Jeff Francoeur Is A Keeper

In a move that comes as no surprise to me, the Mets may get their off season started by locking up their new wonder boy, Jeff Francoeur to a three-year deal according to a report by Marty Noble.

The Mets believe Francoeur will look sharp in their 2010 uni, so much so that they are inclined to approach him about signing him to a three-year contract that would allow him to become a big league Beau Brummel, if he so chose. They like what they have seen of him in and out of uniform — from his spirited demeanor to his nuclear arm to the two doubles he produced Saturday afternoon in their victory against the Nationals.

Francoeur has been the lone bright spot for the Mets in the second half as he continues to sizzle at the plate. He came through again in yesterday’s win over the Nationals with two more doubles, an RBI and two runs scored.

Noble correctly states that signing Francoeur for the next few seasons would stabilize two-thirds of the outfield and five-eighths of the starting lineup for next season. His presence on the team has reduced Ryan Church to just a blur.

Francoeur loves his new home and is thrilled to be playing in the spotlight of baseball’s grandest stage, New York City.

Francoeur now has batted .314 with the Mets and driven in 34 runs while scoring 30 in 63 games.

He’s as gritty and as driven as they come, and as Jerry Manuel said “This kid hates to lose.”

After making the final out in Friday nights loss, he reacted by smashing a dugout cooler to pieces in a show of rage.

“I think I can bring something here,” he said Saturday. “I’m not David Wright or Carlos Beltran, but what I can do is play hard and, I think, have some positive effect on the guys around me.”

Jerry Manuel said something I’ve been saying since the day he first became a Met. He talked about Francoeur’s intangibles – you know, those things that don’t show up in the box scores.

“If you were to talk intangibles,” Jerry Manuel said, “he’d rate way off the charts.”

Francoeur is a warrior that wants to play every inning of every game, and even the torn ligaments in his thumb won’t keep him out of the lineup. The best part is that at 25 years old, the best is yet to come.

We have a lot of work to do this off season, but signing Francoeur to a multi year deal is definitely a huge first step.