Jason Heyward Scouting Report (2008)
Jason Heyward fell into the Braves lap in the first round of the 2007 draft and has since skyrocketed up prospect charts to the point where he will likely be a consensus top 10 overall prospect prior to the 2009 season. He posted a .323/.388/.483 line with the Rome Braves earning a late season promotion to Myrtle Beach to gain some playoff experience. Heyward struggled the evening I watched him play, but showed polish far beyond his years leaving me with the impression that the sky is truly the limit for the Braves talented young outfielder.
Overall, Heyward showed a great deal of polish and baseball IQ on a night when he wasn't at his best. Seeing such a young player with an advanced approach like Heyward's has me believing he's a safer prospect play than most. The best comparison I can come up with is Justin Morneau with double digit stolen base potential. Morneau's career minor league line was .310/.375/.527 with developing power as he continued to mature. I can see Heyward's career following a similar path with his becoming an elite player for a number of seasons. In my opinion, he's currently the second best outfield prospect in the game behind Rasmus and could find himself as the #1 overall prospect in baseball before long.
- Impressive physical specimen; Broad shoulders, muscular forearms, and muscular legs all leave room for additional size and strength as he physically matures
- The Greg Oden of MILB; Looked much older than a teen
- Looked 1" taller than Freeman when standing next to him
- Very comfortable in the batters box; calm, fluid movements
- Over aggressive and out front on a handful of fastballs
- Power should spike with improved weight transfer
- Laced first pitch fastball for a single up the middle; Ball exploded off of his bat
- Guided a ground ball single back up the middle with two strikes; VERY professional at bat
- Displayed good timing and base running instincts; Great jump from second on steal attempt
- Vintage Darryl Strawberry came to mind when seeing him chase a ball into the corner; Threw ball from RF corner to almost 3B with little effort
Overall, Heyward showed a great deal of polish and baseball IQ on a night when he wasn't at his best. Seeing such a young player with an advanced approach like Heyward's has me believing he's a safer prospect play than most. The best comparison I can come up with is Justin Morneau with double digit stolen base potential. Morneau's career minor league line was .310/.375/.527 with developing power as he continued to mature. I can see Heyward's career following a similar path with his becoming an elite player for a number of seasons. In my opinion, he's currently the second best outfield prospect in the game behind Rasmus and could find himself as the #1 overall prospect in baseball before long.
