Failure Ball: The Art of Not Learning A Player Isn't Very Good

I have set up a Yahoo Fantasy Football League and those of you who have already expressed interest can feel free to join. Anyone else who wants to join can feel free to do so as well. I am planning on having a 12 team league and we currently have 8 teams. The ID is 269298 and the password is "eckstein."

I also set up a College Football Pick 'Em League for Yahoo. Personally, this is my second favorite fantasy league because it keeps my interest in college football games I wouldn't normally care about on Saturdays. I have set it up against the spread and the games we will be choosing are Top 25 games and games the Yahoo editors choose as "worthy" of being chosen. The ID is 1704 and the password is "asu." Feel free to join and it doesn't take long each week to pick the games, plus it is fun to go against the spread.

There are certain players many members of the mainstream sports media love to talk about in fond terms. These are guys who have "heart" and "intangibles," which is secret code for "they always look like they are trying harder than other players even though this isn't true" and "we can't say anything positive about them in regard to baseball skill so we will assume the player has some unseen skill that makes him successful." Some of the favorites for the mainstream sports media to write about in regard to this are David Eckstein, Juan Pierre, Darin Erstad, Eric Byrnes and any other white (the media must think Pierre is white) utility infielder or hustling outfielder who always seems to try hard.

Often times the media's love of these players and a GM's blindness to these player's true skill causes these players to sign outrageous contracts. This explains Eric Byrnes' 3 year $30 million deal with the Diamondbacks when they had plenty of outfielders in their system who could potentially do what Byrnes did and Juan Pierre's 5 year $44 million deal with the Dodgers. It's not the fault of these players really. Byrnes wasn't terrible for a period of time and Juan Pierre can steal bases and is a valuable 4th outfielder. The important part is that these players don't seem to buy the media's love for them and were/are willing to (gritty cliche alert) do whatever it took to help the team win.

There's one exception to this rule. Jeff Francoeur is that exception. He is a guy who the media loves because he has a pretty smile and he always seems so sincere. Francoeur has many, many media members fooled into thinking he is a worthwhile player. What makes Francoeur different is that he thinks he is a great player as well. His agent and he will tell anyone who will listen the same thing, and even though it isn't true, somehow he still has some magical hold on the sports media that they write articles about how he needs or deserves more playing time. He's delusional and so are those same people who called him "The Natural" on the cover of Sports Illustrated very prematurely in 2005.

Really, Francoeur is a selfish guy. I can think of three different times (off the top of my head) when he has put himself above the team. First, he did so after Brian McCann got his arbitration years bought out by the Braves and they didn't do the same for Francoeur. Privately, Francoeur grumbled about how he wanted and deserved to have his arbitration years bought out. It did not cause a distraction to the team, but it was all about him not getting the recognition that McCann got. That would have ended up being a nightmare for the Braves if they had signed him to a long-term deal. Then in the summer of 2008 when he was in the process of being terrible (again), the Braves demoted him to AAA to work on his swing and Francoeur kicked and moaned about how he didn't deserve nor did he want to go to the minors. The Braves called him back up to the big leagues a couple of days later just to shut him up.

Now, Francoeur wants a trade from the Mets to become a starting right fielder. He and his agent are willing to go to the New York media to announce this and the media falls for it. I am amazed how Francoeur now has the New York media fooled into believing he could be a great player. It's ridiculous really. He fooled, not one, but two writers in the New York area to write about him and his newest demands without the writer(s) inserting one sentence strongly questioning the sanity of starting Francoeur..

Is Bob Costas going to bring his gravitas to Citi Field? Will the MLB Network preempt its regular programming to cover this chase?

If this article started off as a parody and ended with the writer mocking Jeff Francoeur, then I would be 100% behind this article. If this article was bringing to light the selfishness and entitled attitude Francoeur has come to show then I would think it was a great article. Unfortunately, Mike Sielski buys in and then doubles down on some pity for poor Jeff Francoeur.

It was only last week that Alex Rodriguez hit his 600th home run, and already another New York ballplayer is pursuing a milestone.

Carlos Beltran is trying to play in 40 games this season?

Funny thing, though: Few people have noticed that Jeff Francoeur, the Mets rightfielder, needs just one more home run to reach 100.

Few people have also noticed that Angel Pagan is working on the best season of his career. No one has probably noticed this because they are too busy worrying about a mediocre 4th outfielder reaching a milestone that has very little historical significance.

Instead of giving him every opportunity to reach the mark (and only 4.35% of all Major League Baseball players have, according to Stats Inc.) the Mets are trying to shove the guy out of their starting lineup.

Matt Stairs has 261 career home runs. Why isn't anyone giving him a starting position? Why must have be relegated to the bench? He's a home run threat, put him in the game everyday.

Why didn't anyone notice Mike Jacobs has 100 career home runs? How dare the Mets treat him so poorly as to leave him on the bench over Ike Davis? What's Ike Davis done in the majors? Mike Jacobs has 100 career home runs and only 4.35% of all MLB players have ever done that. Bench Ike Davis for Mike Jacobs!

The Mets have lost three of their past five games. During that period, center fielder Carlos Beltran has gone 2-for-22. Third baseman David Wright has gone 2-for-23. Shortstop Jose Reyes has made three errors that led to two losses.

I can just feel the joy Sielski feels with this circle jerk of small sample size numbers. Screw an entire career's worth of numbers, what about those five games where no other players for the Mets played well, but Jeff Francoeur did? Which of these players should sit the bench in favor of Francoeur?

Yet Mr. Francoeur, who has batted .357 and hit two game-winning home runs over that span, will be relegated to a quasi-platoon in the outfield, manager Jerry Manuel said, now that the team has recalled prospect Fernando Martinez.

A normal player would say, "I've had a chance with two MLB teams to prove I am an everyday right fielder. I've been given more chances than most players ever get and I have a career line of .267/.309/.426 with 587 strikeouts to 161 walks. In fact that line I have for my career has been actually declining based on my performance since 2008. I get paid WAY more money than I should get paid for my performance. It's best to just platoon and when the Mets DFA me after this year try to get on with another team and work on my weaknesses."

Not Jeff Francoeur. He hasn't been given enough time dammit! He just wants a fair shake...perhaps 3,000 more at-bats to prove what any MLB team with a scouting department already knows. Francoeur is a great 4th outfielder or a platoon hitter against LH pitchers.

This is to suggest that if the Mets are doing all they can to stay in contention—"We're still trying to win as many games as we can," Mr. Manuel said Sunday—it might behoove them to play their hottest hitter as much as possible.

I've said this before, but at what point during the season does Francoeur go from the hottest hitter to just the below average hitter he has become? What signifies that he will be going from "hot" to "crappy" again? Is it a game where he goes 0-3? What if he goes 2-4 the next day? Is he still "hot?"

Jason Bay is in left field, Carlos Beltran is struggling but he will play a good amount, there is no reason to keep Fernando Martinez off the field, and Angel Pagan is simply the best outfield option regardless exactly of where in the outfield he plays.

So Pagan/Martinez would fit in right field and Bay in left field, and Beltran/Martinez/Pagan in centerfield. It's great to keep a hot hitter in the lineup, but not when that hot hitter (over five total games is the sample size being used here) is the 4th/5th best outfield option overall.

When Mr. Beltran returned to the active roster last month, Angel Pagan moved from center field to right field to accommodate him, relegating Mr. Francoeur to a part-time role. Mr. Francoeur wasn't pleased that he was no longer a starting player, but it was difficult for him to argue.

Yet, I bet he did still argue. He argued and threw a hissy-fit when the Braves put him in the minors in 2008 despite the fact he was dragging the entire lineup down. There's very little chance the Mets offer arbitration this next offseason and there is a good chance he will be gone from the team completely. That's the thing about Francoeur, he doesn't understand his limitations. He's a 4th outfielder. So unlike the other "gritty" players the sports media loves, Francoeur only loves himself and thinks he is perpetually underrated, though 3,000 MLB at-bats tell a much different story.

Francoeur has been told so much his entire life about how great he is that he actually believed it himself and has never felt the need to adjust his swing or approach how he bats differently in any manner. It's always worked for him, so why don't teams see that?

Pagan leads the Mets with a .311 batting average. Mr. Francoeur is still hitting just .241 with a less-than-stellar .294 on-base percentage. "That's the frustrating thing," Mr. Francoeur said Sunday. "Last time, I understood. I don't understand this one."

Here's the hypocrisy of Jeff Francoeur. In 2005, he didn't worry about stealing the RF job from a washed-up Raul Mondesi, who wasn't hitting too much worse than Francoeur's current .239/.291/.381 line. Mondesi hit .211/.271/.359 in 2005 and the decision to replace him was a no-brainer. Francoeur didn't care that he it was frustrating for another player to be replaced by because he understood at the time that is how baseball works. Now, he doesn't understand this at all.

Francoeur didn't mind jumping up to the big leagues and being the new young guy who helped save the team, but when the time comes where HE is the veteran being replaced by a 21 year old highly touted prospect, he pitches a fit and demands a trade.

Mr. Francoeur doesn't hide his desire to be an everyday right fielder.

I don't hide my desire to be a multi-millionaire, but I am not stupid enough to realize no matter how hard I work at achieving this goal it may not be realistic.

His agent, Molly Fletcher, has contacted Mets general manager Omar Minaya and asked about the possibility of moving Mr. Francoeur to another team where he might play more, Mr. Minaya confirmed.

Moving him? Like trading him? Like a team gives something in return for Francoeur? How the hell do the Mets manage to do this? This is how delusional Francoeur is. He thinks he has some market value. The sad part is that some GM will take a look at Francoeur's smiling face (but only smiling when he is the starting RF and getting everything he wants) and then trade some low level prospect for him...then hand him the starting RF job and watch him struggle.

Mr. Francoeur is making $5 million and is arbitration-eligible at season's end, and the Mets are unlikely to tender him.

He's making $5 million this year. When we hear about players crying about having to go to arbitration instead of get a long-term deal or read about Murray Chass whining that teams are holding players back to keep them longer, just think of Jeff Francoeur and how the arbitration system helps him steal money from the Mets.

"They haven't directly said that to me, but that's the message being sent," Ms. Fletcher said.

Personally, I think the clearest message is in Francoeur's Baseball-Reference page. He is 26 years old and his production seems to actually be declining because he refuses to try and adjust to how pitchers pitch to him. I think he holds the MLB unofficial record for most slow dribblers back to the pitcher.

Mr. Francoeur is well-liked among his teammates. Mr. Manuel said Sunday that he wanted to keep playing Mr. Francoeur "as much as possible, bringing those intangibles."

Those intangibles are more easily defined as "We are paying him $5 million per year and can't trade him right now, so we have to settle with him being the 4th outfielder on the team or a platoon against LH pitchers."

It doesn't matter how well-liked by his teammates Francoeur currently is. It really doesn't. What shocks me is that a mediocre-baseball player demands a trade and the New York media doesn't rip him a new asshole, but seems to understand his demand. What kind of spell does he have them under?

There is still time for Mr. Francouer to blossom in his late 20s, of course.

There's still more time for Fernando Martinez to blossom and Angel Pagan is currently blossoming. There's time for anything to happen, but nothing about Jeff Francoeur indicates he will blossom in the future. Injuries haven't held him back, he hasn't been platooned, neither team he played for as yanked him in and out of the lineup, and his swing is still as awful as it ever was.

"I have to remind myself sometimes that I'm only 26," he said. "I hope to keep going and get to 200 home runs."

Home runs really don't matter. Mike Jacobs has 100 home runs and he is sitting the bench for the Mets, which is somewhat ironic because that's exactly where Jeff Francoeur should be three or four out of every five games.

I don't know why the media insists on helping Francoeur create the illusion that he is a useful baseball player. It's just not true. The thing about Francoeur is that he is wrapped up in his own beliefs about what makes him successful as a baseball player. When asked about his OBP while with the Braves, he commented "if OBP is so important then why isn't it on the scoreboard"...which it actually was at Turner Field.

Now he thinks he should be judged by how many home runs he hits, like he is Adam Dunn or another player who strikes out a lot but hits home runs and gets on-base. He's deluded because that isn't true. He's Rob Deer without the power, which makes him a guy who strikes out a lot, doesn't get on-base, and doesn't hit enough home runs to bat higher in the order. Basically, he's a drag on the lineup.

Here is another example of Francoeur somehow getting some sympathy from a sports writer that follows the Mets. How come these guys haven't turned on him at this point? I wish this article was tongue-in-cheek and then I would enjoy it much more.

Benched to make room for a 21-year-old rookie, marginalized as a platoon player,

How is it possible to marginalize a player who is a platoon player at-best? You can't marginalize someone by using them in the exact role they are good enough to play. If the Mets kept Angel Pagan on the bench, then they would be marginalizing someone.

Jeff Francoeur has been potential and false promises since the year 2007. In 2007 he was going to start being more selective at the plate. That didn't happen really. In 2008, he got bigger so he could hit more home runs instead of doubles. That didn't happen. In 2009, he lost some weight so he could be the player he was in 2007 and that didn't happen because he regressed. In 2010, he had a change of scenery and was ready to show the world what he could do. That's not happening. At what point do the excuses and "changes" end and the actual production begins?

The answer is that the production is already here. Francoeur is what he is. A platoon outfielder or a 4th outfielder. The only one who hasn't realized this yet is him.

Mets outfielder Jeff Francoeur has told the club through his representatives that he is interested in being traded to a team that would play him more,

My softball team has an open spot in left field. I know Francoeur is a Hall of Fame right fielder in his mind, so that may not work for him.

“We want to play every day,” Francoeur’s agent Molly Fletcher said yesterday. “We prefer to play in New York. But if we’re not going to play every day in New York, we absolutely welcome the opportunity to play every day somewhere else.”

Perhaps Japan? Would that work for Francoeur? It might need to because at this point that could be his only option.

The Mets are aware of Francoeur’s position, a team official indicated.

That position is "the 4th outfielder on the Mets team."

Eligible for arbitration, Francoeur is a candidate to be non-tendered by the team and cut loose at season’s end.

What team wouldn't want a struggling outfielder who is not as good as he believes himself to be and is looking for a raise on his current $5 million salary. Of course we all know Francoeur is going to have a great year before he becomes a free agent and then look terrible again after he gets paid. This is a guarantee to happen and please try to remember I said it would happen.

In a telephone interview, Fletcher indicated she would monitor Francoeur’s playing time over the next week, interested in whether or not manager Jerry Manuel follows through on his amended plan to let Francoeur face right-handed pitchers, a group he historically struggles against and is hitting just .217 against this season.

For his career he is hitting .255 against right-handed pitchers. I really, really hope the Mets don't let a mediocre outfielder hold the team hostage over his playing time. Francoeur should be in to face left-handed pitchers and that is it.

“Talk to me is just that: It’s talk,” Fletcher said. “What matters is what happens and is he in right field every day. And that’s what we’re watching.”

Hey shithead (I can call Francoeur's agent, who is a woman, a shithead right?), Francoeur sucks. The only thing you should monitor is why his batting average and on-base percentage are so damn low for a guy who somehow believes he is actually good at the game of baseball. If Francoeur is in right field everyday the Mets should sell the franchise, fire Jerry Manuel, and boycott any further Mets home games until it has been proven over an entire year Francoeur deserves to start in right field for a MLB team.

But with two left-handers scheduled to pitch in these next two series, Manuel explained two days later, Francoeur would remain on the bench against righties. So Martinez started yesterday against Colorado right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez while Francoeur sat.

Martinez went 1-2 with a walk and a strikeout and saw 21 pitches in #2 spot, which was the most on the team. The next night against Jeff Francis who is left handed, which is Francoeur's "specialty," he went 0-3 with a strikeout and saw 11 pitches, the least amount on the team. How do you see 11 pitches in three plate appearances AND strike out? Shouldn't the strikeout take at least 5 pitches?

This is the second time this season Francoeur has lost his starting position in right field.

The first came after the All-Star break, when center fielder Carlos Beltran returned and Angel Pagan, the team’s leading hitter, shifted to right. Francoeur started mostly against left-handers, against whom he is hitting .319 this year.

That is an impressive average against LH pitchers and is pretty close to his career average against LH pitchers. No one is questioning Francoeur is a good platoon player, but we are questioning is need to start in right field every single game. He's delusional and pretty selfish to be not willing to accept the obvious conclusion he isn't an everyday player. He is willing to demand a trade and hurt the team rather than accept this truth. He is a selfish player who cares more about making sure he gets to play everyday at the expense of the Mets, who are in the middle of a pennant race.

When left fielder Jason Bay sustained a concussion in late July, Francoeur moved back into the lineup. He did not show consistent improvement.

This is the story of his career. Then he whined privately about it and made it clear publicly he didn't like being benched. He did the same thing in 2008 when he got sent down to the minors by the Braves. He's a baby like that.

This second benching was tougher to swallow. Francoeur avoided lashing out, but his distaste was apparent.

“I show up and if my name’s in the lineup, I’m playing,” Francoeur said Saturday night. “That’s pretty much all I have to say.”

Has the New York media turned on him and I am missing it? How can a player as terrible as Jeff Francoeur actually whine about his playing time? He's a drag on a team. Joe Posnanski named him one of the ten worst everyday players in MLB. It's true, he is. Does he really think he can continue to perform at a low level and still be a starting outfielder in the majors? Somebody in his past must have really told him how good he is and Francoeur must have really believed it.

This year has been difficult: His .679 OPS is the second-lowest of his career. But he felt heartened by a trio of home runs that aided the club the past three weeks.

That's right, he felt good about three home runs he had hit over the last three weeks. This is from a corner outfielder and this is that corner outfielder's "hot" stretch. This is when he felt he was really contributing to the team, when he hit three home runs over a three week stretch and had five good games strung together.

That’s all he can do, his agent said.

No literally. That's ALL he can do. He can hit a few home runs and then will go cold again for a few weeks.

“I want him to continue to make it very difficult for them to not play him every day,” Fletcher said. “And the only way to do that, like in anything in sports, is execute when you’re at the plate and in the field.”

Which is something he has failed to do while batting through nearly his entire career and he is actually regressing at the plate.

As much as I mock guys like Juan Pierre, David Eckstein and Darin Erstad, they are guys who don't publicly try to demand a trade in the middle of their team's pennant race and undermine the purpose of their team for their own personal game. The sports media loves them because they are scrappy players and allow the sports media to use all their pent-up comparisons to "gritty" in print. Jeff Francoeur appears to be a media darling in some ways too, except there are differences.

The differences are that Francoeur doesn't care his team isn't winning, he cares that he isn't playing everyday because he believes his needs are greater than the needs of the team. He's a guy who deserves more at-bats because he is Jeff Francoeur, he's a guy should be playing everyday because he thinks that's where he should be, and he is a guy who still has some supporters who are as deluded as he is that he can be an everyday right fielder in the major leagues.

Sure, maybe his teammates love him and that's all a part of his charm, but he has spent a few years now dragging down teams and complaining when he gets accused of doing so. His reality and the true reality just don't match up and they probably never will.