Juan Francisco

Juan Francisco

37-Year-Old Third Baseman3B
 Free Agent  
2024 Fantasy Outlook
There was no outlook written for Juan Francisco in 2024. Check out the latest news below for more on his current fantasy value.
$Agreed to a minor league deal with the Orioles in February of 2017 that includes an invitation to spring training. Released by the Orioles in May of 2017.
Released by Baltimore
3BFree Agent  
May 16, 2017
Francisco was released last week from his minor-league contract with the Orioles, Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports.
ANALYSIS
After failing to win a reserve gig with the Orioles coming out of spring training, Francisco didn't report to a minor-league affiliate and will now be cleared to find a new employer. Francisco hasn't surfaced in the big leagues since 2014, when he slashed .220/.291/.456 over 320 plate appearances with the Blue Jays.
Read More News
Batting Stats
Loading Batting Stats...
Minor League Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Loading Minor League Batting Game Log...
Advanced Batting Stats
Loading Advanced Batting Stats...
Additional Stats
Games By Position
Defensive Stats
Loading Games Played by Position...
Loading MLB Defensive Stats...
Batted Ball Stats
Loading Batted Ball Stats...
Stats Vs Upcoming Pitchers
Want more matchup stats?
Loading Matchup Stats...
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Juan Francisco See More
Collette Calls: Baseball Loves Lefties
March 15, 2015
Robinson Cano could face a disproportionate number of lefties this year in AL West play.
Collette Calls: LABR Draft Recap
March 10, 2015
Jason Collette analyzes the recent LABR auction and finds few bargains among power hitters as the league-wide drop in home runs is fueling fantasy inflation.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
Francisco was waived late in spring training by Milwaukee and quickly picked up by Toronto. They initially used him when Adam Lind went on the disabled list and through the end of May, he batted .275/.365/.596 with 16 extra-base hits (and 44 strikeouts) in 126 plate appearances. Those numbers predictably fell off a cliff as he batted .185/.242/.371 the rest of the season, striking out 36.3% of the time. He can “play” both corners and can punish mistakes, but he has more holes in his swing than your favorite T-shirt. The Rays signed him in January to handle a similar role, and fantasy owners will once again turn to Francisco for cheap power as long as he's finding regular playing time.
Francisco finally got a real chance to put his prodigious power on display in 2013, serving as the primary first baseman for the Brewers after being acquired by the club in June. While he hit 13 home runs in 89 games with the team, he also hit just .221 and struck out 95 times in 240 at-bats, making it clear that he is best suited for a part-time or reserve role.
After being traded by the Reds to the Braves in April, Francisco saw his playing time double in Atlanta. The Braves used him as third-base insurance behind Chipper Jones in 2012 and Francisco rewarded them with good defense and his best power season as he hit nine home runs in just 205 at-bats. Unfortunately, outside of power he suffered through his worst year at the plate yet as he hit just .234 with a .278 OBP. He also struck out in over a third of his plate appearances. Francisco was a big power and poor OBP player in the minors as well, so this is not a recent development. He'll see playing time in 2013 as the Braves can use his power off the bench, but it looks like Martin Prado will take over at third base following Jones' retirement.
2011 was a costly season for Francisco, in terms of missed opportunities. He suffered a calf injury in April after making the Opening Day roster, and a later knee injury sidelined him for a significant period of time. Both of Francisco's injuries dovetailed with injuries to incumbent third baseman Scott Rolen. So instead of him getting valuable major league plate appearances, those chances fell to the likes of Miguel Cairo and Todd Frazier. Now Francisco is out of options, so the team has to keep him on the major league roster, but they still don't know if he's capable of handling an everyday job at the major league level. His plate discipline is still a mess - he had a combined 14 walks in over 400 plate appearances between Triple-A and the majors. When he does make contact, the results are nice, but it's an open question whether he'll make enough contact on a regular basis when Rolen's reign as the starter is over.
Francisco did more of the same for Triple-A Louisville last year as he did throughout his minor league career - hit for power, hit for decent average and strike out a ton. The contact rate problem, accompanied by a lack of walks, is what's going to limit his future ceiling. He also isn't the most adept third baseman defensively, which makes it hard to anoint him as the Reds' future option at the hot corner. Look for him to play a little bit more in 2011 than in 2010, when he was essentially limited to pinch-hitting duty with the Reds.
Now that Edwin Encarnacion is in Toronto, Francisco is the heir apparent at third base. He's hit for power at every minor league level, but his utter lack of plate discipline (his 26 walks at three levels in 2009 represented a career high) puts his ability to hit for average into question. Defense is also a bit of an issue - that the Reds were considering putting him in their left-field jumble over the offseason is worrisome. With Scott Rolen on board for at least 2010, Francisco probably will start off at Triple-A Louisville.
Francisco's power is intriguing, but his lack of plate discipline is disturbing. For the second year in a row, he had more homers (23) than walks (19), though he did at least cut down on his strikeouts by a significant margin. He'll hit the Double-A wall in 2009, and he might find that level considerably more difficult.
Francisco led the Low-A Midwest League with 25 homers, which turned out to be more often than he walked (23), striking out 161 times along the way (also leading the league). Until he gets better command of the strike zone, he's a flawed prospect.
More Fantasy News
Strikes minor league deal with Orioles
3BBaltimore Orioles  
February 14, 2017
Francisco agreed to a minor league deal with the Orioles on Tuesday that includes an invitation to spring training, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
3BTampa Bay Rays  
April 21, 2015
Francisco agreed to a one-year contract with the Yomiuri Giants of the NPB on Tuesday.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
3BTampa Bay Rays  
April 5, 2015
Francisco has opted out of his contract with Tampa Bay and will become a free agent, the Tampa Bay Times reports.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
3BTampa Bay Rays  
April 3, 2015
Francisco has until Sunday to decide whether to accept an assignment to Triple-A Durham or use his opt-out clause, the Tampa Bay Tribune reports.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Juan Francisco: Signs With Rays
3BFree Agent  
January 10, 2015
Francisco signed a minor-league contract with the Rays on Saturday, Baseball America's Matt Eddy reports.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.