Atlanta Braves OF Jason Heyward Heats Up Now
By Jeff Schafer
Atlanta Braves fans have been waiting and waiting on the number 1 prospect in the entire MLB in 2010 to finally appear to his predicted abilities. So far we’ve been teased with stellar years while bashing our heads against a brink wall during other years. Jason Heyward has the talent to be a very successful baseball player but hasn’t truly lived up to all his hype.
June 10, 2013; San Diego, CA, USA; Atlanta Braves right fielder Jason Heyward (22) on deck prior to his at bat during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
2013 has started off rough for JHey as he played in only 17 games before needing immediate appendectomy surgery on April 21st. He was batting a lousy .121, had a .261 OBP, with only one multi-hit game, two home runs and only five RBI’s when the surgery happened.
Jason was able to return to the lineup on May 17th and showed signs of improvement during the month. He batted .178 through the 13 games he played in with three multi-hit games. His OBP jumped in the month as well to .327 as he had eight walks.
During June so far, he has a .328 batting average with a .379 OBP. JHey has 20 hits and three home runs in the 15 games during the first summer month of the year. Is this just the beginning of what will be a great summer for Heyward? Braves fans everywhere surely hope this.
This is Heyward’s fourth season as an MLB ball player and throughout his career so far his best months have been when the sun comes out and it shines bright. His second half numbers are substantially better with batting average and OBP than the early months of the season. Here are numbers explaining Jason’s hot summers past and hopefully a summer of fun!
Split
G
GS
PA
AB
R
H
2B
3B
HR
RBI
SB
CS
BB
SO
BA
OBP
SLG
OPS
1st Half
267
248
1083
943
142
231
48
8
39
120
22
11
121
229
.245
.338
.437
.775
2nd Half
206
188
839
724
109
196
36
5
25
88
20
7
100
178
.271
.363
.438
.801
Though with the above chart, you notice Heyward has more runs, hits, doubles, triples, home runs, RBI’s and stolen bases in the first half of the season BUT take a look further down the chart as his strikeouts lower, his batting average increases as well as OBP.
Heyward may not turn into the number 3 hitter everyone envisioned a couple years ago but could be a very solid number 2. We need him on base so that the guys who can drive in the guys in scoring position can do so. Below’s chart is a break down of the different months throughout Jason Heyward’s career and as you look at the numbers June, July and August are the months when he heats up!
Split
G
GS
PA
AB
R
H
2B
3B
HR
RBI
SB
CS
BB
SO
BA
OBP
SLG
OPS
April/March
89
85
357
309
45
72
11
3
17
47
10
2
43
77
.233
.334
.453
.787
May
83
71
322
267
44
60
14
4
8
36
6
6
44
64
.225
.350
.397
.747
June
77
75
330
297
47
82
20
1
10
30
4
3
30
74
.276
.343
.451
.795
July
65
62
287
251
39
68
14
0
9
30
9
3
31
57
.271
.357
.434
.791
August
75
65
291
256
42
69
13
2
14
40
6
2
29
72
.270
.347
.500
.847
Sept/Oct
84
78
335
287
34
76
12
3
6
25
7
2
44
63
.265
.364
.390
.754
In years past, Heyward has been traditionally a slow starter with big months towards the end of the season. Braves fans everywhere are hoping for the same this season!