Former Cincinnati Reds pitcher to be inducted into Canadien Baseball Hall of Fame

Joey Votto isn't the only Canadien to be part of Cincinnati Reds lore. Jeff Francis, an 11-year veteran of Major League Baseball, will be inducted into the Canadien Baseball Hall of Fame. Francis threw 74 pitches for the Reds during the 2014 season.

Francis actually had two separate stints with the Cincinnati Reds. The left-hander was signed to a minor-league contract in 2012. Francis never made an appearance in the big leagues with the Reds that season, and instead exercised an opt-out clause in his contract after pitching a shutout in Triple-A Louisville.

Former Reds pitcher Jeff Francis will enter the Canadien Baseball HOF.

Jeff Francis was a first-round selection of the Colorado Rockies in 2002 and made his MLB debut at the age of 23 in August of 2004. Francis made seven starts in his rookie season to the tune of a 5.15 ERA. The following season, Francis made 33 starts as one of the primary arms in the Rockies rotation.

In 2009, Francis underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder and missed the entire season. The lefty returned to the Rockies rotation in 2010 making 20 starts that season. Francis was a free agent that winter and signed a one-year deal with Kansas City and was one of the Royals better starters that season.

Francis returned to Colorado after making 12 starts for the Louisville Bats at Triple-A. While appearing in those 12 games, the southpaw put up a 3-6 record with a 3.78 ERA and 65 strikeouts over 70-plus innings.

Francis received another minor league offer from the Reds in 2014 with an invite to spring training. The then-33-year-old posted a 3.33 ERA in eight starts for Triple-A Louisville before getting called up to the bigs once again.

Jeff Francis was selected by the Cincinnati Reds on May 15th to pitch in Game 2 of a double-header against the San Diego Padres. Francis went five innings, saw 20 batters and allowed three runs on five hits while punching out four. Francis was released the next day.

In all, Francis finished with a sub-.500 record (72-82) and 4.97 ERA. He'll be joined by Justin Morneau, John Olerud, Duane Ward, and Jacques Doucet when all five are inducted in the Canadien Baseball Hall of Fame this June.