I’ve offered several kudos to Jeff Francoeur for having a better-than-expected season this year. But given that I’ve still offered approximately 598 more slams than kudos in his career, I still have some work to do. So it’s definitely appropriate for me to note that Francoeur shot a dude down cold from right field yesterday afternoon.
It was Michael Taylor at the plate. Here’s the play. Bang, bang, he’s dead.
I don’t mean this as a slight at Francoeur, but really, the reason 99% of right fielders don’t make that play has just as much to do with the fact that they’d think twice about it as it has to do with their arm. Francoeur has a fabulous arm, of course, but what really made that play is that it just never occurred to him that he’s not supposed to be able to throw a young guy out on that play. A guy not without at least a little speed (Taylor has stolen bases in the double digits several times in the minors).
My credit-where-it-is-due tour of the Jeff Francoeur Experience will continue unless and until he starts doing dumb stuff again. But there really hasn’t been any of that to speak of this year.
