Jason Heyward stood patiently in the batter's box like a watchful hawk, his long 6-foot, 5-inch frame towering over those around him.
In the stands, eager fans sat on the edges of their seats as if balancing on the point of a needle, awaiting the first at-bat of this heralded rookie. Each sat with fists clinched wondering if they could believe the hype.
Not Heyward.
Heyward's joints were loose, his arms were relaxed and his face failed to reflect the enormity of the situation upon which he was embarking.
He might as well have been hitting soft-toss rather than staring down a man that was setting the Chicago Cubs' franchise record for most consecutive Opening Day starts.
Heyward watched patiently as two balls passed by out of the strike-zone, Zambrano challenging him up and in as if to remind the hitter who was in charge.
With the third pitch, Heyward squashed that notion—and the ball—in a heartbeat.
One swing, one 446-ft. blast that left the Cubs reeling and the baseball world staring like punch-drunk hippies as Heyward rounded the bases refusing to show any sign that this was at all out of the ordinary.
Because, rest assured, this is not normal.
A 20-year-old rookie golfing the third pitch of his career well over the wall in rightfield to give his team a three-run cushion is about as normal as Courtney Love at a Tupperware party. Ben Roethlisberger would draw less attention on an all-girls college campus.
And yet, to Heyward, I get the feeling that he doesn't quite understand the hype. To him, production at the plate is a given. Anything less would be a disappointment.
We should follow his example. When he hits a home run, don't act so surprised. It was alright to jump out of your seat for the first one, but don't act so shocked when he continues the trend.
Yes, he's a rookie and expectations shouldn't run too high. But when I see Heyward at the plate, I see a man well beyond his years. He has the size of a premier athlete and the demeanor of a seasoned veteran. His plate discipline looks more like Albert Pujols than that of Adam Dunn and he approaches the plate like a salesman approaches a deal.
Not to mention, he's already got a nickname that aligns him with one of the greatest players to ever step foot on a baseball diamond ("The J-Hey Kid").
All I'm saying is let's just do him—and ourselves—a favor and not be so surprised if he does take the league by storm this summer.
Sure, he could be Brien Taylor (feel free to look him up) and see his professional career fail to ever really materialize. He could be Taylor...
But he might be Hank Aaron.
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