Veteran outfielder Jeff Francoeur has rejoined the Atlanta Braves. On Monday, the Braves announced that they had signed the former star to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training.
Francoeur broke into the big leagues with Atlanta in 2005, and finished third in the National League Rookie of the Year voting. He batted .300 with forty-five RBI in just seventy games in his debut season, and accumulated a .885 OPS. He spend much of the following four seasons with the Braves, and before being traded to the New York Mets for Ryan Church halfway through the 2009 season.
Since that trade, Francoeur has seen time with the Texas Rangers, the Mets again, and the Kansas City Royals for a little over two seasons. He then joined the San Francisco Giants for a cup of coffee, and wound up on the San Diego Padres in 2014, a season in which he saw action in just ten games. He suited up for the Philadelphia Phillies last season, and batted .258 with thirteen home runs in 119 games.
Fancoeur has always had decent power, though he never hit more than twenty-nine home runs in a season, a feat he accomplished in 2006. He also, however, has been known to strike out a lot; he recorded more than 110 strikeouts in five different seasons.
He has also been known throughout his career for having a good clubhouse presence, which could be useful to the Braves relatively young roster if he makes the team as a bench player. The Braves are accumulating a lot of veteran players to man their outfield; Frouncoeur now joins Nick Markakis, Michael Bourn, Ender Inciarte, Nick Swisher, and Hector Olivera. Given that, roster spots could be hard to come by. Despite his familiarity with the organization, Francoeur may be a long shot to make the roster.
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