Former Pelican Francoeur selected to WBC roster
The World Baseball Classic, a 16-team tournament sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF), will feature many of the best players in the world competing for their home countries and territories for the first time in the history of the game in March 2006.
The 16 teams invited to participate in the event have been divided into four pools of four teams for the first round of play. The four Round 1 pools will be played at venues in Japan (Tokyo Dome - Tokyo), Puerto Rico (Hiram Bithorn Stadium - San Juan) and the United States (Chase Field - Phoenix, Arizona; Scottsdale Stadium - Scottsdale, Arizona; Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex - Orlando, Florida).
Round 2 will feature two pools of four teams each and will be played in Puerto Rico (Hiram Bithorn Stadium) and the United States (Angel Stadium - Anaheim, California). The Semi-finals and final game will be played at PETCO Park in San Diego, California.
The WBC will feature a bracket-style format with the 16 teams competing in four groups: Pool A - China, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Korea; Pool B - Canada, Mexico, South Africa, United States; Pool C - Cuba, Netherlands, Panama, Puerto Rico; Pool D - Australia, Dominican Republic, Italy, Venezuela.
Francoeur made his Major League debut with the Braves last July and made an immediate impact with the big league squad helping the Braves clinch their 14th consecutive division crown. In his rookie season the former Bird was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, and finished second in the National League Rookie of the Year balloting.
In 2004 with the Pelicans Jeff hit .293 with 15 home runs and 52 RBI. He was selected to the mid-season Carolina League All-Star team as a starting outfielder and garnered honors as the Carolina League MVP in the Carolina League vs. California League All-Star game. Francoeur was also selected to the "end of the year" Carolina League All-Star team despite missing a month of action due to a broken cheekbone. He finished the '04 campaign with the Greenville Braves (AA). Entering the 2005 season Francoeur was tabbed as the #1 prospect in the Braves organization by Baseball America. He started the season in Mississippi where he was hitting .275 with 13 homers and 62 RBI before receiving the promotion to Atlanta. From there he never looked back, hitting .300 with 14 home runs and 45 RBI in 70 games during the regular season. The 22-year-old was not only impressive at the plate, but he shined defensively where he notched 11 assists from right field. It is expected that Francoeur will be the everyday right fielder in 2006.
Opening Day 2006 is set for Thursday, April 6th at 7:02 pm when the Pelicans host the Wilmington Blue Rocks. The entire 2006 schedule has been released and is available online at www.myrtlebeachpelicans.com. For season ticket and mini-plan information please call the box office at 843-918-6000.
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