Francona likely greatest in UA history
Though he’s been out of college for 35 years, Francona still ranks in the UA’s top-10 in six statistical categories. He’s an Arizona Hall of Famer and, in our estimation, the greatest UA baseball player of all time.
And yet, Francona was a longshot to even attend the UA. The Chicago Cubs selected him in the second round of the 1977 amateur draft. Francona did not sign, however, claiming the Cubs did not offer him a fair deal because they were concerned about the shoulder surgery he had in high school
When the Cubs backed off, colleges did, too.
Not Arizona.
“(Coach) Jerry Kindall was one of the few coaches who weren’t skeptical about my shoulder,” Francona said in 1982. “He was very positive about it … Jerry was an honest man. It didn’t seem like I could make a wrong decision by going with him.”
The list:
