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#4. Jason Heyward
Jason Heyward had an abysmal year at the plate in 2016. There’s no way to sugarcoat it. He was flat-out awful. But his offensive woes from last season are uncharacteristic of the player he’s generally been for the majority of his career.
In 2016, Heyward put up an atrocious slash line of .230/.306/.325. All while hitting a paltry seven home runs. Ideally you’d like to see more power from a corner outfielder, but that may not be in the fold for Heyward.
Chicago Cubs
However, this does not mean it will be more of the same at the plate this year. For his career, Heyward has slashed .262/.346/.415. Those are the numbers of a reliable hitter. Before signing with the Chicago Cubs, the 27-year-old outfielder hit .293/.359/.439 with the St. Louis Cardinals. Those offensive numbers combined with his always-spectacular defense made him a 6.0 WAR player in 2015. That’s MVP-caliber.
That’s not to say Heyward will be an MVP-caliber player this year. It would be foolish to expect that. But it wouldn’t be foolish to think Heyward will look more like the player he’s accustomed to being this season.
Elite defense a sure-thing
Like Addison Russell, elite defense is something you can always count on from Heyward. Despite his struggles at the plate, Heyward had an impressive UZR of 16.4 in 2016. That alone made it worth it for the Cubs to keep him in the lineup.
He’s spent a great deal of time over the offseason working on the mechanics of his swing. If he can get close to the same plate production he had in St. Louis, then look out; Heyward will be a force to be reckoned with in the Cubs’ lineup.