More than three years removed from an 11-season, six-team journeyman career, former Rockies pitcher Jeff Francis has found his retirement groove as a father of three and assistant pitching coach for the Canadian Junior National Team.
The British Columbia native resides in Ontario and is helping out with the same program he came up through. He believes the efforts of Baseball Canada to find and develop the country’s top baseball talent — along with the success of Canada’s lone Major League team, Toronto — are critical in growing the game north of the border.
“It’s gone in waves here, and the interest revolves around the Blue Jays,” Francis said.