Jeff Francoeur: Re-Invented as a Relief Pitcher

((ht: sportingnews.com))

Yeah, sure, this is under the "He's still in baseball" category, but so what. We've covered San Diego Padres minor leaguer Jeff Francoeur since he was a kid playing baseball and football at Parkview (Lilburn, GA) High School.

And he's truly one of the nicest, most fun-loving guys you'll ever meet.

But he's struggled as a pro baseball player. Sure, he was Rookie of the Year in 2005 with the Atlanta Braves, but he's not done much since then. In fact he's been with 5 different MLB teams in the past 4 years.

That's why we found this video and story interesting.

It appears Frenchy may have found his calling. As a relief pitcher. Sure, it's only AAA Baseball for a crappy team in El Paso, Texas (the Chihuahuas) and it's only mop-up duty, but Jeff's not given up a run in his 4 appearances this season.

We know, it's a short sample. And according to The Sporting News, he's been holding back, hitting somewhere around 89 mph with his fastball. He can throw harder, but his manager doesn't want him to get hurt.

Anyway, here's video of Francoeur the reliever: