David Francis

Ross David Francis

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 205 lb.

• School Walters State Community College
• High School Mississauga Secondary School

• Born February 8, 1988 in Etobicoke, ON Canada

BR minors page

Biographical Information

David Francis was a minor league pitcher for five years.

Francis was with the Canadian junior national team for a Dominican tour in 2006 but did not make the final cut for the 2006 World Junior Championship. The Chicago Cubs took him in the 37th round of the 2006 amateur draft but he opted for college. The Atlanta Braves chose him in the 12th round of the 2008 amateur draft; Brian Bridges was the scout. He had an excellent pro debut for the Danville Braves at 5-3, 2.35 with 69 strikeouts in 53 2/3 IP and a .203 opponent average. He fanned 16 in 6 innings in a rain-shortened no-hitter against the Pulaski Mariners on July 22. He was named his team's Pitcher of the Year. He was among the Appalachian League leaders in strikeouts (4th, behind Daniel Osterbrock, Randall Delgado and Matt Moore), and wins (tied for 10th). Had he qualified, he would have been third in ERA behind Moore and Colin Allen. MLB.com rated him as the best short-season single-game performer on his 16-K no-hitter.

In 2009, he pitched for the Rome Braves (5-7, 3 Sv, 3.67) and Myrtle Beach Pelicans (14 R, 13 BB in 16 2/3 IP). He repeated with Rome (4 Sv, 2.83 in 17 G) and Myrtle Beach (2-3, 4.31, .304 opponent average in 21 G) in 2010 to end his time in Organized Baseball. In 2011, Francis was 0-3 with a 7.33 ERA for the independent Evansville Otters, walking 19 in 23 1/3 IP. He repeated at 0-3 for the 2012 London Rippers/Road Warriors, though he had 6 saves and a 2.38 ERA.

Overall, Francis had gone 12-19 with 13 saves and a 3.82 ERA in 109 minor league games (23 starts). In 273 innings, he allowed 272 hits and 117 walks while striking out 250.

Sources

• 2011 Braves Media Guide
• Baseball Canada
• MILB.com
• 2009 Baseball Almanac