Francoeur credits career resurgence to wife

His defense in the outfield remains stellar, especially since his right arm still delivers rockets on target with consistency. The batting stroke is back, and so is his ability to thrill Braves fans in his native Atlanta just by trotting out of the home dugout at Turner Field with his contagious smile.

In sum, even during a platoon role these days at 32, Jeff Francoeur is in the midst of a baseball renaissance. He’s hitting .281, which is 19 points above his lifetime average, and he’s a popular voice in a Braves clubhouse filled with youngsters during a transitional year for the franchise.

“I’ll tell you what, man. I’m in a good frame of mind,” said Francoeur, who spent his first five-plus seasons in the Major Leagues with the Braves before he was traded to the Mets in July 2009. He had some uneven times in baseball after that, but he’s doing well during his return to the Braves, and he added, “Honestly, if you have confidence in your approach and what you’re doing when you go out there, it’s going to work out good.”

All of this goes back to Francoeur’s best friend.

She just happens to be his wife.

“We were friends for so long before we started dating and got married that our relationship is still very much the fact that he really is my best friend, and he says the same about me,” said Catie Francoeur, who first met Jeff when they were in the third grade. They began dating during their senior year in high school, and they married in November 2007.

As a result, Catie said, “It’s a very honest relationship.”

No kidding. Let’s start with their conversation two springs ago that led to Francoeur impressing folks now during his 12th Major League season instead of doing whatever else he could have done with his considerable non-baseball skills as a former player entering his third year of retirement.

Here was the setting: Two months …

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