Jason Heyward: Underachiver or Lack Of Effort

[HPC]

I have not taken 'cards' in to this discussion once, nor does it have an impact on anything I am saying. But atleast you seem to agree the "if" in your statment is the concern being questioned here in this thread.

Sure, the "if" arguement is huge. But the same can be said of any prospect.

But it also ties into my previous arguement that he is too young to say anything definitive. Is 3 seasons a good amount of playing time, absolutely. Is it enough to judge how the rest of his career will pan out? Nope. However, 6 seasons sure is enough to make a judgement on whether its safe to say he's going to be just fine or a mediocre caliber player

 

[matfanofold]

Sure, the "if" arguement is huge. But the same can be said of any prospect.

But it also ties into my previous arguement that he is too young to say anything definitive. Is 3 seasons a good amount of playing time, absolutely. Is it enough to judge how the rest of his career will pan out? Nope. However, 6 seasons sure is enough to make a judgement on whether its safe to say he's going to be just fine or a mediocre caliber player

I agree with this.

 

[bravesfan22]

In june Heyward is batting .345 3 hrs 9 rbis and an ops of 1.016. If you have watched him at all this season but especially over the last month, id say every since bryce harper took that extra base on him, Heyward has taken it to a new level. He hustles on every play. Runs down the 1st base line like hes going for a triple every time. A few weeks ago he beat out an infield hit, stole third and on the bad throw to third took home for the victory. He has made some great plays in the outfield with his arm as well. Really starting to show the 5 tool player he can be. Now he's just got to do it on a consistent basis, but I think we're starting to see a much better effort out of Jason. Really exciting to watch.

 

[saferseas]

Making adjustments>being toolsy

The ball is in his court now. A pretty swing is a pretty strikeout if MLB pitchers can just exploit an obvious weakness. I'd also be interested to see what his numbers are with runners in scoring position.

 

[mwashuc06]

In june Heyward is batting .345 3 hrs 9 rbis and an ops of 1.016. If you have watched him at all this season but especially over the last month, id say every since bryce harper took that extra base on him, Heyward has taken it to a new level. He hustles on every play. Runs down the 1st base line like hes going for a triple every time. A few weeks ago he beat out an infield hit, stole third and on the bad throw to third took home for the victory. He has made some great plays in the outfield with his arm as well. Really starting to show the 5 tool player he can be. Now he's just got to do it on a consistent basis, but I think we're starting to see a much better effort out of Jason. Really exciting to watch.

I was thinking the same thing...

 

[bravesfan22]

im not sure ill have to look that up however he had 2 hrs 3rbis today. then again there was 8hrs that accounted for 12 runs in the game today haha

 

[PeteD]

No doubt he's an all around athlete...capable of playing any sport to a high level. Reminds me of a lefty Dave Winfield. Didn't he have a severe shoulder injury early in his career? That could explain why he's been maturing slowly. He should be ok.

 

[chompsmcgee]

Reactionary threads like these should be saved for the offseason

 

[dp33]

No doubt. I can't imagine how many of you sold your Verlander chrome autos for $5 in 2008 because, in his 3rd season, he <insert prospect bust cliche here>.

 

[craftysouthpaw]

The guy has always hustled - the Harper play an exception to the norm. Maybe people are just noticing more now because they are focused on it.

A few weeks are obviously not enough to say he has definitely turned the corner but most of this year has been pretty encouraging really. As of this morning, he is 24th in the NL in OPS which is pretty darn good - especially for a 22 year old.

Jason is a beast and is about as close to a sure thing to turn into a perennial all-star as you will see. That isn't a guarentee he will get there as failed prospects littter the baseball landscape. But he is smart, has a good work ethic, has all 5 tools, and has good plate discipline. The smart money is he will make the leap from a baseball persective if not a hobby one assuming he stays healthy.

My opinion is that the difference between him becoming a superstar versus just a very good player wiill be his ability to hit lefties. His numbers this year against righties are excellent but he has definitely struggled a ton vs. lefties. If he can adjust the way someone like Granderson has, the sky is the limit. The HR last night against a slider from Logan was good to see.

 

[markakis8]

Batting .391 this month with 5 HR and an OPS of 1.170. Raised his average to over .280.

I see five or six All-Star births in his future.