Just when Jason Heyward was cruising at the plate and once again showing the greatness all of baseball scouts had talked about before his MLB debut in 2010, the Atlanta Braves right fielder went down. He was hit in the jaw on Wednesday by Jon Niese and will be out four to six weeks. Obviously, for the Braves it's a terrible loss, but it could be an even bigger hit on Heyward's career.
Braves fans must have yelled "Not again!?" when they saw their 24-year-old right-fielder and recent leadoff hitter go down. He was the Braves No. 1 and seventh overall pick in the 2007 MLB Draft and he entered the majors with so much hype in 2010. Heyward was immediately an All-Star, he fell second to Buster Posey in the Rookie of the Year voting and he even took home some MVP votes. However, Heyward's career has been far from consistent and on Wednesday, his career was once again put on a brief hiatus due to an injury.
Heyward has suffered from shoulder problems throughout his career and in 2010, he was first introduced to the disabled list because of a thumb issue. His rookie year, Heyward played 142 games, but in 2011, as a sophomore, he only played in 128 games. The math is simple for the Braves, if Heyward is healthy, he will provide help on offense and defense. This was proven in 2012, when Heyward played 158 games. He hit .269 with a .335 on-base percentage, 27 home runs and 82 RBI.
2013 has been far from a successful year. Heyward has missed over 30 games, playing in 95 of their 127 games this year. It's not terrible, but it already places him below his total from last season. Add in the time he will spend on the DL and Heyward will finish the season with a career low in games played, at bats, home runs and RBI.
Heyward may go from the Say Hey Kid to the All-Hype Kid. It's hard to believe in a player who is always getting injured. Granted, Wednesday's injury was a freak accident, Heyward has yet to reach his full potential, giving the Braves a taste of what he could do in 2012.
Making matters worse, the Braves are trying to clinch their division and, realistically, they have a great chance of winning the World Series if their offense can click and their pitching remains great. However, without Heyward, the Braves are left with a monster hole in their lineup. He was the team's unofficial leadoff hitter and it was working. At the top spot of the order, Heyward hit .351 with five home runs and 15 RBI while posting a .414 OBP. He's what the Braves have been looking for all along, though they dropped over $75 million to acquire an overrated B.J. Upton and Andrelton Simmons has yet to prove he can handle the bat well.
Heyward doesn't want to be remembered as a talent-filled prospect who couldn't stay healthy in the big leagues. However, his injury history is piling up and for the third time in his four years in the MLB, Heyward will miss extended time because of health issues.
