Saturday, March 04, 2006
Francoeur honored with U.S. roster spot
01/18/2006
ATLANTA -- Jeff Francoeur hasn't yet played a full season in the Majors, but it's obvious he caught everyone's attention during his short rookie campaign.
Francoeur's latest honor came Tuesday night, when Team USA officials named him as one of the 10 players added to their roster for the World Baseball Classic. He joins Atlanta teammates Chipper Jones and Tim Hudson as members of the 52-man U.S. squad that will be evaluated before the final 30-man roster is selected.
All participating nations had to submit a final preliminary 60-man roster before midnight on Tuesday. Team USA will not be able to add any additional players. Each of the selected players are now subject to random drug testing under international rules.
Team USA manager Buck Martinez will select his final roster by March 2, five days before his team begins pool play in Phoenix. Their pool includes Mexico, Canada and South Africa.
Before Alex Rodriguez decided late Tuesday to play for Team USA, it looked like Jones would serve as the team's starting third baseman. If he's given an assurance that he'll have the opportunity to continue making necessary preparations for the regular season, it's expected that he'll still choose to represent his country.
Francoeur, who hit .300 with 14 homers and 45 RBIs in 2005, is one of 10 outfielders currently on the Team USA roster. His competition for a final roster spot includes Lance Berkman, Barry Bonds, Carl Crawford, Johnny Damon, Luis Gonzalez, Ken Griffey, Jr., Matt Holliday, Vernon Wells and Randy Winn.
While Francoeur faces stiff competition, it's still quite an honor for him to be selected to this elite group so early in his career. He didn't make his Major League debut until July 7 and just celebrated his 22nd birthday on Jan. 8.
Along with his impressive offensive skills, Francoeur's resume proves he's got the potential to be one of the game's top defensive outfielders. His strong and accurate arm helped him record 13 assists last season. Despite playing in just 70 games, he still ranked second among National League outfielders in that category.
Source: http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/
ATLANTA -- Jeff Francoeur hasn't yet played a full season in the Majors, but it's obvious he caught everyone's attention during his short rookie campaign.
Francoeur's latest honor came Tuesday night, when Team USA officials named him as one of the 10 players added to their roster for the World Baseball Classic. He joins Atlanta teammates Chipper Jones and Tim Hudson as members of the 52-man U.S. squad that will be evaluated before the final 30-man roster is selected.
All participating nations had to submit a final preliminary 60-man roster before midnight on Tuesday. Team USA will not be able to add any additional players. Each of the selected players are now subject to random drug testing under international rules.
Team USA manager Buck Martinez will select his final roster by March 2, five days before his team begins pool play in Phoenix. Their pool includes Mexico, Canada and South Africa.
Before Alex Rodriguez decided late Tuesday to play for Team USA, it looked like Jones would serve as the team's starting third baseman. If he's given an assurance that he'll have the opportunity to continue making necessary preparations for the regular season, it's expected that he'll still choose to represent his country.
Francoeur, who hit .300 with 14 homers and 45 RBIs in 2005, is one of 10 outfielders currently on the Team USA roster. His competition for a final roster spot includes Lance Berkman, Barry Bonds, Carl Crawford, Johnny Damon, Luis Gonzalez, Ken Griffey, Jr., Matt Holliday, Vernon Wells and Randy Winn.
While Francoeur faces stiff competition, it's still quite an honor for him to be selected to this elite group so early in his career. He didn't make his Major League debut until July 7 and just celebrated his 22nd birthday on Jan. 8.
Along with his impressive offensive skills, Francoeur's resume proves he's got the potential to be one of the game's top defensive outfielders. His strong and accurate arm helped him record 13 assists last season. Despite playing in just 70 games, he still ranked second among National League outfielders in that category.
Source: http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/
