There are rumors that the Atlanta Braves are shopping right fielder Jeff Francoeur.
The Boston Red Sox may be looking for a replacement for J.D. Drew, a former Atlanta Brave and Georgia native.
The loss of Frenchy, as his teammates and fans affectionately call Francoeur, would be severe.
Francoeur grew up in the suburbs of Atlanta and is one of the most popular Braves on the team. He played with and against Braves catcher Brian McCann on several Little League teams and the two are close friends.
More than anything, Francoeur might be a victim of high expectations. He graced the cover of Sports Illustrated as a rookie and was an All-State football player with a football scholarship to Clemson. He plays alongside McCann, who has made three consecutive All-Star teams.
Last season, the Braves demoted Francoeur to the minor leagues before calling him up to finish the season.
The culprit: Strikeouts.
Francoeur is known as an aggressive hitter, often swinging on the first pitch and accruing lots of strikeouts.
It's clear why the Braves are shopping Francoeur: His high strikeouts-to-walks ratio, his low on-base percentage of .275, and sub-.260 batting average. Plus, he's lost some of the power he had during his first two seasons in the major leagues. His .275 on-base percentage does not seem to fit in with Theo Epstein's typical outfield stats.
However, Francoeur would bring consistency to Boston's lineup. While J.D. Drew missed a lot of games last year, Francoeur has played in 150-plus games the last three seasons. Francoeur is also 25 years old. Drew is 33.
Frenchy has been in the Braves organization his entire career, and losing him would hurt the hometown fans who fervently cheer for him every game.
The Braves have been very patient with Francoeur, as his average dipped and his slugging percentage decreased.
Has the front office run out of patience?
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