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Chicago Cubs: How well is Jason Heyward actually doing?
Last year was no doubt a disappointment for Jason Heyward, well besides winning that little thing called the ‘World Series’.
Jason Heyward had by far the worst statistical season of his career in his first season with the Cubs. He had a slash line of .230/.306/.631.
Since he was coming off of signing an eight-year, $184 million deal, it seemed even more disappointing. Everyone was waiting for him to turn a corner he never did.
Heyward still flashed shined on defense en route to his fourth gold glove of the past five years. Last season was definitely tough for Heyward, but he made the famous locker room speech and won a ring. Great success! (said by Borat)
Even though this past offseason was quite short, that didn’t stop Heyward. Working with hitting coach John Mallee, he completely revamped his swing — no small feat.
This year, J-Hey looks much better than he did last year according to the eye test. Do the stats back up this claim? Stay tuned…
Yes, Heyward is much better statically than he was last year, but he still isn’t the same player he once was.
You would think that since he is 6 foot 5 and 240 pounds of muscle, that he would be a home run hitter; that just doesn’t seem to be the case.
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In 2012, Heyward hit 27 bombs in what was one of his best years. Since then, he hasn’t had a season in which he hit more than 14 homers.
Don’t get me wrong, you can be a great player and not be a power hitter, but the Cubs would certainly like it if Heyward found his power stroke.
Heyward currently has an OPS of .697 which isn’t too bad, but at the same time isn’t great. Generally, you want everyday players to have an OPS above .750.
When Heyward is at his best, he clears .750 quite easily, but now he can’t seem to get there.
The roof — get it? Seriously, Jason Heyward is playing better than last season, but he still isn’t playing as well as he once did.
If his ceiling is 2012 and it’s downhill from there, can we really say that he is worth his contract? It depends.
Nobody questions his defense. His defense is one of the main reasons why the stat WAR values him so much.
In my opinion, Baseball reference is one of the best sites for player comparisons. Jason Heyward’s comps are certainly interesting.
His most similar batters through age 26 are in order: Lloyd Moseby, Jeff Francoeur, and Melvin Upton Jr. none of which are Hall of Famers, or even close.
The Cubs now have to ask themselves, was it worth if we signed the next Jeff Francoeur to an eight-year mega deal? No, would be the correct answer.
Obviously, they are different players and Heyward is a much better defender, but his offense is still an area of concern.
It’s great when the rest of the team hits the cover off the ball, but the Cubs will need Heyward long-term to be a cornerstone of their offense.
I still have faith in Heyward and think that he’s a great player, I just don’t think he’s reached his full potential yet.