richmond this season.

The Braves made it kind of interesting last night, but fell short to the Phillies by the score of 7 to 3.  The game could have been tied, but Mark Teixeira struck out with 2 outs in the 9th with the bases loaded.  A few pitches earlier, Teixeira blasted a shot that was just foul.

It would have been the 2nd grand slam hit by a Brave this year.  Kelly Johnson hit a pinch hit grand slam against the Mets back during the first week of the season.

Here are the number of grand slams hit by the current Atlanta Braves…

Chipper Jones - 6 (although last one was back in 2001)

Brian McCann - 4

Mark Teixeira - 3

Mark Kotsay - 3

Kelly Johnson - 2

Greg Norton - 2

Jeff Francoeur - 1

Enough is enough.  It’s painfully obvious that Jeff Francoeur needs to be sent down to AAA Richmond.  He has four hits over his last 12 games.  And, worse, he is leaving runners on base at an alarming rate.

In 96 AB’s with runners in scoring position in 2008, which is a situation that Francoeur has thrived in over his first few seasons, he’s hitting .206.  It gets worse.  Much worse.  In close and late situations, which is defined as AB’s in the 7th inning or later, with the batting team either ahead by one run, tied or with the potential tying run at least on deck; Francoeur’s average is .204, in 49 AB’s, and 6 RBI.  Not exactly clutch.  Now, here’s really shocker, with a runner on third and less than two outs, which is a situation screaming for production, Francoeur is batting .179.  That, my friends, is unacceptable.

Francoeur needs to be sent down.  His brain is a melting pot of hitting coaches and wannabe hitting coaches, and he can’t decipher the two.  He will, most likely, stay with the Braves for now.  But, when Matt Diaz comes back, Francoeur needs to be sent down.  You can’t put Blanco, Kotsay or Diaz on the bench, and Francoeur can’t hit himself out of the slump on the bench.  He needs AB’s in a more relaxed environment.  Richmand, Va. is that environment.

Charlie Morton did more than what was asked for when he took the mound in his major league debut on Saturday. The 24-year old got the victory over the first place Los Angeles Angels throwing 6 strong innings allowing 3 runs on 5 hits, striking out 4 while walking just one.

Morton was a 3rd round pick of the Braves back in 2002. That draft has worked well for the Braves.

Jeff Francoeur was their first pick overall in that draft going 23rd. Pitcher Dan Meyer was the supplemental first rounder that year. In the 2nd round the Braves picked up Brian McCann. Later in the 2nd they picked up shortstop James Greene, but in the 3rd came Charlie Morton. In the 20th round they picked up Chuck James who has had on-and-off success for Atlanta.

Dating all of the way back to October 1, 2005, Jeff Francoeur had started in 370 consecutive games. For the first time in three years, Francoeur got a night off, as his streak ended in the second game of a day-night double header. Francoeur’s consecutive start streak was the longest in Major League Baseball.

There isn’t any word that Francoeur is injured, it just seems that “Frenchy” needed day off. With only 12 hits in his last 52 at-bats, and 23 hits in his last 96 at-bats, Francoeur’s bat just wasn’t sizzling. Last week, Francoeur said that “…I’ll never pull myself out of the lineup”. Apparently, BobbyCox decided to do it for him.

“Mental health” days-off have worked this season for other players, like Boston’s David Ortiz. Here’s to hoping it works for “Frenchy” as well.

Jeff Francoeur had a big day on Saturday, belting 2 home runs and 7 RBI against the Nationals. Hitting well against Washington is nothing new as you will see by these stats.

Other times he has hit 2 home runs in a game in his career so far…

• July 28, 2005 vs Nationals
• April 13, 2006 vs Phillies
• May 18, 2006 vs Marlins
• September 27, 2006 vs Mets
• August 18, 2007 vs Diamondbacks
• and yesterday vs Nationals

It was the 4th time in his career that he had 5 or more RBI in a game (this was the first with 7 or even 6.)

• 5 RBI on April 30, 2006 vs Mets
• 5 RBI on May 13, 2006 vs Nationals
• 5 RBI on April 10, 2007 vs Nationals
• 7 RBI yesterday vs Nationals

photo credit: DDanzig

Jeff Francouer was beaned in the face Sunday with a Todd Wellemeyer change-up. X-rays were negative and Frenchy was treated for cuts on his mouth and lip.

Nothing was broken and no teeth were lost, though Francoeur had significant swelling around his mouth and cheek. He was given the option of receiving stitches. He opted against it when doctors said the wounds would only take a few extra days to heal and he’d be able to eat easier without them.

Cox said Francoeur would miss “at least a few games,” and he returned to Orlando for a follow-up exam today. The team stayed in Jupiter Sunday for another game against the Cardinals today before an off day in the schedule Tuesday.

Francoeur feels he’ll be ready to play Wednesday or Thursday.
photo credit: sluggerwv