Draft and minor leagues Francoeur was selected by the Braves in the first round of the
June 2002 MLB draft. A 4-star
defensive back committed to
Clemson, he chose to forego college to play baseball. After the draft, Francoeur was assigned to the team's advanced Rookie League club in
Danville, Virginia, where he played 38 games and hit .327 with 8 home runs and 31 RBIs. Francoeur advanced steadily through the Braves minor league system, playing for
Rome (Low A) in 2003,
Myrtle Beach (High A) and
Greenville (former AA) in 2004, and
Mississippi (AA) in 2005. Francoeur was a member of the Rome Braves inaugural season team which went on to win the 2003
South Atlantic League Championship. He led that team in home runs with 14. In 2004, Francoeur was named the top prospect in the Braves organization by
Baseball America. He was a member of the
Carolina League regular season and postseason All-Star team. In 2005, he was selected to play in the
All-Star Futures Game before getting called up by Atlanta.
Atlanta Braves (2005–2009) Francoeur was promoted by Atlanta on July 6, 2005. He was part of a group of rookie players, nicknamed the "Baby Braves", that Atlanta called up from its minor league system during the
2005 season. Francoeur made his MLB debut the following day when he started in right field against the
Chicago Cubs in the second game of a doubleheader. In the bottom of the eighth inning he hit a 3-run homer to center field, his first Major League hit. Francoeur is famous for his promise at the very beginning of his career: he made the cover of the edition of August 26, 2005 of
Sports Illustrated, who dubbed him "The Natural" after he hit .360 with a 1.067 OPS in his first 37 games. Francoeur finished the season batting .300/.336/.549 in 67 games, with 14 home runs, and 44 RBIs. During his rookie season he garnered a reputation as a free swinging fastball hitter, with his first walk not coming until his 128th plate appearance. On defense, Francoeur became known for having a strong and accurate arm, finishing the season with 13 outfield assists (third overall in MLB) despite playing less than half the season. He finished third in the National League
Rookie of the Year voting while garnering the most second place votes. Francoeur hit .260 with 29 homers and 103 RBIs in his first full season in the majors. He also became just the fourth Brave to play in all 162 games of a season, joining
Félix Millán,
Dale Murphy, and
Andruw Jones. Francoeur was ejected for the first time in his career on July 16, 2006. On May 13, 2006, Francoeur hit a walk-off
grand slam off
Chad Cordero of the
Washington Nationals, the first walk-off home run and grand slam of his career. In his second full season in
2007, Francoeur batted .293, with 19 homers, and 105 RBIs. Francoeur also displayed talent on the defensive side of the field, leading the league in outfield assists with 19 while earning his first career
Gold Glove. Francoeur played in all 162 games for the second consecutive season. He was ejected for the second time in his career on July 16, 2007, exactly one year to the day of his first ejection. On April 12, 2008, Francoeur went 3 for 5 against the
Washington Nationals including two home runs and a career high seven RBIs. He compiled a streak of 370 consecutive games played before sitting out the second game of a doubleheader, on May 20, 2008. On May 22, 2008, Francoeur went 3 for 4 against the
New York Mets with an RBI triple, an RBI single, and a two-run home run, finishing a double short of a cycle. After weeks of being mired in the worst slump of his career, Braves management optioned Francoeur to Double-A Mississippi on July 4, 2008, to work with his old hitting coach
Phillip Wellman and refine his swing away from the pressurized major league setting. Francoeur had posted a line of .234/.287/.374 to that point of the season. Francoeur was recalled on July 7, 2008, after only three days in the minors because of the rash of injuries suffered by the Braves over the holiday weekend. His slump continued after his return to the majors; Francoeur posted a .234/.300/.324 line through September 10.
New York Mets (2009–2010) On July 10, 2009, Francoeur was traded to the New York Mets for outfielder
Ryan Church. Francoeur made his Mets debut on July 11, 2009, and notched two RBIs in his first at bat. He finished the day going 2–4 with two RBIs, a strikeout, and was caught stealing once. On July 20, Francoeur hit his first home run as a Met off
Washington Nationals pitcher
Logan Kensing, during the ninth inning of that game. On August 23, 2009, Francoeur became the second player in major league history (after
Homer Summa in 1927) to hit into a game-ending
unassisted triple play. He hit a line drive directly to
Eric Bruntlett, second baseman for the
Philadelphia Phillies. Francoeur re-signed with the Mets for
2010. After being the Mets' starting right fielder for the first half of the 2010 season, Francoeur was replaced by
Ángel Pagán to make room for the return of
Carlos Beltrán in the second half.
Texas Rangers (2010) On August 31, 2010, Francoeur was traded by the Mets to the Texas Rangers for infielder
Joaquín Arias. Francoeur was utilized primarily for defensive purposes on the 2010 AL Champions. In the
2010 World Series against the
San Francisco Giants he went hitless in 6 World Series at-bats.
Kansas City Royals (2011–2013) On December 8, 2010, Francoeur signed a one-year deal with the Kansas City Royals worth $2.5 million which included a mutual option for the 2012 season. On August 18, 2011, Francoeur agreed to a two-year extension with the Royals worth $13.5 million. He was designated for assignment on June 30, 2013 after hitting .208/.249/.322 in 59 games with the Royals.
San Francisco Giants (2013) Francoeur was signed to a minor league contract by the Giants, on July 9, 2013. On July 13, his contract was purchased from the
Fresno Grizzlies. Francoeur was designated for assignment on August 20, and released on August 22. In 22 games for the Giants, he recorded 12 hits, 4 RBIs, batting only .194.
San Diego Padres (2014) Francoeur signed a minor league deal with the San Diego Padres, on March 26, 2014. He was assigned to the Triple-A
El Paso Chihuahuas and hit the first home run in team history on April 3, 2014. They considered converting him into a pitcher, and he spent part of his time in the minors pitching. However, they decided to keep him as an outfielder in the end. He was called up and was in the starting lineup on July 23. On August 11, Francoeur was designated for assignment. He cleared waivers and was outrighted back to the Chihuahuas. Francoeur elected free agency in October 2014. In March 2014, after he was released by the Cleveland Indians, Francoeur signed with the San Diego Padres and was sent to the
El Paso Chihuahuas in Triple A. Francoeur's new teammates played an elaborate month-long prank on him by convincing him that pitcher
Jorge Reyes was deaf. Reyes cooperated with the prank, maintaining the appearance of being deaf by not speaking or listening to music. On June 16, 2015, Francoeur was used as a relief pitcher in a 19–3 loss to the
Baltimore Orioles, throwing the only scoreless inning of the game. However, he surrendered two runs in the next inning. In July, he began to have success both off the bench and in the starting lineup, including a stretch during which he hit three home runs in eight games. Although he expressed a desire to remain with the Phillies through the 2015 season and perhaps even beyond, his play indicated he might be moved near the trading deadline to bolster a contending team's outfield. However, he was not moved at the trade deadline. Ultimately, he finished the season with a .258 batting average, 13 home runs, and 45 RBIs.
Second stint with the Braves (2016) On February 22, 2016, Francoeur agreed to a minor-league deal with the Braves, with an invitation to spring training. On March 29, the Braves purchased Francoeur's contract.
Miami Marlins (2016) Francoeur was traded to the Miami Marlins on August 24, 2016, in a three-team deal that included the Texas Rangers. The Braves got minor league utility player
Dylan Moore from the Rangers and minor league catcher Matt Foley from the Marlins. ==Broadcasting career==