By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Jeff Francoeur, who revived his major league career with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2015, announced his retirement Friday.
MLB.com's Mark Bowman says that Francoeur did attempt to play in 2017, but was unable to land a job. If you could poll baseball writers about which players they thought the most highly of as people, Francoeur probably would be one of the most frequently mentioned names. It appears that he used some of his connections to land a post-playing gig:
Jeff Francoeur entered this past offseason hopeful to play at least one more season. But when he didn't receive the Major League contract he sought from the Braves and other clubs, he began evaluating other options, like the broadcasting opportunity he has landed with his hometown team.
Francoeur will join the Fox Sports South and Fox Sports Southeast broadcast team, serving as an analyst for some Braves games this season. The Atlanta native's first assignment will come on June 5, when he will be on the set for Braves Live before a home game against the Phillies.
The 33-year-old took to Twitter to share his excitement about his new job:
Thankful for this great opportunity and excited for the road ahead… https://t.co/0rCJpll5pJ
— Jeff Francoeur (@JeffFrancoeur) May 12, 2017
Given that he's just 33 and is well liked, it's not far fetched to think that this could be the beginning of an extremely successful career in media for the 2002 first round draft pick. Ben Davis was a top prospect that didn't pan out as a major leaguer. After his career, Davis joined Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia as a studio analyst for the Phillies, before becoming part of the network's broadcast coverage in 2015. Should Francoeur choose to do so, he could have a similar post-career journey.
Francoeur played for nearly every team in the National League East, beginning with his hometown Braves. He then was traded to the New York Mets during the 2009 season. After stints in the organizations of the Kansas City Royals, the San Francisco Giants and the San Diego Padres, "Frenchy" joined the Phillies for the 2015 season. During that season, he hit 13 home runs and drove in 45 RBIs, while being praised for the leadership that he brought to an organization in the midst of a regime change. In 2016, which turned out to be his final season, Francoeur returned to the Braves, before they traded him to the Miami Marlins in August.
While Francoeur probably didn't envision being a journeyman, it appears to have opened doors for him after his career. Francoeur is highly thought of in Atlanta, which has landed him an analyst job. Don't be surprised if the Braves, or one of the other teams he played for, eventually offers him a coaching job.
