Jeff Francoeur & Mike Cameron
Written by MadAlan
March 21, 2006

Francoeur and Cameron look especially good as sound choices to me for outfield consideration, yet I don't understand how little others seem to value the two. What is it about them that makes so many other outfielders, without the evidence in numbers posted by these two, be drafted earlier or in the case of Cameron be un-drafted in most Yahoo leagues? People will draft Matt Lawton or Carl Everett and pass on both of the two named in this article who will out produce Lawton/Everett each and significantly. Francoeur produced some superb numbers for Atlanta until he cooled-off, made adjustments and began hitting again towards the end of the year. Key word – “Adjustment.” In the WBC he was seen taking pitches, working the count and stuff like that. Last year he played in 70 total Brave games, drawing just 11 walks in 257 ABs. He also played very nice outfield and put his rifle-arm on display enough to nab 14 runners. In just those same 70 games. He is a player needed to play each and every day in Atlanta’s often shallow-valued outfield of late. Will he build on his 14 HRs and 45 RBIs, say in 575-590 ABs? Of course he will, in fact because of the one word we mentioned earlier ”adjustment,” you can bet on it. I even expect him to come darn close to doubling those numbers into a Jason Bay-ish looking 28 HR and 90 RBIs. Mike Cameron is one of those players fans degrade for the type out he makes and not the other far more important numbers he does toss in for us Fantasy players and in so many important categories. Let’s see here, he is a guarantee to hit 20 HR, steal 20 SB, score 90 runs and drive in 70 others with enough at-bats. He has done this stuff plenty of times each, and has contributed in his 11 years to these records under his name in baseball books; as many as 30 homers (2004), 110 RBI (2001), 99 runs (2001), BA of .273 (2005) & 38 SB (1999) and 31 SB as recent as 2002. Yes he will strikeout more than 100 times, but those are just ‘outs’ and others will hit into double-plays or whatever. All outs are outs.