Some young baseball players that are hyped heading into the season do not make an immediate impact. Atlanta Braves rookie right-fielder, Jason Heyward, showed on Opening Day that he does not belong in that group with a magical debut against the Chicago Cubs .
He was phenomenal throughout the minor leagues and continued to put his array of talents on display in Spring Training. At 20-years old, he has the plate discipline and eye of a veteran. He can spray the ball to every part of the outfield, steal bases, and play a superb right-field.
He has it all.
Batting seventh against Cubs fiery right-hander Carlos Zambrano, he stepped to the plate in front of a sold-out Turner Field crowd. Shortstop Yunel Escobar had just tied the game at three with a single plating two runs. As Escobar strode off first and Brian McCann did the same off second, Heyward took a ball outside then another low.
Behind in the count and not wanting to fall behind 3-0 in fear of loading the bases, Zambrano tried to fire a fastball right by him.
Bad idea.
Heyward, with a smooth, compact swing, pummeled the offering 433 feet into the right field seats, sending his family into a crazed celebration and thrusting the arms of 53,079 others high into the air.
Expectations should be tempered, but it is difficult to do so with a talent such as Heyward. As he showed with his amazing three-run homer on his first swing, it may be ethical to expect the expected.
He received a big hug from longtime Brave Chipper Jones, who is 17 years his senior, and then congratulations from every teammate. He couldn’t have dreamt up a better start to his career.
Zambrano exited having allowed eight runs. Long after he was gone, in the third inning, Heyward was robbed of his second hit, lining a rope into the glove of Chicago first baseman Derek Lee.
But then in the seventh, with the score 11-5 in Atlanta’s favor, Heyward was helped by Lee, as a throwing error resulted in him standing on second and a run scoring. This botched play by Lee and Heyward’s awareness to speed into second allowed two more runs to score.
He capped his amazing debut an inning later by ripping a Justin Berg fastball into center-field, the same pitch he had just barely got under. Brooks Conrad scored, giving Heyward four RBI and a blistering .400 batting average after the first day.
What a day it was for him!
A blast on his first swing, a hug from Chipper, high fives from the rest, a curtain call, and two more productive, run-scoring at-bats. I think it's safe to expect more of the same from Jason Heyward.
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