Former Asheville Tourist Jeff Francis announced his retirement from baseball. He was drafted in the First Round, ninth pick overall out of the University of British Columbia in 2002 by the Colorado Rockies.
Francis pitched in four games for the Asheville Tourists in 2002 getting in 20 innings, giving up four earned runs, and did not have a decision. He continued his rapid rise through the Rockies farms system after Asheville and ended up in Colorado as a full time starter by 2005. His best season was 2007 when he went 17-9 with Colorado with a 4.22 ERA.
His overall record with Colorado was 64-62. Francis pitched 11 seasons in the majors and he compiled a 72-82 record with a 4.97 ERA in 254 games, 217 of those were starts.
