Francoeur may not be the best player on the Mets team but I'll tell you something he does have. A Fucking Heart to play the game,Grit. Which is something the Mets have been missing for a while. He's not terrible either, I'd play Francoeur over Angel Pagan anyday.
"Heart" and "grit" are overrated. It may be possible that they do affect a team, but we can't measure the effect. Doesn't it make sense to make decisions based on things that we can measure? On a related note, would you rather have a lineup of 8 David Ecksteins? All the "heart" and "grit" you could ask for. Or a lineup of 8 A-Rods? It may be the douchiest lineup in the league, but it would also be the best.
Also, according to fangraphs.com, Francoeur was a replacement level player last year. In just over half a season, Pagan was almost worth 3 WAR.
If Jeff Francoeur had heart and grit, you'd think he'd apply it toward fixing the massive gigantic blinking-neon-sign adorned holes in his game.
No one is rooting for him to fail. Frankly, I hope he hits 45 bombs and learns how to take a walk. We just know that it won't happen. We are also frustrated that our front office and manager seem to think that it will. When your GM gives 3 years and 36M to Oliver Perez, it will make you lose faith in the team a little bit.
Because are not blind optimists, we root for him to fail? That's good logic. Also, Long & Winding Rhode, where did you come from? I can't remember seeing you post in Mets threads before, and that's a shame.
Everyone wants to look at what he did with the Braves and dismiss in full his performance since the trade as being nothing more then a statistical fluke. Fact is he played better with the Mets then he did with the Braves all while in a worse lineup WITH A BUSTED HAND. In roughly the same number of at bats he a 60 point higher average and a 200 point higher OPS, double the home runs, and almost 2x the number of doubles. Now, maybe that just what it is, a statistical fluke...but if he can put up comparable post trade numbers in the bottom of the order on an otherwise healthy Mets team he'll be a good contributor. But instead of even giving him that chance to prove hmself he's written off by almost everybody. The guy came in 3rd in the rookie of the year voting in '05, he's not that old. God forbid after showing some competence in the Mets lineup last year in an otherwise dreadful season, Met fans give him the benefit of the doubt for at least a month or two that he can actually get better and improve. Instead, the only thing most Met fans are rooting for when in comes to Frenchy is for a trade.
I'd start Francoeur as a 6 or 7 hitter. He can play every day so long as he isn't counted on to be The Guy. And taking walks is teachable, Reyes couldn't do it once upon a time. Certainly there's an age difference there, but Francoeur can at least play every day--I'll take him over Pagan.
If Francoeur were trying to learn to take a walk then, yes, I would agree with you that it is a skill that can be taught. But this is a guy who has openly mocked people who try to tell him that walks are important. He actually said once, "If on-base percentage is so important, then why don't they put it up on the scoreboard?" Does that sound like a player that is going to learn to take a walk? Also, in 2005, the year he almost won ROY, his HR/FB was a career high 17%. Even last year, it was a 4 year high of 10%. Furthermore, the major difference this year between Frenchy's stints in Queens and Atlanta was his BABIP (batting average on balls in play). His BABIP with the Braves was .281. For the Mets? .343. In other words, he was getting lucky on the balls that he managed not to swing and miss at. His plate discipline numbers were basically the same with the Braves and Mets. Here is a good fangraphs.com article that tackles the Francoeur situation: http://www.fangraphs.com/fantasy/index.php/francoeur-in-queens
You don't think he can start though? I mean, he's a decent player. I'm not saying he's gonna make any All-Star teams any time soon, but you're doing OK if he's your 3rd best OF.
I would bring Derek Bell and his houseboat back. We're gonna suck next year anyway, might as well have some fun post game house boat parties in Flushing Bay marina and hear Big Pimpin four times a game.
