Jeff Francoeur, Retired


Date of Birth: 1/8/1984
Birthplace: Atlanta, Georgia

Jeff Francoeur, retired right fielder, was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 2002 and he first wore a Braves uniform in July, 2005. He started his career in his first game with his first major league hit, a three-run home run. Francoeur continued swinging his bat and hitting the mark in his first season, ending with a .300 batting average, 14 home runs and 44 RBIs. In 2006, Francoeur's batting average dropped to .260, but he hit 29 home runs and drove in 103 runs. He also excelled in defense and stamina, playing in all 162 Braves games of the season.

The following season, Francoeur again played in all of Atlanta's 162 games, improving his batting average to .293. He hit 19 home runs and had 105 RBIs in 2007 and he won the National League Gold Glove for his superb fielding in right field. That year, Francoeur led the National League in outfield assists with 19. In 2008, Francoeur's batting numbers significantly decreased and he ended the season with just a .239 batting average. His 2009 start also was poor and the Braves traded him to the New York Mets in July, 2009.

The move to the Mets was a good one for Francoeur and in 75 games with them in 2009, he batted .311, with 90 hits, 20 doubles and 10 home runs. In 2010, Francoeur was the starting right fielder for the Mets for the first half of the season. However, when Carlos Beltran came off the disabled list and returned to center field for them, Angel Pagan was moved to right field and Francoeur became a bench player. At the end of August, the Mets traded him to the Texas Rangers, where he played in just 15 games.

In December, 2010, Francoeur signed a one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals. After a strong 2011 season, he received a two-year extension from the Royals in August, 2011. Francoeur's batting statistics for 2012 again dropped significantly from his strong 2011 season. His batting average dropped from .285 to .235, with 132 hits in 2012 compared to 171 hits in 2011 and 47 doubles in 2011 with a drop to 26 in 2012.

In June 2013, Francoeur was released by the Royals. His contract was then purchased by the San Francisco Giants on July 9, 2013. He didn't stay long with the Giants - they released him on August 22, 2013. In January, 2014, he signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians but he was released on March 22, 2014. Four days later, he signed a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres. After playing in just 10 games with them, the Padres designated him for assignment on August 11, 2014.

On November 13, 2014, Francoeur signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, his fourth team in two years. He finished the 2015 season with 84 hits, 16 doubles, 13 home runs, 45 RBIs, and a .258 batting average in 119 games. As a right fielder, he made 131 putouts and 5 errors in 85 games.

Francoeur agreed to return to the Braves on a minor league contract on February 22, 2016. He was traded to the Miami Marlins on August 24, 2016. He finished the 2016 season with 78 hits, 15 doubles, 34 RBIs, and a .254 batting average in 99 games with the Braves and 26 games with the Marlins. Defensively, he played 63 games in left field, 17 games in right field, and 1 games at third base.

Francoeur became a free agent on November 3, 2016. He retired in May, 2017.

Francoeur was hired as a color commentator for Fox Sports South and Fox Sports Southeast in May, 2017.

Batting statistics for Francoeur from 2005 through 2016 include:

  • 4 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 188 in 2007
  • 4 seasons with over 30 doubles, with a high of 47 in 2011
  • 2 seasons with 20 or more home runs, with a high of 29 in 2006
  • 2 seasons with over 100 RBIs, with a high of 105 in 2007

Career batting statistics for Francoeur through 2016 include:

  • 1,481 games played
  • 1,373 hits
  • 281 doubles
  • 160 home runs
  • 698 RBIs
  • 1,080 strikeouts to 284 walks
  • .261 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Francoeur as a right fielder through 2016 include:

  • 1,290 games played
  • 2,428 putouts
  • 45 errors
  • .983 fielding percentage

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Jeff Francoeur
ESPN Sports - Jeff Francoeur