Trent Grisham , Aaron Judge, Ben Rice Hit Home Runs Offensively Supporting Ryan Weathers Who Picked Up First Win Of 2026 Season In New York's 7-0 Win Over Kansas City Sunday In Bronx New York

Ryan Weathers came into finale with Kansas City with record of 0-2 with an earn run average of 4.29! because in New York the team that wears the pinstripes 7-1 loss on Tuesday April 14, 2026 Ryan Weathers surrendered back to back to back to back home runs to Mike Trout who is right fielder who was playing center field hit home run to center giving Los Angeles 1-0 before Los Angeles would go on to extend their lead 2-0 as Joe Adell who playing right field who is center fielder also hit home run to center though unlike Mike Trout Jo Adell’s home run was 445 feet before Los Angeles would extend their lead over New York the team that wears the pinstripes as 3-0 as Jorge Solar who was designated hitter who is right fielder hit home run to left 399 feet before former New York the team that wears the infielder current Los Angeles infielder second baseman, third baseman Oswald Peraza hit home run to left 396 feet extending Los Angeles lead over New York the team that wears the pinstripes 4-0 in top of 4th inning.

Before Ryan Weathers took loss to Los Angeles in Bronx New York Ryan Weathers took loss to Athletics on Thursday April 9, 2026 New York the team that wears the pinstripes was shutout offensively by Jeffrey Springs , Justin Sterner , Hogan Harris in 1-0 loss to Athletics Thursday in Bronx New York.

Where?

On the diamond!

As New York the team that wears the pinstripes was shutout by Jeffrey Springs who started who pitched 7.0 innings surrendering 1 hit, 0 earned runs , 2 walks while striking out 6 New York Justin Sterner who relieved Jeffrey Springs who pitched 1.0 innings surrendering 0 hits, 0 earned runs , 1 walk while striking out 1 New York the team that wears the pinstripes batter. Hogan Harris who relieved Justin Sterner pitched 1.0 innings surrendering 0 hits, 0 earned runs , 0 walks while striking out 1 New York the team that wears the pinstripes batter. Amed Rosario who is second baseman, third baseman was 0-2 producing offensively 0 runs, 0 home runs, 0 runs batted in . Aaron Judge who is captain right fielder was 0-4 contributing offensively 0 runs, 0 home runs, 0 runs batted in. Cody Bellinger who is center fielder, left fielder was 0-4 contributing offensively 0 runs, 0 home runs, 0 runs batted in . Giancarlo Stanton who is designated hitter was 0-2 contributing offensively 0 runs, 0 home runs, 0 runs batted in . Jazz Chisholm Jr. who is second baseman who was pinch runner as well as designated hitter was 0-1 contributing offensively 0 runs, 0 home runs, 0 runs batted in . Ben Rice who is first baseman was 1-4 contributing offensively 0 runs, 0 home runs, 0 runs batted in. Randal Grichuk who was playing left field who is right fielder was 0-3 contributing offensively 0 runs, 0 home runs, 0 runs batted in.. Austin Wells who is catcher was 0-3 contributing offensively 0 runs, 0 home runs, 0 runs batted in. Jose Caberllo who was 0-2 contributing offensively 0 runs, 0 home runs, 0 runs batted in . Trent Grisham who was pinch hitter, center fielder in place of Cody Bellinger was 0-1 contributing offensively 0 runs, 0 home runs, 0 runs batted in . Ryan McMahon who is third baseman who was shortstop was 0-3 contributing offensively 0 runs, 0 home runs, 0 runs batted in. New York the team that wears the pinstripes players were unable to offensively support Ryan Weathers who started who pitched 8.0 innings surrendering 7 hits, 1 earned run , 0 walks while striking out 7 Athletics batters. Paul Blackburn who relieved Ryan Weathers who pitched 1.0 innings surrendering 1 hit , 0 earned runs , 0 walks while striking out 1 Athletics batters.

According to ESPN App

On Sunday April 19, 2026 where New York the team that wears the pinstripes swept Kansas City Trent Grisham who is center fielder Aaron Judge who is captain, right fielder, Ben Rice who is first baseman hit home runs offensively supporting Ryan Weathers who picked up his first win of 2026 season in New York the team that wears the pinstripes 7-0 win over Kansas City in Bronx New York.

How?

By pitching 7.1 innings surrendering 5 hits, 0 earned runs ,1 walk while striking out 8 Kansas City batters.

Following Trent Grisham , Aaron Judge hitting home runs offensively supporting Ryan Weathers who picked up his first win of 2026 season in New York the team that wears the pinstripes 7-0 win Sunday in Bronx New York manager Aaron Boone shared his thoughts on Ben Rice who hit home run 350 feet to right extending New York the team that wears the pinstripes lead over Kansas City 4-0 in bottom of 2nd inning by saying The bottom line is, he’s turning into – or even is – one of the really outstanding hitters in this league,”

Though,

Manager Aaron Boone wasn’t the only one to share his thoughts on first baseman Ben Rice as captain, right fielder his teammate Aaron Judge was as well by saying It’ll definitely be some headaches for some opposing pitching staffs, because of what Benny’s done this year and will continue to do,”He’s at the top of the league right now.”

Following Trent Grissom, Aaron Judge hitting home runs offensively supporting Ryan Weathers who picked up his first win of 2026 season in New York the team that wears the pinstripes 7-0 win Sunday in Bronx New York Aaron Judge who hit hole run to center 425 feet scoring Ben Rice in bottom of 1st inning off of Kansas City starting pitcher Cole Ragans shared his thoughts by saying I don’t usually get a chance to bat in the second or third, so I usually get a chance in the first,”

Following Trent Grissom, Aaron Judge hitting home runs offensively supporting Ryan Weathers who picked up his first win of 2026 season in New York the team that wears the pinstripes 7-0 win Sunday in Bronx New York Ryan Weathers who started who pitched 7.1 innings surrendering 5 hits , 0 earned runs , 1 walk while striking out 1 Kansas City batter shared his thoughts by saying It’s awesome,”“Every time I want to pitch, I want to win for the New York Yankees.”

According to Bryan Hoch MLB article https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/aaron-judge-hits-90th-career-first-inning-home-run

New York the team that wears the pinstripes has the day, night off Monday because they’re traveling to Boston Massachusetts before starting three game series with Boston at Fenway Park Tuesday night where Luis Gil, Connelly Early are starting.

Where?

On the mound!

Though,

Could mother nature prevent New York the team that wears the pinstripes, Boston from starting their three game series as scheduled from Luis Gil Connelly Early from making their starts as scheduled?

There very little possibility of that happening because it’s mostly cloudy with low of 37 with 1 % chance of rain.

According to Accuweather on ESPN App

Luis Gil, Connelly Early are different because Luis Gil is a right handed starting pitcher while Connelly Early is a left handed starting pitcher.

Luis Gil comes into the game with Boston record of 0-1 with an earn run average of 7.00 because Luis Gil took no decision on Wednesday April 15, 2026 pitching 5 hits, 4 earned runs, 2 walks while striking out 5 Los Angeles Angels batters.

Connelly Early comes into the game with New York the the team that wears the pinstripes with record of 1-0 with an earn run average of 2.29 because on the same day Luis Gil took no decision Connelly Early got the win at Minnesota pitching 6.0 innings surrendering 2 hits, 1 earned run, 2 walks while striking out 5 Minnesota batters.

According to https://www.mlb.com/player/luis-gil-661563

https://www.mlb.com/player/connelly-early-813349

First pitch is set for 6:45pm Eastern Time from Fenway Park!

The game is going to be televised on NESN +, Yes, TBS!

On NESN Dave O’ Brien, Mike Monaco are commentating!

In addition to his work with ESPN, O’Brien is also the television voice of the Boston Red Sox on NESN, a role he has held since 2016. Over his distinguished career, he has called MLB postseason games on both television and radio, the World Series, and numerous NCAA Tournament matchups, as well as NBA, NFL, and international soccer broadcasts. 

A graduate of Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, O’Brien began his professional career in radio before moving into national television.  

A native of Quincy, Massachusetts, O’Brien resides in the Boston area with his family. 

Mike Monaco Mike Monaco is a versatile and accomplished play-by-play announcer for ESPN. Adept at calling a variety of sports, Monaco joined ESPN in 2019 and has called Major League Baseball, NHL, Little League World Series, basketball, college baseball, football, lacrosse, volleyball and softball events.

Prior to joining ESPN and the ACC Network, Monaco was with FOX Sports and the Big Ten Network from 2017-19, where he called football, hockey, basketball, baseball, soccer, lacrosse, volleyball and softball. Monaco also previously called college basketball for NBC Sports and four seasons of college basketball games at Western Michigan University.

In addition to his work with ESPN, Monaco also currently serves as the fill-in play-by-play announcer for Boston Red Sox broadcasts on NESN. He has also called games for the Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago Bulls and Chicago White Sox.

After initially filling in on Red Sox telecasts during the 2019 season, Monaco returned to NESN’s Red Sox booth in 2020, 2021 and 2022 for select spring training and regular-season games. He previously spent the 2017-19 seasons with the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox.

In college, Monaco interned with NESN during the 2012 Red Sox season, then served as a broadcaster in the Cape Cod Baseball League (2013 and 2014 seasons) and for the Chicago Cubs’ (2015) and San Diego Padres’ (2016) Single-A affiliates in the Midwest League.

Born and raised in Cohasset, Massachusetts, Monaco attended the University of Notre Dame. While in South Bend, he served as a play-by-play broadcaster, reporter and host for his alma mater, including on nationally syndicated Notre Dame football shows.

On Yes the broadcast is likely going to include Michael Kay or Ryan Ruocco alongside rotating analysts David Cone, Paul O Neill, Joe Girardi, Meredith Marakovits!

Michael Kay is the Emmy Award-winning Yankees play-by-play announcer for the YES Network who also hosts the network’s CenterStage series and its various programming specials. The 2025 season will be his 34th year broadcasting Yankees baseball: the first 10 years on radio, the latter 24 on YES.

Kay was a part of YES’ Yankees team that won a 2024 New York Emmy Award for its season-long coverage, a 2023 Emmy Award for its pre-game shows and a 2022 Emmy Award for Single Game Coverage.

Kay’s Centerstage show won a 2020 New York Emmy for best Interview/Discussion show. He also won a 2015 New York Emmy Award for his play-by-play work on YES’ Yankees telecasts, and a 2017 New York Emmy for his CenterStage hosting duties. In total, Kay has earned 19 Emmy wins while at YES. He also won CableFAX Program Awards in 2011 and 2013 for his CenterStage hosting duties.

From February 2014 to December 2024, Kay co-hosted The Michael Kay Show, a sports talk show heard weekdays from 3 to 6:30 pm ET on ESPN Radio in New York, which was simulcast live on YES. On January 6, 2025, Kay began solo hosting his new eponymous show on the same station from 1-3 pm ET weekdays.

During the 2022 and 2023 MLB seasons, Kay co-hosted, with former Yankee Alex Rodriguez, special “KayRod Casts,” alternate broadcasts on ESPN2 that aired alongside ESPN’s traditional Sunday Night Baseball broadcasts.

In November 2016, Kay was inducted into the New York State Baseball Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the New York State Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame in October 2018. The following month, he was awarded the Lou Gehrig Sports Award by the Greater New York Chapter of the A.L.S. Association.

Kay received the Vin Scully Award for Excellence in Sports Broadcasting from WFUV Radio in November 2018; WFUV is the radio station for Fordham University, Kay’s alma mater. Previous recipients of the Vin Scully Award include Dick Enberg, Ernie Harwell, Bob Costas, Al Michaels, Verne Lundquist, Pat Summerall and Mike “Doc” Emrick.

He was inducted into the inaugural Hall of Fame class of the prestigious Bronx High School of Science in February 2018. Kay was awarded the Italian American Baseball Federation Media Award in December 2022. In 2005, Kay was honored in his home borough of the Bronx with an honorary street sign erected on the Grand Concourse in his name. In December 2023, Kay was honored as a National Honoree by the Stamford (Ct.) Old Timers Athletic Association.

Kay handled play-by-play duties for ESPN’s coverage of the Astros-Tigers and the Blue Jays-Twins American League Wild Card Series in 2024 and 2023, respectively. He also did play-by-play on the ESPN Radio Network for the 2016 Blue Jays-Rangers American League Division Series, the 2013 Tigers-Athletics American League Division Series and the 2008 Phillies-Brewers National League Division Series. He also was a frequent contributor to ESPN’s Emmy Award-winning Sports Reporters television show.

Before joining the YES Network in 2002, Kay worked at the MSG Network since 1989 as a Yankees reporter. In 1992, he added Knicks locker room reporter to his responsibilities and continued in that role until the 1998-99 season.

Kay was awarded the Dick Young Award for Excellence in Sports Media by the New York Pro Baseball Scouts in 1995. In 1998, he was on the MSG Network team that won a New York Emmy for “Outstanding Live Sports Coverage – Series.” In 1996 and 1997, he was a member of the MSG Network team that won New York Emmys for “Outstanding Live Sports Coverage - Single Program” for Dwight Gooden’s no-hitter and “The Battle for New York: Yankees vs. Mets.” He was also part of the Yankees/MSG Network production team nominated for New York Emmy Awards for six consecutive years.

In addition to his television work, the Bronx, NY, native worked as a Yankees analyst on WABC Radio from 1992 through the 2001 season, which concluded with the classic Yankees-Diamondbacks World Series. Kay was a winner of “Best Sports Reporter” honors at the 2000 New York Metro Achievement in Radio Awards. In 1998, Kay also began co-hosting Sports Talk with John Sterling and Michael Kay, a nightly sports radio call-in show which aired on WABC Radio during the winter months.

Shortly after graduating from Fordham University in 1982 with a B.A. in Communications, Kay worked at SportsPhone and as the public address announcer for the New York Pro Summer Basketball League.

In 1982, Kay landed the job as general assignment writer for the New York Post. Two years later, he began covering college basketball (1984-85) and then spent two years as the writer covering the New Jersey Nets. In 1987, he moved to baseball at the Post, serving as the Yankees beat reporter. While he was in that position, he got his first television job with MSG Network as host of the Hot Stove League segment of MSG’s SportsNight.

In 1989, Kay moved to the New York Daily News, where he was the Yankees beat reporter before taking the job as a Yankees broadcaster on WABC Radio in 1992. With that jump, Kay became the first newspaper reporter in any sport to make the move into the broadcast booth full-time, performing both play-by-play and analysis.

Kay stayed on the radio for 10 years, broadcasting the Yankees’ four World Series championships during that time, before moving to the television side to become the lead play-by-play man for YES in 2002.

Kay has been involved in the Baseball Assistance Team (B.A.T.), a charitable organization whose mission is to assist baseball community members. He co-hosted the 2013 B.A.T. fundraising dinner in New York. Kay also was master of ceremonies at the 2013 Thurman Munson Awards fundraising dinner in New York.

Kay is active with the Alzheimer’s Association in memory of his mother, Rose, who passed away from the disease in 2006. He also teamed up with former Yankees manager Joe Girardi and Girardi’s Catch 25 Foundation to organize annual charity dinners to raise money for Alzheimer’s research.

Kay and his wife Jodi Applegate have a daughter, Caledonia Rose Kay, born in January 2013, and a son, Charles Applegate Kay, born in November 2014.

Ryan Ruocco, who joined YES in 2007 as a statistician for the network’s New York Yankees telecasts, holds down various roles within the network’s Yankees coverage. He backs up YES’ play-by-play man Michael Kay, fills in hosting YES’ Yankees Pre- and Post-Game Shows and periodically handles clubhouse reporting duties. Ruocco also shares play-by-play duties with veteran Ian Eagle on YES’ Brooklyn Nets telecasts.

Ruocco has won six Emmy Awards while at YES. He was a part of the YES team which won a 2024 Emmy in the Live Sporting Event/Season category and was a member of the YES team which won a 2022 Emmy in the Live Sporting Event/Game category. Ruocco also earned individual New York Emmy nominations in 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 for his work at the network.

In addition to his YES work, Ruocco is one of the primary NBA play-by-play voices on ESPN, is the lead play-by-play announcer for the network’s women’s college basketball package and is the lead play-by-play announcer for the WNBA on ESPN. Ruocco is also executive producer of the 2024 documentary Sue Bird: In the Clutch.

He also handled periodic NFL play-by-play on ESPN Radio, college football and college basketball play- by-play on ESPN’s television networks, and he co-hosted ESPN Radio New York’s mid-day show.

Ruocco also co-hosted the popular R2C2 podcast with former Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia from 2017 to 2023.

Prior to joining YES, Ruocco handled basketball and football play-by-play at WFUV, Fordham University’s radio station while he was a student there. He also hosted WFUV’s One on One, New York’s longest-running sports call-in show. In 2008, he received Fordham’s prestigious Marty Glickman Award, named for the legendary play-by-play announcer.

Ruocco, who grew up in Fishkill, N.Y., graduated on the Dean’s List from Fordham in 2008 with a B.S. in Communications.

David Cone, the strikeout artist who endeared himself to New York Yankees fans for his numerous clutch performances and for hurling a perfect game in 1999, initially joined YES as a Yankees analyst in 2002. After pitching for the Mets in 2003 and then retiring from baseball, he re-joined YES as an analyst for the 2008 and 2009 seasons. After a year away from the mic, he came back again to YES in 2011 and has been with the network ever since. Cone has won five New York Emmy Awards while at YES.

Since 2022, Cone has been a game analyst on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball telecasts in addition to his YES duties. In 2019, he collaborated on a book with YES colleague Jack Curry called Full Count: The Education of a Pitcher, which was a New York Times best-seller.

Cone compiled a 194-126 record, 3.46 ERA and 2,688 strikeouts in his 17-year Major League career. He captured the American League Cy Young Award in 1994 and was a five-time All-Star (1988, 1992, 1994, 1997 and 1999). The Kansas City, Mo. native, known for coming up big in critical games, posted an 8-3 postseason record and played on five world championship teams: the 1992 Blue Jays and the 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000 Yankees.

The flame-throwing right-hander was drafted by his hometown Kansas City Royals in the third round of the 1981 amateur draft and made his Major League debut with the Royals in 1986. He played the next five and a half seasons with the Mets; in 1988, he ran up a 20-3 record, 2.22 ERA and 213 strikeouts, and on October 6, 1991, he struck out 19 Phillies in a game.

After short stints with the Blue Jays and the Royals (again), he joined the Yankees in 1995. His finest season in pinstripes was 1998, when he was 20-7 with a 3.55 ERA and 209 strikeouts. A year later, on July 18, 1999, he hurled a perfect game against the Montreal Expos, only the second inter-league perfect game in Major League history. Fellow Yankee Don Larsen’s World Series gem in 1956 was the first.

While with the Yankees from 1995-2000, Cone was 64-40 with a 3.91 ERA and 888 strikeouts. He pitched for Boston in 2001, sat out the 2002 season, and pitched briefly for the Mets in 2003 before retiring.

Paul O’Neill is in his 24th season as a New York Yankees analyst for the YES Network. He has earned five New York Emmy Awards for his work at YES.

O’Neill played Major League Baseball for 17 seasons, from 1985 to 2001. He appeared in six World Series and earned five World Series rings, one with the Cincinnati Reds and four with the New York Yankees. He also played in five All-Star games.

The Yankees honored him on August 21, 2022, by permanently retiring his No. 21 during “Paul O’Neill Day” at Yankee Stadium.

O’Neill began his MLB career in 1985 with the Reds. After eight seasons with Cincinnati, O’Neill joined the Yankees in 1993, with whom he won the American League batting title in 1994 with a .359 average. From July 23, 1995, until May 7, 1997, O’Neill played 235 games in right field without making an error. In 1997, he led the American League in hitting with men on base with a .429 average. On Aug. 25, 2001, O’Neill became the oldest Major Leaguer to steal 20 bases and hit 20 home runs in the same season.

He was inducted into the New York State Baseball Hall of Fame in November 2017. In 2008, O’Neill was named “Father of the Year” by The National Father’s Day Council at its 67th Annual Father of the Year awards dinner in New York.

Former New York Yankees catcher Joe Girardi, who helped lead the Yankees to three World Championships in the 1990s as a player and later guided the team to the 2009 World Championship as a manager, re-joined the YES Network as a Yankees analyst in advance of the 2024 season. He previously had been a Yankees analyst for YES in 2004 and 2007.

In addition to managing the Yankees from 2008 to 2017, Girardi managed the Philadelphia Phillies from the 2020 season until June of 2022, and he also held that role with the Florida Marlins in 2006, with whom Girardi earned the National League Manager of the Year Award. Girardi also was the Yankees’ bench coach under manager Joe Torre during the 2005 season.

From 2022-24, Girardi served as a Chicago Cubs analyst on the Marquee Sports Network. Previously, he was an analyst with the MLB Network in 2018 and 2019. In addition, he was an analyst during the 2003 National League Division Series for ESPN Radio and provided the 2007 World Series pre-game analysis for FOX Sports.

In addition to his analyst work during his previous stints at YES, he won a New York Emmy Award for his hosting efforts on the network’s Kids on Deck series and was the star of The Joe Girardi Show.

A Peoria, Ill. Native, Girardi graduated from Spalding (Ill.) Institute in 1982 after earning All-State honors in baseball. He then played at Northwestern University, where he was a two-time All-Big Ten selection and three-time Academic All-American. He received his bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Northwestern in 1986.

He was drafted by the Cubs in the fifth round of the 1986 amateur draft. He broke into the majors in 1989 with the Cubs and later played three seasons for the Colorado Rockies (1993-1995). Girardi was acquired by the Yankees prior to the 1996 season and played key roles as New York won the World Series in 1996, 1998 and 1999.

One month after departing the Yankees as a free agent in November 1999, Girardi signed with the Cubs and played three additional seasons for Chicago, making the National League All-Star team in 2000.

He played one season for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2003 before signing with the Yankees as a free agent in February 2004. Girardi retired at the end of spring training, then joined YES.

Emmy Award-winning Meredith Marakovits was named the YES Network’s New York Yankees clubhouse reporter in March 2012. She reports on the team within the network’s Yankees game telecasts, pre- and post-game shows, Yankees Batting Practice Today and Yankees Hot Stove. She also periodically hosts the network’s Brooklyn Nets pre- and post-game shows.

According to https://espnpressroom.com/us/bios/dave-obrien/

https://espnpressroom.com/us/bios/mike-monaco/

https://www.mlb.com/yankees/team/broadcasters

On TBS Alex Faust, Ron Darling , Jeff Francouer , Brian Anderson are commentating!

Alex Faust is a 36-year-old broadcaster who has previously been a play-by-play voice covering MLB, the NHL, the NFL, college football, college basketball and the French Open.

A native of Brooklyn, New York, Faust attended Northeastern University, where he gained his first experience in covering Huskies basketball and hockey. His first professional play-by-play experience came for the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League, and he left a job in data analysis and consulting to pursue broadcasting.

Faust freelanced for various networks, then landed a full-time role with NESN and eventually became its lead voice for Hockey East games. Roles in covering college football, college basketball and MLB for Fox Sports followed, and he was named the Los Angeles Kings' new play-by-play voice in 2017. In 2019, Faust also filled in for Dave O'Brien calling Boston Red Sox games on NESN.

In 2023, Faust became a fill-in play-by-play voice for the Boston Bruins on NESN and the New York Rangers radio after his contract was not renewed for the Kings. Faust also filled in for Jason Benneti in Week 4 of the 2023 NFL season on Fox.

Most recently, TNT Sports announced that Faust would be its No. 2 play-by-play voice for MLB on TBS in the regular season and postseason. He was promoted as the postseason replacement for Costas, and Faust had already been working for Apple TV+ as an MLB voice on Friday nights.

Ronald Maurice Darling Jr. (Ron Darling), born August 19, 1960, is an American ex-professional baseball athlete turned TV sports color commentator. His MLB career as a right-handed pitcher spanned from 1983 to 1995, notably with the New York Mets during their 1986 World Series victory. Darling, a 1985 National League All-Star, earned the 1989 Gold Glove Award for National League pitchers. He holds fourth place in Mets history for wins (99) and ranks in the top 10 for complete games, innings, strikeouts, and shutouts. Besides the Mets, Darling also played for the Montreal Expos and the Oakland Athletics. Presently, he serves as a color commentator for national baseball broadcasts on TBS.

Jeff Francoeur‘s career has been a series of ups and downs, the high point coming in his first year in the majors, and his lowest occurring this past season. To avoid becoming a has-been at age-25, Francoeur will need to figure out how to harness his talent. Today we’ll take a look at what went wrong in his dreadful 2008, and what we can expect from him going forward.

Jeffrey Braden Francoeur was chosen by the Atlanta Braves in the first round of the 2002 amateur draft out of Parkview High School in Lillburn, Georgia. As a high school All-American in baseball who helped Parkview High win consecutive Georgia state 5A baseball championships playing right in the Braves’ backyard, he was hard to miss, and fit right in with Atlanta’s strategy of drafting regional talent.

He was placed in Rookie League with the Danville Braves, where he hit .327/.395/.585 in 147 at-bats, an effort that made him the sixth-best prospect in the organization according to Baseball America, who said that Francoeur had all of the tools needed to become a legitimate baseball star, but that he would have to acquire the experience needed to learn how to utilize them. He had the arm and the instincts to be a great defensive outfielder, with a smooth, no-hitch swing. There is one comment that stands out however, which reasonably presumed that: “as he focuses on baseball, he’ll understand how pitchers are trying to set him up at the plate…”

For his first full season, 19-year-old Frenchy was promoted to the Sally League, where his free-swinging tendencies were even worse than they had been the previous season, though it didn’t seem hopelessly detrimental at this stage. Francoeur’s .281/.325/.445 line was nothing spectacular, and his walk rate dropped from nine percent all the way down to 5.3, but he had also lowered his strikeout rate dramatically to 12 percent of his plate appearances, down from the 20.4 percent the previous year.

Baseball Prospectus 2004 offers a bit more insight:

Francoeur didn’t overwhelm in his full-season debut at Rome, but for a guy who played mostly football in high school, it was an impressive start. His power and wheels are for real, and the scouting reports on his defense are better than the DT’s would suggest. He’ll need to learn how to handle breaking pitches and improve his approach at the plate, but he’s got time.

Baseball America rated Francoeur number two in the Braves’ system, naming him the best all-around athlete in the organization, and noting that he had the body and the swing to hit 30 home runs per year once he reached the majors. His strike-zone judgment needed improvement, though this was their lone issue with his performance.

The Braves promoted him to High-A for the 2004 season, and Francoeur responded by taking his offense back up a notch. His walk rate held with the previous season’s at 6 percent, but his strikeout rate climbed back up to 2002 levels. He did manage to show more pop, with his Isolated Power climbing from .164 to .215, with a line of .293/.346/.508 at Myrtle Beach, and for his efforts, Frenchy was promoted to Double-A Greenville, where he immediately flopped. At this point, Baseball Prospectus 2005 advised people to take the hype down a notch:

The Braves have a habit of spending high-round picks on suburban-Atlanta prep talents. Although that sounds like an awfully circumscribed draft strategy, like almost everything else over the last decade-and-a-half, it’s worked for them. Francoeur’s another one. The 23rd overall pick of the 2002 draft, he’s a raw and toolsy hitter with loads of ability. …he projects as a Gold Glove-caliber defender at the corners. He lacks plate discipline, but this past season he slugged .508 as a 20-year-old at High-A Myrtle Beach, which is perhaps the toughest hitting environment in the minors. Francoeur struggled badly after a promotion to Double-A Greenville, but it was only an 18-game sample. He doesn’t yet merit the stratospheric prospect ranking others have given him, but he’s still got the makings of a fine future.

His 2004 season was impressive, despite both the hitting environment and his missing five weeks after taking a pitch to the cheekbone, but his PECOTA projection suggested that he was not yet prepared for the majors, coming in at only .251/.291/.426 (which looks a lot like the 2006 line he would put up with the Braves). Francoeur spent half of his season at Double-A, improving on his small sample from 2004. He hit .275/.322/.487, a bit surprising for a 21-year-old who still couldn’t hit breaking pitches in his first full year at Double-A.

Baseball America named Frenchy the Braves’ number one prospect, pointing to his consistency in getting the barrel of the bat on the ball, his excellent bat speed, and his using the entire field, and qualified it all by noting the one significant issue that would continue to plague him-a lack of strike-zone judgment and plate discipline.

After an injury to Brian Jordan in July, Francoeur made his major league debut with the Braves. Frenchy took the National League by storm, decimating opposing pitching from his July 7 call-up through August 15, hitting .382/.394/.745 with a home run every 11 at-bats. His lack of plate discipline would ultimately catch up to him; his OBP was only 12 points higher than his batting average, and when the hits stopped coming in-Francoeur would hit just .245/.300/.419 with a home run every 31 at-bats the rest of the way-his value dropped precipitously. He continued to excel on defense though, setting a rookie record for assists.

Francoeur was struggling against right-handed pitching: though he destroyed southpaws at a .379/.408/.803 clip, he managed just .272/.310/.461 against right-handers. This problem is still with him, as Francoeur hit just .260/.301/.410 against right-handers from 2006-2008. Since he has never again hit lefties the way he did during that brief early span, his line has come nowhere close to that of his debut.

Baseball Prospectus 2006 was not quite ready to give up on him:

Cue the theme from The Natural. Number 27 on our Top 50 Prospect List a year ago, scouts raved about his five-tool talents and incredible bat speed, but we viewed his lack of plate discipline with trepidation. In the Southern League to start 2005, Francoeur showed little patience before being called to The Show just before the All-Star break. He homered in his debut and just kept hitting; by August 10 he was batting .400/.407/.767 in 91 plate appearances, but had yet to draw a walk. Not until his 139th PA, on August 24, did he finally deign to accept a free pass. Even so, Francoeur gave the Braves a literal shot in the arm with his defense in right field, making opposing third-base coaches look foolish with 13 assists in just 67 games. While his hack-n-whack approach remains problematic-when was the last time you saw an MVP candidate with anything approaching a 58/8 K/UIBB rate?-he’s just 22, and there is no shortage of other reasons to be excited about him.

This apprehension was well deserved, especially once Francoeur’s stat line began to deflate. The 2006 season would see him hitting .260/.293/.449, as pitchers realized that even though he had the ability to send strikes into orbit, he would also take mighty hacks at the air anytime a pitch was out of the zone. His walk rate somehow fell further-from 4.1 to 3.4 percent-and he also lost some of his power, with his ISO dipping below the .200 mark.

Baseball Prospectus 2007 knew that though Francoeur had tremendous talent and raw ability, he was also on the receiving end of some poor luck coupled with underdeveloped skills:

Francoeur is a disparate blend of tremendous strengths and equally significant weaknesses. Though he would sometimes protest that he was temperamentally unsuited to taking pitches, Frenchy promised to work on his plate discipline during the 2006 season. Maybe he was right-despite his supposed commitment, he took fewer pitches per plate appearance than in 2005, and his walk rate actually dropped. Regardless of his RBI totals, he won’t have real value to a lineup until he improves his approach at the plate. His Equivalent Average was 25 points below the average for right fielders, and his 473 outs tied for third in the majors; if he had been placed higher in the lineup, Francoeur almost certainly would have led the league. The good news is that part of his performance was attributable to a low BABIP, so it’s probable that he’ll bounce back with better luck. If he ever does mature at the plate, he really will become the star right fielder that his [runs-batted-in] and his arm have convinced so many he already is.

He made steps toward this in 2007, at least at first glance. He jumped his line up to .293/.338/.444, which appeared to be an improvement thanks to the increased OBP (and a rise in his walk rate to 6.1 percent). Once you notice that his BABIP (.342, similar to his first season’s, and above expectations generated by a line-drive rate of 19.4 percent) and ISO (down to .151, the second season in a row with a significant drop in power) were out of whack, any optimism begins to fade.

Neither of these issues were taken care of in 2008. Francoeur had the worst season of his professional career, hitting all of .239/.294/.359, with walks in 6.1 percent of his plate appearances, and a .120 ISO fit for a light-hitting middle infielder, not for a corner outfielder who’s built like a home-run factory. The Braves had sent him to Double-A to work with his old hitting coach on July 4, but the Braves lost a number of players to untimely injuries, forcing his return to the majors after just three days.

The lack of plate discipline is at the root of his stagnating development. Francoeur knows and understands the problem, but the way he has gone about trying to solve it-taking pitches just because he knows he needs to, rather than learning which pitches to take and when-is keeping him from reaching his full potential, or in the case of 2008, even a sizable fraction of it. His continued struggle against right-handers also looms large, as hitters who can’t deal with them aren’t very valuable as everyday players.

As a 25-year-old heading into 2009, Francoeur still has time to improve his game and deliver a peak worthy of the hype surrounding his first years as a professional. As of now though, he is a disappointing player who may have his heart in the right place-he has tried to rectify the situation-but who has failed to deliver on his promise. An extended stay in the minors may be best for all involved-the Braves fancy themselves a contender for the NL East title, and if not for their injuries in 2008, would have been in the mix with the talent on hand-as Francoeur needs to learn basic strike-zone judgment before he’ll be able to make it as a productive right fielder at the plate.-Marc Normandin

Performance Evaluation

In 2005, Jeff Francouer smashed his way into the major leagues and proceeded to knock the cover off of the ball. Nicknamed both “Frenchy” and “The Natural,” Francoeur put up a .549 slugging percentage and .249 ISO in 70 games, hitting 14 balls over the fence in the process. With a .300 batting average, evident power, a dynamite arm in right field, and solid defensive skills, the sky seemed to be the limit for the then 21-year-old rookie. Frenchy lost the Rookie of the Year award to Ryan Howard that season, but many felt that he still had the brighter future. Four years later, as the months leading up to the 2009 season are unfolding, the 24-year-old Francoeur may not even be guaranteed a starting job.

Jeff’s .300/.336/.549 rookie line was built largely upon a .341 BABIP, which was expected to regress moving forward. In 2006, the same metric dropped 55 points to .286., and in the process, his BA fell to
.260 and his low .336 OBP from the year before fell to an ugly .293. On top of that, a decline in ISO from .249 to .189 left Francouer with a .449 slugging percentage, 100 points lower than his rookie season. In a sophomore slump to say the least, Jeff had ventured from +10 offensive runs above average one year to -13.5 runs below average in the next. After 2006, he had garnered a reputation as a free-swinger with immense power potential; he did manage to hit 29 home runs despite the falling rate stats.

The next season, Francouer’s offense improved to just about four runs above average. His BABIP rose to .342, the same as his rookie season. While this might have led to his slash line returning to its 2005 form, he showed only a slight improvement on his 2006 OPS, which was well below his rookie line. Overall, Jeff hit a mediocre .293/.338/.444, and even with his above-average defense at a corner position, he still had not reached his supposed potential. For the most part, though, he was able to mask this fact, hitting plenty of doubles, almost 20 home runs, and knocking in over 100 runs. Unfortunately, he was not improving his plate discipline and continued on his power decline, posting a .151 ISO. Add in that he had just turned 23 and would be putting the finishing touches on his second straight season of perfect attendance, and it’s easy to see why many still remained on the Frenchy-wagon.

After his 2008 season, however, many of those wagoneers have purchased a return ticket home. Francoeur’s .239/.294/.359 line marked his worst season to date. In fact, his year was so abysmal offensively that the list of players he out-performed can be counted on a regular, non-Alfonseca hand: Michael Bourn, Willy Taveras, Bobby Crosby, Jack Hannahan, and Jason Kendall. Nor could he fall back on his defense to lay claim to more value last season, as he experienced his first down-year with the glove; prior to 2008, Frenchy had been +7 runs, +3 runs, and +2 runs above average defensively, last season, he was -7 runs below average. If his 2008 were to be examined as an isolated incident, without any indication as to whom the season belonged to, his age, or his potential, sane baseball fans would come to the conclusion that we were discussing either a pinch-runner or a minor leaguer called up to fill in for an injured regular, but as we all know, we are instead discussing a major leaguer who routinely plays over 155 games per season.

Jeff’s plate discipline is a major, major concern, and unfortunately he has done literally nothing to show any hint of improvement. In his rookie season, he swung at 34.7 percent of pitches thrown out of the strike zone. In 2006, this rose to 36.7 percent, and over the last two seasons, to 36.7 and 36.3 percent. Granted, he has not gotten any worse in this regard, but maintaining the status quo in this situation is not a positive. Curiously enough, his rates of swinging at pitches in the strike zone have declined, from 85.8 percent in 2006, to 76.1 percent in 2008. Francouer still cannot lay off of pitches he shouldn’t be swinging at, and is keeping the bat on his shoulder on called strikes. I don’t know how anyone can truly succeed like that. Compounding the problem is that Francouer is now seeing more pitches out of the strike zone. And why not? If opposing pitchers know he can’t resist them, why bother giving him anything in the zone? Even with an increasing rate of contact on balls out of the zone, his overall numbers speak volumes for the type of contact he is managing.

Frenchy’s 2008 performance even earned him a demotion to Triple-A during the season. Prior to being sent down around Independence Day, he was hitting .234/.287/.374, with eight home runs. Upon returning a week later, Jeff hit .245/.303/.340. He improved his on-base percentage despite still posting a poor split-mark, but continued to exhibit less power. Francoeur is just 24 years old, but he does not
walk, strikes out far too often, seems to rely on BABIP fluctuations to get him on base, and has shown very alarming signs in his fading power-hitting game. The formula for his success remains the same: he needs to lay off of outside pitches, which will cause pitchers to throw into his wheelhouse more often, giving him ample opportunity to get his bat on the ball. This will lead to an increased rate of walks, a higher OBP, and hopefully, a higher SLG. If he cannot make these adjustments, even his above-average defense will not keep him on the field for 162 games on a team seriously trying to contend

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/mlb/news/alex-faust-tbs-broadcaster-bob-costas-2025-mlb-playoffs/3812fc69aea06a7b7bb8efb4

According to https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/8386/player-profile-jeff-francoeur

According to https://factsbios.com/ron-darling/