What's been one of the worst kept secrets of Spring Training is finally no longer a secret. Braves manager Bobby Cox tabbed 20-year-old Jason Heyward to be the club's everyday right fielder.
Heyward has raked this spring (.366/.500/.537) and is widely considered the number one prospect in baseball. The 14th overall selection by Atlanta in 2007 made stops in High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A last year producing at each level.
So with Heyward starting in RF the Braves lineup has a little more pop. His lefty stroke should complement Chipper Jones (3B), Yunel Escobar (SS), Troy Glaus (1B) and Brian McCann (C). I still don't know if the Braves have enough offense to overtake the Phillies in the NL East but putting Heyward on the major league roster can only benefit the club down the road.
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Like you said, no real surprise there. Nonetheless it will be exciting to watch this kid play. I'm thinking that the Phillies are a lock to win the division but the Braves have more pop in the lineup this year and should close the gap a bit.
ReplyDeleteSummary of Heyward projections:
ReplyDeletehttp://baseballanalysts.com/archives/2010/03/up_heyward_and.php
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