'Jeffrey Braden Francoeur nicknamed Frenchy, was born on January 8, 1984 in Lilburn, Georgia, to Karen and David Francoeur. He has one sister, Heather.

Hie is 6'4", weighs 220 pounds, and bats and throws right.

High School
Jeff graduated from Parkview High School in 2002. He played baseball for the school's team and led them to consecutive Georgia state 5-A baseball championships in 2001 and 2002. He hit .443 with 55 HR and 164 RBI during his high school career.

He also played football, leading Parkview to two undefeated state championship seasons in 2000 and 2001. Francoeur turned down a full football scholarship at Clemson University to pursue a career in baseball, despite having signed a Letter of Intent to the team.

Minor Leagues
Jeff was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the first round of the June 2002 free agent draft. After the draft, he was assigned to the team's advanced Rookie League club in Danville, Virginia, where he played 38 games and hit .327 with eight homers and 31 RBIs.

He then advanced steadily through the Braves minor league system, playing for Rome (Low A) in 2003, Myrtle Beach (High A) and Greenville (former AA) in 2004, and Mississippi (AA) in 2005.

In 2004, Jeff was named the top prospect in the Braves organization by Baseball America. He was a member of the Carolina League regular season and postseason All-Star team. In 2005, he was selected to play in the Major League Baseball Futures game before getting called up by Atlanta.

Major Leagues
Jeff was promoted to the major leagues on July 6, 2005, part of the group of rookie players nicknamed the "Baby Braves" that Atlanta called up from its minor league system during the 2005 season.

He made his Major League debut the following day when he started in right field against the Chicago Cubs in the second game of a double header. His first major league hit came in that game, in the bottom of the 8th inning. He hit a 3-run home run to center field.

Jeff finished the season batting .300/.336/.549 in 67 games, with 14 home runs and 44 RBIs. He also finished the season with 13 outfield assists (third overall in MLB) despite playing less than half the season. Jeff finished third in the National League Rookie of the Year.

2006 was Jeff's first full season in the Majors. He hit .260 with 29 homers and 103 RBIs. He also became just the fourth Brave to play in all 162 games of a season, joining Felix Millan, Dale Murphy and Andruw Jones.

In 2007, Jeff batted .293 with 19 homers and 105 RBIs. He led the National league in outfield assists with 19, which earned him his first career Gold Glove. Again, he played in all 162 games.

In 2008, Jeff got off to a slow start to the season, batting only .234 during the first two months. He was sent down to the minors, for only three games, to refine his swing.

Personal
Jeff married Catie McCoy on November 3, 2007

Jeff's mother teaches math at Trickum Middle School in Lilburn, Georgia. His sister teaches English and coaches the girls basketball team at St. Pius X Catholic School. His father is retired and does educational consulting.