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Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

batmagadanleadoff Apr 15 2010 12:44 AM

... is leading the league in OPS, is second in RC/27 and so far, has one hellacious Clemente-like outfield assist to his credit. He leads his team in OBP and is 6th league-wide. He's also making like Rickey Henderson by walking 6 times in 28 official AB's. I said: He walked 6 times in 28 official AB's.

Edgy DC Apr 15 2010 05:35 AM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

I thought you were going toward Cantu. Wow.

HahnSolo Apr 15 2010 07:37 AM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

Great outfield assist, but he did strike down a barely-trying Adam Dunn. If that mars it at all I don't know. Not like he gunned down Nyjer Morgan. Pujols has an argument for early MVP too.

Frayed Knot Apr 15 2010 07:54 AM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

Frenchy's walks are interesting because it doesn't look like he's changed his approach any. That HR last night was pure Francoeur, swinging off his heels (literally) at a 0-0 pitch he had no business going after and smacking it out of the park. I've already cast my MVP vote for Pujols for next season. Cantu has actually tied (or maybe broken) some kind of record for consecutive games with at least one hit & RBI to start a season. His streak's even longer if you go back to the end of last year although, even then, it's still short of the all-time record. Piazza at 17 straight (if you can use the words Piazza and straight in the same sentence) in 2000 is one of the longer recent streaks. The record, I believe, is 22 from back around 100 years ago.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 15 2010 08:02 AM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

I'd be curious to see if there's some Dr. Jekyll potion in his Red Bull-- or to see a detailed pitch-by-pitch look at each of his PAs this year-- because his at-bat set's seemed rather schizophrenic. There are ABs like the HR FK pointed out, and a few others in close-and-late situations, where he's good old-fashioned, guess-and-rip Frenchy. But early on, and during mid-innings situations without RISP, say... he's taking early and often. And it's not just a "I'm going to take the first one" approach-- he's actually been letting some close pitches go mid-count. It's awesome. It's also awesomely weird.

metirish Apr 15 2010 08:04 AM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

The naysayers here won't be best pleased at this carry-on from Francoeur , yes LWFS I'm looking at you. Seriously though, where would we be without him this early season?

Frayed Knot Apr 15 2010 08:05 AM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

metirish wrote: Seriously though, where would we be without him this early season? Last place? Oh wait!

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 15 2010 08:37 AM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ... Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Apr 15 2010 09:11 AM

metirish wrote: The naysayers here won't be best pleased at this carry-on from Francoeur , yes LWFS I'm looking at you. Seriously though, where would we be without him this early season? Ha. I'd be happy to be wrong about him-- and if he's this guy now as an offensive player? Then I'd take him on my team any day. (Or, since he's making 5M this year, and likely to get a raise at season's end, see if I can move him for GOOD pitching or prospects, assuming FernyM is ready to plug-and-play later this year.) It's weird, though... again, mostly because it hasn't been a complete 180. I'll give it a month more, at least, before thinking about it again... in the meantime, I'm just enjoying the melt. (Seeing as Church walked at season's end, and Mr. French is still putting up value for us, the Mets did "win" the trade, though, for what that's worth.)

Ashie62 Apr 15 2010 08:39 AM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

Pujols 5 15 .387 Mets-Young David

John Cougar Lunchbucket Apr 15 2010 08:44 AM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

Anything can happen in 75 PAs.

seawolf17 Apr 15 2010 09:17 AM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Anything can happen in 75 PAs. Kevin Maas is still waiting for his MVP award. God, could you imagine if Kevin Maas happened today instead of in 1990? Suzyn Waldman would be carrying his babies, and Wally Matthews would have a wet dream of himself with a unicorn's body kissing a picture of Kevin Maas on the wall.

HahnSolo Apr 15 2010 09:39 AM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

What would Sterling's calls for his HRs be? "It's maas-terful." "It's a Monster Maas." "it's a home run for Kevin, and the pitcher says No Maas!" "Ohhh, Kevin killed it!" Anyhow we did live through Kevin Maas again when the Yanks were good: Remember the September of Shane Spencer?

G-Fafif Apr 15 2010 09:42 AM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

Suzyn was OH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUSing all over Sam Militello 18 years ago.

batmagadanleadoff Apr 16 2010 10:53 AM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

With two doubles last night, King Albert edges past our own Jeff "Walk Like a Man" Francoeur and moves into his familiar spot as MVP-of-the-NL-if-the-season-were-to-end-today.

metirish Apr 16 2010 11:08 AM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

Lennon on Francoeur Lennon: Francoeur becoming an OBP machine DENVER It was Jeff Francoeur who once famously said, "If on-base percentage is so important, why don't they put it on the scoreboard?" In this day and age, many ballparks do, but that's beside the point. Back then, during his free-swinging time with the Braves, Francoeur would have preferred to see the statistic be wiped out completely. With his grip-it-and-rip-it mentality, Francoeur, an avid golfer himself, was like baseball's John Daly, a streaky player at his best and hard to watch when he was hacking away. When Atlanta traded Francoeur to the Mets last July, he arrived with a .282 on-base percentage, the fourth worst among NL starting players. His career mark of .308 was the lowest of any primary corner outfielder with 2,500 at-bats. To the "Moneyball" disciples, Francoeur was a punch line, the antithesis of what a general manager should build his team around. But no one is laughing at Francoeur this season now that he has transformed himself into a more intelligent hitter. Just look at the numbers. With two singles yesterday, Francoeur has hit safely in all nine games and is only one game short of tying Darryl Strawberry (1987), Robin Ventura (1999) and David Wright for the second- longest streak to open a season in Mets history. He is batting .438 (14-for-32) with three home runs, seven RBIs and - wait for it - a .513 on-base percentage. That Francoeur is reaching base more than half the time is mind-boggling for those who followed his career arc through Atlanta, where he was known for power and productivity but never patience. "I think I'm learning how to hit," Francoeur said. "I still have to remind myself sometimes that I'm still only 26, and I feel like I've taken a big step." This season, many of those steps have involved a casual stroll to first base. Francoeur's season high for walks is 42 in 2007. That was way up from the previous year's total of 23, both of which came in 162 games. By comparison, David Wright had back-to-back seasons of 94 walks in 2007-08 before dipping to 74 last year. At this rate, Francoeur is heading toward a once-unthinkable realm for him. He has six walks (second to Wright's 13) in nine games, which puts him on a pace for roughly 108. Francoeur has a more modest number in mind, and is pleased by what that number would mean to his development. "I honestly believe I'll end up walking 60 times this year," he said. "I don't see why not, and that's definitely going to help my on-base percentage. I think the one goal coming into this year was not so much to have thousands of walks but just become a better hitter altogether. Be a guy that is not just hot and cold, hot and cold." Unlike many aspects of hitting, this does not involve a mechanical adjustment. It's all about a mind-set, and perhaps maturity as well. He believes he's always had a good idea of how pitchers plan to attack him. But now he's thinking more about the situation: the outs, the men on base, the count and how that all factors into his approach. "If I had to boil it down to one word, I'd say awareness," hitting coach Howard Johnson said. "It's an awareness of himself, an awareness of the opposing pitcher. It's being able to meld all of those things together." Francoeur says leaving the hometown pressures of Atlanta for a new start in New York definitely helped him ease up a little. So has working with Johnson, who had a strategy for working with Francoeur as soon as he arrived. The two got together during the offseason for a hitting tutorial as well. Francoeur no longer is content to get by on the natural talent that made him a first-round draft pick in 2002. "I've hit close to 30 home runs," Francoeur said. "I've driven in 100 runs. I've done a lot of that. Now my goal is take that next step, to be a more complete hitter. And if I can do that, I can really help a team win. I think it's important for me to be able to get on base and let guys behind me like [Rod] Barajas drive the ball. I can score from first with those guys." 4 comments Rate Share Email Print

batmagadanleadoff Apr 16 2010 11:11 AM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

HahnSolo wrote: Great outfield assist, but he did strike down a barely-trying Adam Dunn. If that mars it at all I don't know. Not like he gunned down Nyjer Morgan. Still, Francoeur's throw was a precise missile. Unfortunately, I've seen too many Mets faster than Dunn get thrown out at home on balls hit farther and deeper than that one in recent times, so I didn't dock Francoeur on account of Dunn's slowness.

batmagadanleadoff Apr 16 2010 11:26 AM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ... Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Apr 16 2010 11:28 AM

Lennon on Francoeur Lennon: Francoeur becoming an OBP machine Obviously, I'm rooting for Francoeur to continue to draw walks at this season's rate. I haven't been paying attention to the minutiae of Francoeur's AB's this season as closely as others here have, but I can see that Francoeur still needs to improve his current rate of pitches per AB. As it stands, that rate is probably too low to sustain Francoeur's currently improved walk rates for any meaningfully prolonged stretch. Perhaps pitchers are missing very wide to Frenchy this year because of their historical and justified lack of respect for Frenchy's strike-zone judgment. I'd like to see if Frenchy's learning to lay off the close pitches. On the other hand, Francoueur's pitch recognition as a Brave was so dreadful, that simply learning to lay off of some of those missed-the-strike-zone-by-a-country-mile pitches might improve his offense significantly.

metirish Apr 16 2010 11:28 AM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ... Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Apr 16 2010 11:32 AM

I don't think he's changed his approach all that much , it would be interesting to view video form his best years in Atlanta to now. In fact that is your assignment for the weekend Batmag. You can report your findings here no later than Tuesday, cheers.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Apr 16 2010 11:31 AM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

Francouer is also in the papers today undermining Manuel's intentions to move Reyes down in the order. He's just one of those guys, like Wright, who accommodates anyone with a microphone, he's just more effusive.

Edgy DC Apr 16 2010 02:08 PM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

"I've hit close to 30 home runs," Francoeur said. "I've driven in 100 runs. I've done a lot of that. ... Easy, Brotherman. You've done some of that. It's to your credit, but let's not get carried away.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 16 2010 03:13 PM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

"I've hit close to 30 home runs," Francoeur said. "I've driven in 100 runs. I've done a lot of that. ... He hit behind Wright last year, and is often hitting behind Bay and/or Jacobs this year. So... yeah, he's hitting close to 30 home runs virtually every day.

Valadius Apr 16 2010 07:05 PM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

I'm getting the feeling that Omar's going to flip Francoeur a la Xavier Nady once F-Mart becomes impossible to hold at AAA any longer.

Edgy DC Apr 17 2010 08:18 PM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

Francoeur has gone 0-7 today and is still batting .381.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 17 2010 09:53 PM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

Still shouldn't have swung with the bases loaded and Mather pitching.

batmagadanleadoff Apr 17 2010 10:05 PM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

Edgy DC wrote: Francoeur has gone 0-7 today and is still batting .381. I believe that Francoeur entered today's game as the NL batting leader. (Maybe even the Majors)

Ashie62 Apr 18 2010 10:05 AM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

Valadius wrote: I'm getting the feeling that Omar's going to flip Francoeur a la Xavier Nady once F-Mart becomes impossible to hold at AAA any longer. Yeah and I guess Beltran's availabilty could have an impact this possibility

batmagadanleadoff Apr 22 2010 07:19 AM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

Tonight, he might turn into a pumpkin. Jeff Francoeur is about one or two bad games away from having a stat line that's kind of sucky.

TransMonk Apr 22 2010 07:30 AM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Jeff Francoeur is about one or two bad games away from having a stat line that's kind of sucky. And it will still be second best on the team. Sucky is relative...meaning this whole offense is kind of sucky.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Apr 22 2010 07:39 AM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

Yeah, Frenchy is whacking me in the face with the reason I get so down about this team's prospects: We can't score enough, because we give too many turns at bat to guys who make too many outs. Guys will get hot and cold over the course of the year but the totality of it could be ugly.

Edgy DC Apr 22 2010 07:05 PM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

Breaks an 0-24 drought, swinging at a first-pitch curve and picking up the RBI. You show 'em, Frenchy, ya drought-breakin bastid.

batmagadanleadoff May 13 2010 11:47 PM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Tonight, he might turn into a pumpkin. Jeff Francoeur is about one or two bad games away from having a stat line that's kind of sucky. Jeff Francoeur is about as pumpkiny as a pumpkin as he ever was. And pumpkinier! In the month of May, Francoeur (2010 season - .230/.295/.393) has drawn just one walk. My theory is that between last season and this one, he's learned to take the pitch that's seven inches or more off of the plate. His strike zone judgment was historically, so bad that pitchers could screw up his at bat by missing far. Frenchy's adjusted, thus resulting in his torrid start. So now the pitchers have readjusted. They've discovered that they can still get him out with bad pitches, but they need to miss the plate by smaller distances. Jeff Francoeur sucks. Again.

metirish May 14 2010 07:35 AM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

"He's a streaky hitter, when he's hot he's hot and when he's cold he's cold"......how I hate hearing that line in regards to Francoeur....

TransMonk May 14 2010 07:39 AM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

metirish wrote: "He's a streaky hitter, when he's hot he's hot and when he's cold he's cold"......how I hate hearing that line in regards to Francoeur.... and Jason Bay...and Jose Reyes...and David Wright...

Centerfield May 14 2010 08:03 AM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

Especially since he's not hot that often. With an OPS of .688, you'd have to think he's going to bounce back a little since he's usually in the mid .700's. As it is now, Francoeur ranks 28th out of 39 outfielders who qualify. He is 11th out 13 rightfielders. If you are assessing trades, he is worse than Ryan Church (.759) but he's better than Lastings Milledge (.612) so it's a net gain at the end of the day. Of course, all three still suck. But it's not all gloom and doom. These guys suck even worse than Francoeur: Carlos Lee, Hunter Pence, Nate McClouth, Cameron Maybin, Mark DeRosa. The worst outfielder in the National League? Melky Cabrera (OPS .517)* *Ok, so technically Chris Coghlan is worse at .496, but Melky is a former MFY, now a Brave, so that makes him worse.

Ceetar May 14 2010 08:13 AM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

People go back and forth on how much value hitting/pitching coaches have, but I maintain that it depends on the player. I think Frenchy is a guy that needs more oversight and guidance in terms of a coach helping him with what he should be doing at the plate "identifying pitches, not swinging, taht kind of thing." likewise, Perez is a guy that needs the oversight of a pitching coach a little more, when not to nibble, when to be aggressive, when to drop down sidearm (or not at all). You could knock these guys for that, as being professionals that need a baby-sitter, but it's not like they need some convulated conditions in which to pitch involving salt baths and cleansing rituals and the moon to be in Aries.

John Cougar Lunchbucket May 14 2010 08:19 AM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

Ceetar wrote: People go back and forth on how much value hitting/pitching coaches have, but I maintain that it depends on the player. I think Frenchy is a guy that needs more oversight and guidance in terms of a coach helping him with what he should be doing at the plate "identifying pitches, not swinging, taht kind of thing." likewise, Perez is a guy that needs the oversight of a pitching coach a little more, when not to nibble, when to be aggressive, when to drop down sidearm (or not at all). You could knock these guys for that, as being professionals that need a baby-sitter, but it's not like they need some convulated conditions in which to pitch involving salt baths and cleansing rituals and the moon to be in Aries. Actually his Atlanta teammates say that Francoeur's issue was an inability to absorb instruction. They all speak highly of his character and his talent but after years of trying eventually came to the conclusion that he just didn't "get it." He yam what he yam.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr May 14 2010 09:32 AM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ... Edited 1 time(s), most recently on May 14 2010 09:41 AM

People go back and forth on how much value hitting/pitching coaches have, but I maintain that it depends on the player. I think Frenchy is a guy that needs more oversight and guidance in terms of a coach helping him with what he should be doing at the plate "identifying pitches, not swinging, taht kind of thing." likewise, Perez is a guy that needs the oversight of a pitching coach a little more, when not to nibble, when to be aggressive, when to drop down sidearm (or not at all). You could knock these guys for that, as being professionals that need a baby-sitter, but it's not like they need some convulated conditions in which to pitch involving salt baths and cleansing rituals and the moon to be in Aries. Actually his Atlanta teammates say that Francoeur's issue was an inability to absorb instruction. They all speak highly of his character and his talent but after years of trying eventually came to the conclusion that he just didn't "get it." He yam what he yam. If there was any team that had a huge stake in him doing well-- personable, local-born-and-bred, schoolboy-football hero in schoolboy-football country... and a guy who made a big splash on his initial entry into the league-- it was Atlanta. And after sticking with him for a while past a while, and working with him intensely on improving his pitch-recognition/selectivity, and investing so damn much in him... they cut bait with him for a backup/defensive replacement (which is how they used Church). The Mets are gonna stick with him for a while as well, I think, and at least as much for off-field reasons as for anything he does in a uniform. They seem to have built a lot of their PR/community outreach programs with him significantly in mind... and there remain a lot of Frenchy shirts in the gift shop*. Also worth noting, however: Francoeur is far from the only guy on the team who's proven pretty terrible at recognizing strikes and making contact with them. The team in general appears to be second-worst in the league at swinging at non-strikes (behind the Giants), and the worst in the league at actually swinging at strikes. So far, this hasn't manifested in an absurd amount of strikeouts (they're seventh in the NL in that), but they're hitting a lot of weak flyballs (41.3% fly rate, best in the NL... but with a below-average ISO accompanying that). Makes sense for a team that "reaches" so much, right? *The sheer number of which, I must admit, surprised me a little when I first dropped by this year.[*]

Edgy DC May 14 2010 09:40 AM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

His position at the beginning of the season was that the Braves worked with him on pursuing more walks, but the Mets (HoJo specifically) has preached more along the lines of pitch recognition. In other words, he worked from the perspective of the process, not the outcome. That seemed welcome and --- for a few weeks there --- magically successful. We knew this day would come, and how they get through this may mean a lot. Over-committed to his throwing arm, his psychological development, or his place in their public image, the Braves seemed loathe to sit him when he wasn't hitting, but I'd sure like to see Carter get one start in three over the next few series, for both their sakes.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr May 14 2010 09:48 AM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

Edgy DC wrote: His position at the beginning of the season was that the Braves worked with him on pursuing more walks, but the Mets (HoJo specifically) has preached more along the lines of pitch recognition. In other words, he worked from the perspective of the process, not the outcome. That seemed welcome and --- for a few weeks there --- magically successful. I remember. (Sigh) But the people running the team have proven pretty results-reactive, right... so that they (and he) would have trouble sticking to process in the face of normal fluctuations in contact rate and such and curbing regression following success makes some sense. Edgy DC wrote: ... but I'd sure like to see Carter get one start in three over the next few series, for both their sakes. Last night-- tough and deceptive righty on the mound-- wouldn't have been terrible. Nolasco's start on Saturday-Sunday (whenever he goes; I forget) seems like another.

Frayed Knot May 14 2010 09:48 AM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

There seems to be a campaign lately - tough to say whether it started with the mediots or is a front office planted and media fanned thing - that Francoeur is good for the clubhouse especially that he essentially replaced the evil Delgado. Not only does the front office like to tout these sort of things but I think a fair number of fans have bought into it also, both of which should buy Frenchy some more time and good will. Of course the fact that the team was averaging 90+ wins/year while Carlos II was here (and healthy) and is seriously below .500 when not somehow seems to have been lost in the equation. I think Francoeur's biggest problem overall may be that he just had too much success too early. His raw athleticism got him through the minors quickly and his first few years of ML ball before pitchers started catching up to him. I remember reading a piece of Cincy's Jay Bruce (also a 1st round HS OF draftee) saying that his early struggles, which followed his initial big splash, could be seen as a good thing in the long run because it would force him to make the adjustments and undergo the learning curve that [citing him specifically] Francoeur never did.

metirish May 14 2010 09:50 AM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

Got to get Carter in the game as a starter.....guy was hot in AAA and now comes up here holding his dick waiting for 1 AB....

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr May 14 2010 01:41 PM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

="James Kannengeiser of Amazin' Avenue"]Jeff Francoeur produced another 0-fer, and now has a slash line of .230/.295/.393. He’s like that friendly obese friend who has spent a lifetime eating fast food, then goes on a two week crash diet in an attempt to change his ways. Everyone around him is excited and supportive, happy that the all-around good guy is getting his act together. Then one day you drive by Wendy’s, see him sitting in the front window with three Baconators and realize it’s just not meant to be. Yes, Frenchy has loads of potential but after 3,000+ plate appearances actual results are expected.

Yeah. That's a little mean. And horribly apt.

smg58 May 14 2010 02:55 PM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

smg58 wrote: Francoeur reminds me a bit of Rich Hidalgo. When he swings the bat well you wonder how he's not one of the league's star players, then you look at his overall numbers and wonder how it can possibly be the same person. My guess is if we keep him around long enough we'll find out. I'm sticking with what I said in October. He genuinely comes across as a good guy, but he's a platoon player at best. I figure it's only a matter of time before Carter forces the Mets to give him regular playing time against righties.

Centerfield May 14 2010 03:27 PM Re: Your NL MVP through the first week and a half of 2010 ...

And hopefully lefties too.