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Home > Terence Moore > Archives > 2008 > July > 04
Friday, July 4, 2008
Some tough love for a favorite son
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
They had to do it. Still, the Braves’ decision on Thursday to ship the popular but slumping Jeff Francoeur back to the minors was as wrenching as it gets. That’s why Bobby Cox squinted at Turner Field while sifting through his 26 years of managing in the majors. “I’m trying to recall having a situation like this,” said Cox, still squinting and thinking.
Added Cox, “I don’t recall one.” Then he said after a long sigh, “Well, not too many coaches — and me — slept last night. I’m telling you, it was a rough night. That’s for sure. He could be any one of our sons. We love him that much.”
Everybody does. Those hugging Francoeur include his slew of relatives and friends from Gwinnett County, teammates, opposing players, reporters and even Braves officials who shipped the guy away to Class AA Mississippi.
They had to do it, though, because an absolutely befuddled Francoeur at the plate needed somebody to save him from himself, at least for a while. He’ll stay in the minors no more than three weeks, said Braves general manager Frank Wren, who called this his toughest move after 23 years of calling shots in the majors.
The question is, will Francoeur return as Joe Charboneau or Ron Gant after his drastic transformation from potent to whatever he is now?
Remember Charboneau? Probably not, because he vanished after becoming the American League’s 1980 Rookie of the Year. They wrote songs about the guy in Cleveland back then after his impressive start as a slugger and his eccentric ways (opening beer bottles with his eye socket, for instance). Then he was sent to the minors the following season after hitting slightly less than Francoeur’s sinking .234 batting average, and Charboneau never was heard from again.
You remember Gant, though, the former Braves standout during their early run to goodness in the 1990s. He was so promising as an infielder (19 home runs in 1988) that he finished fourth in the Rookie of the Year balloting. Then came the next season, when Gant slumped badly in mid-June. He was shipped to the minors to become less of an all-or-nothing hitter and an outfielder. “He had a tremendous career after that as one of the most feared hitters in baseball,” said Cox, then the Braves’ general manager, who saw Gant return that September along the way to remaining productive in the majors through the 2003 season.
Maybe Dontrelle Willis will join Francoeur as a future Gant, too. Willis was the National League Rookie of the Year five years ago with the Florida Marlins. He also was a two-time All-Star and the runner-up for the NL’s Cy Young Award three seasons ago. Anyway, the Detroit Tigers demoted Willis and his suddenly wild left arm last month to their Class A team.
These things happen. Now let’s see what happens to Francoeur’s psyche (and batting average) when he returns from the minors after a lifetime as a golden boy. He went from baseball and football stardom at Parkview High School to the cover of Sports Illustrated just months into his rookie year with the Braves in 2005 after a glorious start. That SI cover dubbed Francoeur “The Natural,” and the subhead asked, “Can anyone be this good?”
Apparently not.
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