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Will It Be Francoeur2K7 or 2K8?
Written by Jonathan on January 30, 2009 – 12:39 pmOne of the big question marks entering the 2009 season is about which Jeff Francoeur the Braves are going to get this year. Is it going to be the Frenchie of 2007 that batted .293 with 19 homers while slugging .444? Or is it going to be the Francoeur of 2008 that, after a promising start, batted .239 with 11 homers and slugged .359?
Last year was definitely the low point of Francoeur’s career thus far. 2008 started off promising where he batted .294 and slugged .500 through the first 25 games on the season. The next 60 games took a turn for the worse and saw a batting average of .207, finally culminating with a demotion to Double-A Mississippi for a couple of games. Despite the embarrassment of the demotion, there was little encouragement on his return to Atlanta. Francoeur batted .245 and slugged .340 through the rest of the season.
Francoeur’s biggest problem last season was that he just wanted to hit home runs. He bulked up in the offseason and didn’t focus as much on mechanics. Francoeur himself admitted that he went about preparation for the season completely wrong, not hitting or throwing until he made it to Spring Training. This year, he has readopted the approach from his first playing years where Spring Training was his opportunity to make the big league team.
Riding on the lows of last season, Francoeur’s biggest focus this offseason is to get back to the relaxed, powerful player that he was. He didn’t focus on weight-gaining workouts but rather maintained a more athletic appearance. He also developed a new batting stance that he “likens to a right-handed version of Mark Teixeira”. In the new stance, Francoeur has minimal movement on his left foot during the weight transfer of his swing. When asked about Frenchy’s new swing, an impressed Chipper Jones indicated that everything looks substantially better and that Francoeur is showing great power through the ball right now.
Despite the success in the offseason batting cage, there is still the chance that it won’t transfer to the on-the-field performance that Braves fans are hoping to see. The end result is yet to be seen, but a confident Jones thinks that Francoeur has the potential to hold down the cleanup role this season. If the Braves don’t end up signing a power outfielder, that may just happen to space out Jones and Brian McCann in the lineup.
So there it is, Braves fans. Let’s hope for the best for Frenchy this year. He’s unstoppable defensively and should have a bit of a step again with the more athletic frame. What we really need to see is patience and success at the plate, however, with his renewed sense of confidence. Who will we see this year? Francoeur of 2007? 2008? Or a new Frenchy all together?
Tags: Francoeur's New Swing, Jeff Francoeur
Posted in General | 6 Comments »
By Tim on Jan 30, 2009 | Reply
I'm thinking we will see a whole new Frenchy. Like I told all my friends if Chippers says it then it carries a lot of weight. He doesn't give out compliments like that lighty.
By dave on Jan 30, 2009 | Reply
I believe Jeff will learn from 2008. I believe he will be much better in 2009. I agree Chipper does not give compliments just to be talking. I think he calls it like he sees it. I think we will see a much improved Jeff Francoeur in 2009 even better than 2007. best wishes
By RueGrant on Jan 30, 2009 | Reply
It's good to read an article about Francoeur actually worrying about his swing than his 2009 salary.
By Ashley on Jan 30, 2009 | Reply
I couldn't agree more. The last thing the hometown kid needs to be talking up is money – because I personally believe his fan-factor was one of the strongest links that has kept him in the Braves organization.
By Jonathan on Jan 30, 2009 | Reply
It'll be interesting to see how the salary process works out for Francoeur but I can forsee it making it to an arbitration hearing.
As for now, I'm just hoping that he can take his renewed confidence and have some production this season.
By Tim on Jan 31, 2009 | Reply
I think Francoeur would be best served to work with the Braves to agree on a salary before it gets to a hearing. As many people as there are on on his back right now just more will jump on his back if it gets to a hearing and he is awarded a salary of nearly 4 million dollars.