Three years ago, almost to the day, the Atlanta Braves brought up Jeff Francoeur.
And for three seasons, he's been a fixture in right field.
Every single day.
He even had the active Major League record for most consecutive games played at 370 broken earlier this year in the twilight game of a doubleheader.
But Thursday night, after his batting average had dipped to .234, the Braves called him into a private meeting and delivered the news.
You're going to Pearl, Mississippi, son.
Francoeur was sent down to the Braves AA franchise, just outside of Jackson, Miss., so he could work on his swing. The news was received about as well as a question to ARod about Lenny Kravitz's upcoming album.
"This has really put a damper on my relationship with the Atlanta Braves," Francoeur told the AJC.
Reportedly, Francoeur had been putting many extra hours of batting practice working on his swing and you could notice him trying different things in the box.
"I do not agree with this, but I have to do what I have to do," he said. "I'm disappointed with the decision and how the whole process went down."
Unless Bobby Cox can pull off some magic in fence-mending, you may be looking at Francoeur in another uniform next year. He's passed up signing long-term deals with the Braves, settling for year-by-year contracts the past two seasons.
It's not too often you see a regular of Francoeur's stature sent down like this, but the right-handed power hitter is only 24.
Fantasy spin: After Clayton Kershaw's demotion yesterday, I thought my team couldn't get hit any harder, then this. But this isn't about my team. It's about yours. It's simple if you have a bench spot to stash Francoeur, as he's relevant in almost all formats, as soon as he gets back up.
But without bench spots, you are in a tight spot. If you're power numbers are hurting, it's probably time to just cut him loose, as we could be looking at two, three or four weeks until he figures things out.
In deep mixed or NL-only leagues, you're probably better off just riding this out, but let the quality of your wire be your guide.
And for three seasons, he's been a fixture in right field.
Every single day.
He even had the active Major League record for most consecutive games played at 370 broken earlier this year in the twilight game of a doubleheader.
But Thursday night, after his batting average had dipped to .234, the Braves called him into a private meeting and delivered the news.
You're going to Pearl, Mississippi, son.
Francoeur was sent down to the Braves AA franchise, just outside of Jackson, Miss., so he could work on his swing. The news was received about as well as a question to ARod about Lenny Kravitz's upcoming album.
"This has really put a damper on my relationship with the Atlanta Braves," Francoeur told the AJC.
Reportedly, Francoeur had been putting many extra hours of batting practice working on his swing and you could notice him trying different things in the box.
"I do not agree with this, but I have to do what I have to do," he said. "I'm disappointed with the decision and how the whole process went down."
Unless Bobby Cox can pull off some magic in fence-mending, you may be looking at Francoeur in another uniform next year. He's passed up signing long-term deals with the Braves, settling for year-by-year contracts the past two seasons.
It's not too often you see a regular of Francoeur's stature sent down like this, but the right-handed power hitter is only 24.
Fantasy spin: After Clayton Kershaw's demotion yesterday, I thought my team couldn't get hit any harder, then this. But this isn't about my team. It's about yours. It's simple if you have a bench spot to stash Francoeur, as he's relevant in almost all formats, as soon as he gets back up.
But without bench spots, you are in a tight spot. If you're power numbers are hurting, it's probably time to just cut him loose, as we could be looking at two, three or four weeks until he figures things out.
In deep mixed or NL-only leagues, you're probably better off just riding this out, but let the quality of your wire be your guide.
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