Comments on: It’s Past Time To Talk About Jason Heyward

By: Sheff Waveland

Sheff Waveland — Fri, 23 Sep 2016 23:06:07 +0000

Doesn’t it seem like the overwhelming majority of players who sign big, long term contracts struggle in the first year of that contract? And not just on the North side of Chicago. There has to be a psychological component to that. Combine that fact (opinion?) with his defense, and I personally am not panicking.

By: Str1fe5

Str1fe5 — Thu, 22 Sep 2016 18:58:11 +0000

Comparing 2016 Heyward to 2015 Lester is absurd. Lester by traditional metrics was an above average pitcher and by more advanced metrics basically the same pitcher he had been the previous 3-4 seasons. As you clearly showed, Heyward is one of the worst hitters in baseball and apparently below replacement level even with his stellar defense.

This guy is broken. I can’t think of a single player who was otherwise healthy that played at a near elite level following a season like this. Expecting 4+ WAR production from him going forward is dubious unless he really was hurt this year.

The Cubs tried to change his swing mechanics in the off season to get more power out of him. He continued to tinker with his swing this whole season. This has shades of Starlin Castro with a sprinkle of Carl Crawford mixed in.

By: The CHI Sports Fan (@TheCHISportsFan)

The CHI Sports Fan (@TheCHISportsFan) — Thu, 22 Sep 2016 17:24:31 +0000

Very good Cat. I think it’s also important to note that he has had pretty wild variations in his career.

Year Tm WAR oWAR dWAR oRAR
2010 ★ ATL 6.4 4.8 0.9 49
2011 ATL 2.5 0.8 1.1 9
2012 ATL 5.8 3.5 1.5 35
2013 ATL 3.7 2.0 1.4 20
2014 ATL 6.2 2.6 2.8 27
2015 STL 6.5 3.8 2.0 39
2016 CHC 1.2 -0.5 1.1 -2

By: victor19nyc

victor19nyc — Thu, 22 Sep 2016 17:05:25 +0000

I like Jason Heyward, not just because he’s on my team but because he seems like a nice player. However I can’t ignore the fact that he’s been awful at the plate this season and it might not get any better.

Despite the Cubs highly ranked offense, one of my biggest concerns for the postseason is the fact that the Cubs offense can suddenly disappear completely. Heyward is a big contributor in that regard. In a 5-game series they can’t afford to fall asleep at the plate for two games because the series will be over quickly. There’s no real solution…………run prevention is the reason why the Cubs are coasting right now, and Heyward is a great defender. As one of the previous commenters said, maybe he’ll finally bust out during the playoffs. The potential has always been there it’s just a matter of unlocking it.

By: psavio

psavio — Thu, 22 Sep 2016 15:33:55 +0000

You make a lot of good points and poor swing mechanics may certainly be the primary culprit (although there’s no mention of another popular theory–injury, particularly a bad wrist). Admittedly I don’t understand the “it’s the middle of the season, let’s not bother fixing your horrible swing mechanics” because…why? It might inhibit his defensive prowess? Not sure how they relate.

I understand not tinkering with Bryant’s swing plane during his rookie season (as he was still highly productive), but Heyward’s offensive abilities have cratered. Tinkering won’t make him worse. Watching his jittery multi-step pre-load is painful. I know baseball is hard, but having Mallee tell him to take the “see ball, hit ball” approach may not be so bad? Maybe?

I know it’s not that simple, but my point is why wait until the off-season to change something? It’ll be interesting to see how Joe uses him in the post-season. Here’s hoping he’s been rope-a-doping the whole regular season and busts out in the playoffs!

By: Clark addison

Clark addison — Thu, 22 Sep 2016 14:36:33 +0000

Theo’s quest for market inefficiencies led him to defense, more specifically fielding. These Cubs are a pleasure to watch in the field. Hayward is a major part of that.