The Book on Jason Heyward

Prospect Info

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Jason Heyward
Born 8/9/1989
OF, ATL

Atlanta fans should finally be able to 'Say Heyward' this year, as their prize prospect looks as close to ready as a player can be for big-league baseball. A real treasure for the Braves as 2007's 14th overall pick, the left-handed Heyward has been lauded for his developing plate discipline and 30-homer power potential for a couple of years now.

He's not really a prototypical center fielder, though he could play there in a pinch. Better to pencil him into right field for 2011, or even early 2010, when he should get at least a shot to win a job out of a spring training competition with Matt Diaz and whoever else the Braves bring to town.

A real five-tool player, he doesn't have one breakout skill, he has five very good and well-rounded ones: he's patient at the plate with very good bat speed, makes great reads and jumps in the field to make up for his only slightly above-average speed, and shows off all the arm necessary to play even the deepest corners. He might not be a fantasy stud anytime soon (think about Matt Kemp's very slow rise to stardom), but he should be the All-Star face of the real-world Braves franchise for years to come.

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Player Updates and Notes

The Braves acquisition of Mark Kotsay from the A's pushes Heyward down a notch on the depth chart. In the absence of other moves, he'll now compete for fourth or fifth OF spot in Spring Training.

1/12/2008 by BallGrrrl

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