Braves rookie Jason Heyward is the real deal

Posted on April 19, 2010

Jason Heyward of the Atlanta Braves blows a bubble while batting during the game between the Atlanta Braves and the San Francisco Giants on Friday, April 9, 2010, at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California. The Giants defeated the Braves 5-4. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

 

I started hearing about this real special 20-year-old kid causing tons of excitement at the Atlanta Braves spring training camp last month in Florida. Rookie right fielder Jason Heyward was literally breaking car windows and sun roofs with mammoth clouts over the vast fences at the Braves facility near Disney in Orlando. I was far away covering Cactus League ball in Arizona, but I sure wanted to see this kid play with my own two eyes. Looking at the San Francisco Giants schedule I saw I would get my chance early in the season as the Giants were hosting the Braves for the first three dates on their 2010 home schedule. Now the kid just needed to make the team.

I am not a huge fan of the un-balanced schedule that Major League Baseball rolls out every year. Teams like the Braves only come to town once, and if their start player is hurt or a rookie like Heyward is not with the club then I have to wait an entire year before I have the chance to photograph that special player again. Luckily for me Braves skipper Bobby Cox demanded that his team head north from Florida with the kid on the roster as he embarked on his final season as a big league manager. Heyward would be on the Braves roster when they came to AT&T Park in San Francisco to play the Giants on April 9, 2010. I was assigned by Sports Illustrated to photograph Heyward for all three games. This would be fun!

By the time the Braves rolled into the Bay Area Heyward was the hottest thing going, based on his Hollywood-like debut a few days earlier. In his first at bat in the first inning of his first game on Opening Day in Atlanta the kid crushed a monster three-run homer that helped lead the Braves to a demolition over the visiting Chicago Cubs at Turner Field. I watched the homer live on television and could not believe it. The ballpark went nuts and the replay was shown all night on every show I watched. Heyward was the talk of baseball.

The 20-year-old kid reminded me of LeBron James. He seemed mature way beyond his years and carried himself like a big league veteran. He struggled in the first game against the Giants, striking out four times against some tough left-handed pitching. Just as the Giants fans were getting a little cocky Heyward came back in game 2 of the series and put on one of the most impressive hitting displays I have ever seen from a young player. He went to the plate with a plan. He had a real nice opposite field approach and proceeded to hit a laser shot down the left field line for a home run, then followed it up with a few more hits. They also went to left field.

The following night in game three of the series Heyward went opposite field again for another homer. Impressive hitting for anyone, let alone a 20-year-old kid. Since the Braves left town Heyward has been on a nice roll, climaxing with his dramatic two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the 9th inning yesterday in Atlanta to beat the Colorado Rockies. Heyward is currently hitting .302, with 3 homers and 15 RBI’s. Not bad for a 20-year-old. I look forward to having the opportunity to photograph Heyward for a long, long time.

Jason Heyward – Images by Brad Mangin