Jeff Francoeur has officially retired from baseball to join FOX Sports as a Braves analyst
After 12 Major League seasons, 1,481 games and 160 homers, Jeff Francoeur has called it a career: The veteran outfielder announced on Friday that he was officially retiring from baseball to become a Braves analyst with FOX Sports.
Francoeur has come a long away over the course of his Major League career, from phenom taking the baseball world by storm to lovable veteran, valuable mentor and friend to foul ball-seekers everywhere. And while we're sure Braves fans are happy to have him in the booth, we're going to miss him on the diamond -- so, to say goodbye, please enjoy some of Frenchy's greatest hits.
(Note: please hit play on the video below before continuing.)
• A first-round pick of the Braves in the 2002 Draft, Francoeur made his big league debut in 2005 at just 21 years old -- and promptly went about setting the league on fire. Over his first 24 games, he hit a cool .419/.425/.802 with eight homers, including a dinger for his first Major League hit.
• In addition to some prodigious power, Francoeur also had a cannon for a right arm. Observe:
• Of course, baseball isn't always so easy:
• But through it all, Francoeur remained a carefree man of the people:
Even on the mound:
And for that, we are forever grateful. Thanks for everything, Jeff.