Well a .731 OPS kind of sucks. And Prado’s split vs lefties (albeit in a small sample size) is

.286/.444/.643/1.087

So if Bobby did platoon them, he’d be justified at least based on offense alone. OTOH, Prado is completely horrible defensively while Johnson is merely below average and gets a partial pass since this is only the second year he has played 2b professionally.

Victor, you answered yourself before you even said it, but there is no way the Braves can put an outfield out there without Francoeur that is anywhere near the same defensively. His arm, just out of respect alone, is going to save you runs every week, and none of the guys you mentioned could play everyday in right. Not to mention, they aren’t any upgrade over Jeff at the plate.

As for Kelly, Bobby does tend to give him more time off, perhaps partially because he was coming back from major reconstructive surgery last year, and also because he has to find playing time for his reserve infielders, and Chipper and Renteria/Esco, as hot as they have been, just aren’t going to sit everytime. But to be straight, he played in 147 games last year, and has only missed 9 this season.

As for batting order, Bobby has moved Frenchy around just as much, but it isn’t as noticeable because he never entrusted Jeff with as high profile a duty as leadoff… All in all Kelly isn’t a leadoff hitter, and it is best for his development not to force him into a mold he doesn’t fit, even if that might be the best short term move. And if you want to talk flaws, lets not even bring up Kelly’s defense.

Bobby will figure it all out guys, don’t worry, you don’t win 14 straight division titles by luck.

Remember when Kelly got bumped from the lead off spot last year when he was batting .270 or something despite having an OBP of .370 – .380? He’s a good, patient hitter and it seems like Pendleton and company want to change his approach, which is pretty stupid.

Greyson, you know what the difference between Winfield, Bonds, and Francoeur is? The first two know how to take a walk. .250/.300 and .250/.350 are night and day. The first two strike out because they work the count and draw walks. The problem with Francoeur isn’t just that he strikes out even more (which is not a problem if you have OBP), but that manner in which he strikes out and the lack of walks. He whiffs at pitches a foot off the plate, chases balls in the dirt, or swings at the high fast ball. He strikes out on 3-4 pitches instead of on 3-2 counts where the pitch looked like a ball. His approach is horrible and he won’t be going anywhere till he fixes it.

Francoeur looks a lot like Thorman right now. Both just swing for the fences instead of learning patience and discipline.

Francoeur’s defense is also down so his overall contribution isn’t much. His cannon of an arm is his only saving grace.

KJ is one of the top 5 hitting 2B in all of baseball who can hit lefties with average defense and seeing him benched and roasted in favor of inferior hitters like Gotay, Prado, and Infante is just silly. At the same time, Francoeur plays all the time when an outfield of some combination of Josh Anderson, Norton, Blanco, and Infante would do a better job than he does all year. Frenchy is the one who needs more days off.

A lot of people (myself included) had high hopes for Francoeur since it looks like he was starting to turn the corner last year, but it turns out he just isn’t very good. He still can be, but he has a lot to learn.

But really the jist of what JC and what others are saying is that right now Francouer is a way below average player who is actually hurting the team and yet from the press, national, regional what ever the kid doesn’t get ANY criticism. None, Nada, the null set. Its really strange. AND Bobby Cox doesn’t get any for continuing to run him out there for EVERY game.

Finally your last comment. If Jeff were progressing this year I could buy your argument, however he is regressing in a big way across all aspects of offense. BA, OBP and SLG are way down and before you say anything about his defensive contribution remember that a corner outfielder should be manned by a hitter.

I tried to post earlier, but it appears it didn’t go through: While I agree that Frenchy deserves a fair critique, we don’t treat our players the way they do in New York, Boston, or Philly, AND THAT IS A GOOD THING.

As for Frenchy being on the way to a mediocre career, here’s a trio of Hall of Famers, also from cities that love their players, to compare him with:

Barry Bonds’ 4th season, 1989, 24 years old, .248/.351/.426, 19 HR, 93 SO, 58 RBIs, and only 135 Runs Produced in 580 ABs

Kirby Puckett’s 2nd full season 1985, 25 years old, .288/.330/.385

Dave Winfield’s 2nd full season, 1975, 23 years old, .267/.354/.403, 15 HR, 82 SO in 509 ABs

Now will Frenchy live up to these guys? Maybe, but we’re going to have to be patient with him, and thankfully Bobby and TP know patience well.

Did you ever think that this blog might become so prominent in criticism of Atlanta local print (text) media? (the whole Gwinnett ball park thing, plus this)

Do you think maybe the stuff you are criticizing is evidence of our dense “bubbaness” as alleged by the “Northern Media”?

“Brad Komminsk had 105 RBIs in his big-league career. Francoeur had 105 in his second full big-league season. There is no comparison whatsoever.
And you know how many 100-RBI seasons the famous Grady Sizemore has had? Zero. Know what he’s hitting at the moment? .267. Know how many times he has hit above .290 in a season? Zero. (Francoeur hit .293 last season.)

McCann outhit Francoeur in 2006 and is outhitting him now. Francoeur outhit McCann in 2005 and 2007. Feel free to check.

And “his RBI totals are more a function of hitting behind Chipper than of some sort of hitting talent”? I don’t even know where to begin with that one. Did those 105 RBIs come on 105 bases-loaded walks?

I get it. Driving in 100 runs in consecutive seasons wasn’t a representative sample, but going 2 for 18 with the bases loaded over one-third of a season is. Can’t argue with that cutting logic

My original point wasn’t that Francoeur is having a great year; he demonstrably isn’t. My point was that the vitriol directed his way has been disproportionate, and I believe you folks — most of you, anyway — have proved as much

So people are mad because Francoeur didn’t sign a long-term contract to stay with the Braves. Some of those same people think he’s overrated and want him to be demoted/traded. Shouldn’t those people be glad he didn’t sign?”