Atlanta Braves part-time announcer Jeff Francoeur has raised a lot of eyebrows with his perceived lack of commentary on Ronald Acuña Jr.'s impending return. This all dates back to the Braves' pundit offering some choice words when the 2023 MVP commented on Jarred Kelenic failing to hustle after hitting a deep fly ball. Acuña claimed that it would have resulted in a benching if he were the one making the same mistake.
Yes, this is undeniably true, however, there is also no defending the choice to post the sentiment publicly. It was a poor decision that Acuña has since apologized for. Acuña is this team's offensive heartbeat with the departures of key players over the last handful of seasons. The outfielder is by far the most talented Brave and a much-needed energy to help turn this season around. All of this to say, one minor social media misstep shouldn't result in a notable announcer flaming you the way Jeff Francoeur chose to do.
Jeff Francoeur's Attack on Ronald Acuña Jr. Remains Way out of Bounds for the Once Popular Announcer
Francoeur's choice to defend Brian Snitker is completely fair with the type of speculation surrounding the Atlanta manager at the time. However, you cannot counter this by attacking Ronald and offering the notable quote, "you don't have to have him." This was on the heels of talking about Atlanta's 2021 World Series win without their star player.
Perhaps the former outfielder has forgotten that Freddie Freeman, Dansby Swanson, Max Fried, and Charlie Morton have all since departed. This is to say nothing of the incredible impact of Eddie Rosario, Adam Duvall, Joc Pederson, and Jorge Soler during that run. Not only did it take three franchise players to offset the loss of Ronald, the Braves needed four outfielders to each have the best moments of their careers in a great postseason run.
All of this to say, Francoeur is way off base. To say a team that has taken well over 40 games to get to .500 doesn't need their best player to win a World Series is a wild take — one that seems to be running the bus over a young player who simply made a mistake. The 2023 MVP has had an incredibly difficult road when it comes to injuries.
One notable mistake that made a completely accurate point shouldn't be punished to this level. Whether it is jealousy or frustration at the heat Brian Snitker was catching, there is no defense for the level Francoeur chose to roast the franchise star. If there is behind-the-scenes information causing Francoeur to feel this vehemently, either make the choice to share it or keep these thoughts to yourself.
Francoeur's comments have caused a close observation of his Atlanta Braves commentary, with fans noting the absence of positive comments during the team's broadcast. Luckily for Braves fans, the part-time announcer isn't consistently in the Atlanta booth.
No question, Francoeur's defense of Brian Snitker while flaming Ronald Acuña Jr. is completely out of bounds. The former Atlanta outfielder took things too far and is getting understandable heat for the poor decision.