Royals fans and the team’s opponents know that right-fielder Jeff Francoeur has an excellent throwing arm that causes most base runners to take pause before attempting the extra base on balls hit in Francoeur’s direction.
↵His MLB peers recognize the strength of Francoeur’s throwing arm as well. In a players’ survey conducted by Sports Illustrated, 21 percent of the players who took part in the poll said “Frenchy,” as he is called by his teammates, has the ’most dangerous arm" among outfielders in baseball.
↵Second in the poll was Ichiro Suzuki, formerly of the Seattle Mariners but now with the Yankees, with 18 percent of the vote. Former Royal Rick Ankiel, currently a free agent, received 15 percent of the vote, followed by Carlos Gonzalez of the Colorado Rockies with seven percent and Nelson Cruz with six percent.
↵A total of 305 MLB players participated in the poll, conducted by Sports Illustrated during spring training this past spring. Of the 32 players who received votes in the survey, 15 were right fielders and seven each played in center and left field.