Catching up with Jeff Francoeur

From 1999-2002 at Parkview as an outfielder and pitcher, he led the baseball team to two state titles, his junior and senior seasons and holds school records in career at-bats (404), runs scored (159), home runs (55), total bases (378) and second in hits (179). In his senior season during the final best-of-three championship series against Lassiter, he had six hits in seven at-bats, with four home runs and seven RBIs. He scored five runs and also collected the win in both ends of the doubleheader as he came on to pitch relief in the last two innings of each game.

Now on to football at Parkview. As a receiver and defensive back, he also led his team to state championship titles his junior and senior seasons. Against Harrison in the state title game in 2000 as a junior, he caught a 69-yard touchdown and had two interceptions in the 13-0 win. Then came his senior season against Northside-Warner Robins, when in a 12-7 win he caused a fumble late in the game to preserve the victory.

While most colleges offered him scholarships in baseball and football, Georgia was one of the schools that was late to the table, and Francoeur signed with Clemson. But it was apparent that he would never play college ball, as he was drafted by the Braves in the first round of the 2002 MLB Draft (23rd overall) and went to the club’s advanced rookie league team in Danville, Va., where he hit .327 in 38 games with eight home runs and 31 RBIs. He quickly advanced through the minor league system, going to Single-A Rome in 2003, then high Single-A Myrtle Beach, Double-A Greenville and then Double-A Mississippi to start the 2005 season. He was named the top prospect in the organization and was called up to Atlanta in July 2005, along with close friend and catcher Brian McCann. He had a tremendous debut, hitting a three-run homer against the Chicago Cubs in his first game and hit .360 in his first 37 games.

On Aug. 9, 2005, Sports Illustrated put him on the cover of the magazine. In 67 games his rookie season, he hit .300 with 14 home runs and 45 RBIs. A free swinger, he didn’t get his first official walk until his 128th plate appearance. He had 13 outfield assists despite playing less than half the season and finished third in the rookie of the year voting.

During his first full season in 2006, the first of two consecutive seasons playing all 162 games, he hit .260 with 29 homers and 103 RBIs and in May hit a walk-off grand slam against the Washington Nationals. He played in the World Baseball Classic on Team USA that year, along with Braves teammate Chipper Jones. The next season he hit .293 with 19 home runs and 105 RBIs and won the Gold Glove for his work in the outfield.

But in 2008, he began to slump at the plate and in July was sent to Double-A Mississippi to work with his old hitting coach Phillip Wellman. He was quickly called back, but couldn’t get his stroke down at the plate, ending the season hitting .239 with 11 homers and 71 RBIs.

It didn’t get much better the next season and he was traded July 10, 2009, to the Mets for outfielder Ryan Church. He did hit .311 in 45 games that season with the Mets, but is remembered most in the Big Apple for becoming the second player in major league history to hit into a game-ending unassisted triple play, which he did Aug. 23 against the Phillies.

Since the Mets, he has played for the Rangers, Royals (hit .285 with 20 homers, 87 RBIs and 22 stolen bases in 2011), Giants, Indians and Padres, where he spent most of his time at Triple-A El Paso and almost decided to retire.

But last November, he signed a minor league contract with the Phillies and played in 119 games in Philadelphia in 2015, hitting .258 with 13 homers and 45 RBIs. He also came on and pitched in relief in one game.

Where he lives: Francoeur lives in Suwanee with Catie, his high school sweetheart and wife of eight years. They have a daughter Emma Cate and just recently a son Brayden.

What he does now: Francoeur, now 31, would like to play four more years and then said he expects to stay in baseball, hoping someday to become a manager. Also, he is a very good golfer, holding a 2-handicap.

On playing high school football at Parkview: "This is such a football rich state, and Friday nights are so big. I remember going to every Parkview football game from fifth grade until I graduated. Our team stayed together the whole time, and there were not a lot of schools like that. I think you see that in places like Colquitt County, and we had a special bunch. Then playing in front of 10,000 people was incredible. Those three hours we played on Friday night were something special, and that rivalry we had with Brookwood was hard to beat.''

On not playing football in college: "That is one thing I have never regretted. I do wonder what it would have been like playing in front of 90,000 people, but I have got to know a lot of football players that played in college and the NFL and a lot of them have a hard time walking, so I think I made the right decision.''

On why Georgia didn't offer him a scholarship: "They got in there late. It was weird. Not sure why, but by the time they jumped in I had all my visits lined up. My visits were Clemson, Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, North Carolina and Florida State. I went to Clemson, Tech and Notre Dame and didn't make the other two because by then I decided it would be Clemson. But I told (coach) Tommy Bowden that I probably was going to play baseball.''

On being the hero in his last state championship baseball game of his high school career: "What I remember most about that last game is when I went out to the outfield for the last time I saw Pat Gillick (then Seattle Mariners general manager and now Phillies president) sitting behind center field and after I hit my final home run I saw Braves scout Al Goetz standing behind home plate.''

On being drafted by the Braves: "It was so cool growing up in Atlanta and then getting taken by the Braves. I had been going to games for years and now I had the chance to play for Bobby Cox and play with John Smoltz. The whole thing was sort of surreal.''

On his favorite moment with the Braves: "It was the chance to go to the playoffs when I was 21 (2005 against Houston). I would also say that walk-off grand slam home run I hit off Washington (in 2006) because that was the only time that my grandfather got to see me play with the Braves. In fact, we were getting beat and my father and grandfather were going to leave early, but my father talked him into staying.''

On being of the cover of SI: "It's hard to explain how exciting that was … really is.''

On being traded to the Mets: "I was slumping and it's a business and I understood. Look, I would have loved to stay and play my whole career in Atlanta, but it didn't work out that way. I know when I was playing in the American League it was tough because we didn't come to Atlanta, but last year in Philly we got the chance to come twice, which was nice.''

On almost retiring after the 2014 season: "I was at Class AAA El Paso getting up and taking 6 a.m. flights. It wasn't any fun anymore, I had lost some of my love for the game, and I came home last summer and thought about hanging it up. But it was my wife that kicked me in the butt and told me to get back out there. I started working again and had a good season. I started having fun again.''

On how many more years he will play: "I don't know. I will be 32 in January. I would like to play four more years and I want to stay in the game, whether it be broadcasting and manage some day down the road, but not right away.''

On his well-documented close relationship with his father: "It is so different now. We used to always talk about the games and at-bats, but he is 64 now and has six grandchildren. It's more buddy-buddy now. But every once in a while he will ask me why I swung at that pitch.''