Sep 09, 2012; Flushing, NY,USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Frank Francisco (48) pitches during the ninth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field. Braves won 3-2 in ten innings. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
The Charlotte Knights posted on their site that the Chicago White Sox have signed free agent pitcher Frank Francisco.
The release on Francisco states:
"“Francisco spent the past two seasons in the New York Mets organization. He just played eight games for the Mets last season after recovering from offseason elbow surgery and owns a career MLB record of 20-22 with 73 saves and a 3.93 ERA in 387 games. In 2012, Francisco posted a 1-3 record with 23 saves and a 5.53 ERA in 48 games for the Mets. He was originally signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent in 1996.”"
Francisco, a right-handed pitcher, is 34 years old.
Maybe this means either the Knights needed another arm in their bullpen, or the White Sox are looking at some of their Triple-A players a little closer in case the bullpen woes don’t change for the better soon.
Feb 22, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher David Purcey (41) poses for a photo during photo day at Camelback Ranch. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Currently, two relievers for the Knights have ERAs of 0.00 in three or more relief appearances. Those players are Javy Guerra (5.2 IP, two hits, one walk, four strikeouts) and Zach Putnam (5.0 IP, three hits, one walk, nine strikeouts).
There is also David Purcey with a 0.90 ERA in five appearances, as he allowed one run in 10.0 IP with eight walks and four strikeouts. He also has a save.
Francisco has also played games in MLB for the Texas Rangers and the Toronto Blue Jays.
MLB Trade Rumors wrote:
"“The White Sox will hope that Francisco can get back to the form he showed with the Rangers and Blue Jays from 2009-11 when he posted a 3.71 ERA 10.0 K/9, 3.0 BB/9 and a 36 percent ground-ball rate that led to a 3.41 FIP and 3.32 xFIP. During that time, opponents batted just .236/.299/.382 against Francisco, who racked up 44 saves between the two teams.”"
This isn’t a bad move for the White Sox. If he pitches well in Charlotte, they can possibly bring Francisco to the Majors as a reliever with MLB experience. If he doesn’t pan out in Triple-A, then they can look elsewhere.
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