The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Frenchy relates to Swanson
Jeff Francoeur, the Atlanta native and former Braves rookie phenom, knows what rookie Dansby Swanson is going through this season. Francoeur : “As many people as there are who like you, there’s always people who want to see you fail”.
Few people can relate to the experiences that Dansby Swanson has gone through in the past year more than Jeff Francoeur, the Atlanta native and former Braves rookie phenom who played 12 seasons in the majors with eight organizations through 2016 and is now doing broadcast work with the Braves.
Like Swanson, Francoeur was a first-round draft pick and was viewed as the heir-apparent “Golden Child.”
He made a big splash as a rookie in 2005, becoming wildly popular in his first month in the big leagues, before struggling later and hearing critics say he should get sent back to the minors. And Francoeur was, briefly.
Francoeur shared some observations on Swanson’s successes and struggles, including a .218 average and .638 OPS this season after hitting .333 with a .967 OPS through 38 major league games in 2016:
Q: As a hometown kid and first-round draft pick, you went through a lot of the same things, although Swanson was a college guy so probably a little more mature at the outset of his career.
A: He’s more mature now. (Laughs).
Q: What have you thought, from watching Swanson from afar go through his extended early-season struggles and now having a solid June?
A: I was pretty outspoken a month ago, because I do stuff with 680 The Fan, saying that you don’t need to send this kid down. So he goes down to Triple-A for three weeks and rakes, they’re still going to wonder if he can hit big-league pitching. Now if you’re 15 games over .500 and you’re in first place, maybe you had to do something at that point, but...
I think to see him handle it the way he has — I called him after the game (Saturday) night and we talked for about 15 minutes on the way home — and I was just telling him how happy I am to see his at-bats, how you can tell that he’s a lot more confident. Like that last at-bat (Saturday), you could tell on his face he knew he was going to win the game. And it didn’t happen yesterday, but the fact of the matter is, he looked so much more comfortable.
And this is a guy that you’re going to rely on for the next 10 years, hopefully, to be your shortstop. So I think what he went through is only going to help him out.
Q: You probably know more than most people what it’s like to deal with failure and criticism after getting so much adulation, right?
A: Absolutely. Not to say I would ever blame it on the Braves. But, I mean, good Lord. The guy was all over the place this offseason. I know how that is; you’re asked to do this, do that, show up here, talk there. And sometimes you almost need to slow it down and say, “Hey, this is about baseball first.” And I think he realized that and now he’s taking care of what he needs to. That’s what I told him. I said I know it’s tough but you’re going to have to learn to say no. I didn’t learn it for a while. It’s tough, man, but he’s going to have to learn to say, “I can’t do this today,” or you know, “Hey, listen, I’ll get you tomorrow.”
I think you’re seeing him mature and I think looking back, it’s going to be good for him, what he went through. He never failed (before). That’s what I try to tell people. At least in the minor leagues, I went through slumps in Rome and Myrtle Beach. He never did; he (barely) even played in the minors.”
Q: You also probably know what it’s like to have so many people turn on you, people who previously praised you and were more than ready to knock you when you struggled.
A: Absolutely. I talked to (Braves second-round draft pick) Drew Waters for a second yesterday and I was like, ‘Trust me, you’re going to have a bull’s-eye on your back when you go down there (to rookie ball). As many people as there are who like you, there’s always people who want to see you fail.’ And so that was my big thing (with Swanson). I said he’s going to be just fine and the way he handled himself is only going to make him better coming out on the other side. But I also think he realized that not everybody is always in your corner. That’s a good thing to learn, because I know I learned the hard way.
Q: Both you and Dansby came up as the sort of Golden Boy. You were even on the cover of Sports Illustrated early in your rookie year with “The Natural” label.
A: And I tell people, too, I got sent down when I was hitting .235. You know? So it’s tough when you’re sitting there and you’re like, ‘Damn, I thought they liked me more than this.’ I think he’s realizing now that you just take care of yourself every day. The big thing for him is I think he knows (manager Brian Snitker) is in his corner. And as long as you know the manager is in your corner, I think you feel good coming in here each day.