Citi Field is a damn joke.
OK, Jeff Francoeur, I don’t want to come off as mean-spirited here or anything so please, don’t take this the wrong way. But here’s the thing, bro: You’re a terrible hitter.
Not terrible by regular human being standards. You’re definitely a better hitter than I am; I could never drive a 95-mph fastball 370 feet, something you’ve accomplished on numerous occasions. But by Major League standards, and the standards generally set for Major League corner outfielders, you’re just straight-up bad, dude.
Like, awful. Out of 26 qualifying right fielders in 2010, your wRC+ — probably the best offensive stat we have, even if it’s not on the scoreboard — was dead last. And by a lot. Actually, if we tally up all the stats from 2006 when you came into the league, you’re still at the very bottom of the list. Way below Kosuke Fukudome, way below Randy Winn, way below the pathetic shell of Shawn Green that the Mets trotted out in 2006 and 2007. You are baseball’s worst-hitting right fielder, by far.
That stat, I should add, is adjusted for the park in which you play your home games. Your struggles had nothing to do with Citi Field, and everything to do with you. You swing too much, and every pitcher in the league knows it. You’re doing it wrong, sir.
You can blame your struggles on any exterior source you want. And indeed, the Mets’ home park appears to be a difficult one in which to succeed offensively. But if the stadium’s dimensions were the source of your offensive inadequacy, why, I wonder, were nearly all of your teammates much better than you at hitting?
You can say anything you want about Citi Field, but — and again, I’m not trying to be mean because I understand you’re a really nice guy — you are the joke.
Honestly. At this site and many others, we laugh at your expense because you’re so bad at hitting and so good at somehow staying in the Major Leagues. Start thinking of factors you can blame in Kansas City — I don’t know, too much barbecue, maybe — because you’ll almost certainly need to explain why you don’t hit in 2011 either.
Tedquarters 