NEW YORK -- When Jeff Francoeur struggled to show patience during his first two Major League seasons, the Braves said that they didn't want to do anything that would force him to lose his aggressiveness.
Now that Francoeur has seemingly gained a better understanding of plate discipline, the Braves are just hoping that he doesn't totally forget about the success he had during the days when he was more of a free swinger.
"He is who he is and he's going to be phenomenal for that," pitcher John Smoltz said. "There's a fine line between who he is and who somebody wants him to be."
Francoeur is never going to have the discipline of Tony Gwynn or Wade Boggs. But while drawing six walks over the course of the past eight games entering Friday, the 23-year-old right fielder had at least proven that he's more than just the second coming of Dave Kingman.
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