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By BOB DUTTON
The Kansas City Star
The word outfielder Jeff Francoeur kept using Thursday afternoon was “comfortable” in explaining why he agreed to a two-year contract extension with the Royals rather than test the free-agent market after a bounce-back season.
“For me,” he said, “looking back at my first few years in Atlanta, I was comfortable there. When I’m comfortable, I play well.”
Francoeur’s new deal calls for $13.5 million over the next two years. It represents a sizable hike from his current $2.5 million salary, but the Royals see it as a reasonable investment and a relatively short-term one.
“We need to create more stability with our major-league team,” general manager Dayton Moore said. “We made an advance decision to extend Jeff based on his performance on the field.”
Francoeur, 27, carried a .277 average into Thursday’s series opener against Boston at Kauffman Stadium. He also had 35 doubles, 15 homers, 66 RBIs and a career-high 19 stolen bases while providing a strong defensive presence in right field.
That puts Francoeur on pace for his best overall season since 2007, when he batted .293 with 40 doubles, 19 homers and 105 RBIs for Atlanta. Declines in recent years led most teams to view him as a part-time player last winter as a free agent.
“We signed him in December,” manager Ned Yost said, “and, quite frankly, my mind-set was we would get into the middle of June and see where he is. If he is indeed a platoon player, then we would have to platoon him.
“But he came in this year and proved that he is still a very productive everyday player. Along with his clubhouse leadership, we just all thought it was in our best interest to continue to move forward with him on our team.”
Francoeur attributes his resurgence, in large part, to losing 30 pounds in the offseason.
“I sat here (after signing) in December,” he said, “and told you all that I thought that would make a difference. For me, it’s made a huge difference. I’m an athlete out there again and able to do things I want to do.”
Several clubs expressed interest in Francoeur before the July 31 trade deadline, which suggests he would have attracted more offers this winter as a free agent than he did a year ago.
Even so, Francoeur’s first preference, he makes clear, was to remain with the Royals.
“I came from a place, two years in New York, where it’s obviously a lot different,” he said. “Not to say I couldn’t handle it. It’s just I enjoy this. I enjoy this kind of lifestyle.
“My wife and I love it here, and I love the community. I’m looking forward to being part of this. When Dayton approached me, and we talked, I knew this was the right place for me to be.”
Plus, Francoeur contends the Royals are poised for their own renaissance.
“You look at our team right now, offensively, and we’re pretty darn good,” he said. “Now, if all of us come back next year, it would be pretty cool to know going into spring training that this is our team.
“Hopefully, we end the season strong. And to know we have the same guys coming back next year will be really exciting.”
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