Braves.com
CINCINNATI -- With Rawlings announcing its All-Time Gold Glove team on Wednesday afternoon, veteran broadcaster Pete Van Wieren began thinking about whom he'd place on his all-time Braves defensive team.

With little surprise, he proposed Clete Boyer for his third baseman and Glenn Hubbard for his second baseman. As for his list of outfielders, it obviously includes Andruw Jones and Hank Aaron. If there was some surprise in his selections, it was that he already considers Jeff Francoeur to be one of the three best outfielders the Braves have ever had.

But just a little more than two full years into his Major League career, Francoeur has certainly gathered credentials to support this belief. Since making his debut on July 7, 2005, the 23-year-old right fielder has collected more assists (44) than any other big league outfielder. Alfonso Soriano is the only other player to have registered 33 outfield assists during this period.

"[Francoeur] is a great right fielder," manager Bobby Cox said. "He's about as good as it gets in right field because he goes and gets the ball, too. People forget about that. They talk about his arm all the time. But he makes all the catches out there."

Obviously, Francoeur's athleticism allows him to show greater range than many other right fielders. But it's his strong and accurate arm that makes him superior to his peers. With the strong throw that retired fellow Parkview High School alumnus Jeff Keppinger at the plate in the sixth inning of Tuesday's game against the Reds, he notched his Major League-leading 18th outfield assist of the season.

Remarkably, 14 of these assists have come since June 1. Philadelphia's Aaron Rowand and Pittsburgh's Jason Bay are the only other Major League outfielders who have recorded as many as seven during this span.

"When I was playing with [Francoeur] in the World Baseball Classic, I knew he had a strong arm," first baseman Mark Teixeira said. "But I didn't know it was this accurate.

"I compare him to Ichiro [Suzuki] in the American League. He's got a strong arm and is very accurate. ... He's just a great right fielder."

Jones set the Atlanta record, with 20 outfield assists in 1998. Roberto Clemente's 27 in 1961 stand as the most recorded in the Majors over the past 50 years.

Speaking of Clemente: For Braves fans, the obvious omission from Rawlings' list is Jones, who has captured nine consecutive Gold Glove Awards.

Based on the votes cast by more than 1 million fans, the top three all-time outfielders are Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr. and Clemente.

"It makes sense to me," said Cox, who just this past winter, when polled by Rawlings, selected Jones as the best defensive outfielder to have played since Gold Gloves were first presented 50 years ago.

Cox believes that some fans may have been swayed by the fact that Jones was labeled as the game's most overrated center fielder in Jayson Stark's "The Stark Truth," which was released earlier this year.

"[Stark] hurt Andruw, I think, with that book," Cox said.

Reyes gets another shot: Before Wednesday night's game, Cox said multiple times that Jo-Jo Reyes will still make his scheduled start on Sunday against the Cardinals. Considering that Reyes has issued 19 walks in the 24 2/3 innings he's pitched at the Major League level this year, there was obviously reason to wonder if the veteran skipper's patience had worn thin.

"I like Jo-Jo," Cox said. "I really like him. He's got a great makeup. He's not scared on the mound. He's not trying to not go after hitters. He's not wild. He's just missing."

During Tuesday night's game against the Reds, Reyes allowed five earned runs and issued four walks in just 2 2/3 innings. Three of those walks came during the five-run third inning, which sparked the Reds during their 8-7 victory.

Reyes, who is 0-1 with a 9.62 ERA through the first six starts of his big league career, felt that he was battling a tight strike zone in Tuesday's game. During the 109 1/3 innings he completed in the Minors this year, the 22-year-old southpaw issued 47 walks.

Coming up: The Braves will conclude their four-game series against the Reds on Thursday at 7:10 p.m. ET. They'll send Buddy Carlyle (7-5, 4.66) to the mound to oppose Elizardo Ramirez (0-1, 3.86). The Braves will conclude their four-game series against the Reds on Thursday at 7:10 p.m. ET. They'll send Buddy Carlyle (7-5, 4.66) to the mound to oppose Elizardo Ramirez (0-1, 3.86).