The Elder Francona Passes

Tito Francona, father of Terry Francona, died Tuesday night:

His full name was John Patsy Francona, but everyone called him Tito. His son proudly bears the nickname as well.

Tito Francona played 15 years in the big leagues. He spent six of them, 1959-1964, in Cleveland with the Indians. He fondly remembered them as the best years of his career.

My thoughts go out to his family and friends.

Francona turned in a solid career with his ability to get on base. He finished his career with a .343 OBP. In his early prime, seasonal age 25 to 27, he posted a .314/.380/.487 slash line. The power would not last, but he kept getting on at a decent clip for the rest of his career. He was very good for a short time, and then a solid player.

from baseballmusings.com http://ift.tt/2BtE2Qm