In RF on Opening Day, Jason Heyward! Hip, hip, hooray!
Jason Heyward smiles. So do we. (AJC photo by Phil Skinner)
Let’s hear it for the cheapskate Braves, and let’s, in honor of the occasion, remove the adjective. Down the road, it would have made monetary sense to park Jason Heyward in Gwinnett for two weeks. But dollars and cents would have been the only reason for not having Heyward in right field at Turner Field on Opening Day, and credit the Braves for grasping that they weren’t reason enough.
There have been other stories in Lake Buena Vista this spring, but there was only one real story: Jason Heyward. Guy shows up and goes demolition derby on the cars parked behind the right-field fence. Guy gets a hit almost every time out. Guy gives all of us marooned here in Atlanta cause to say, “I’ve got to see this guy.”
Indeed, that’s pretty much what Frank Wren said to an inquiring correspondent last August, when Heyward was tearing up the minors. The correspondent noted that the Mississippi Braves were due to come through Chattanooga soon and wondered if Heyward was worth driving 110 miles to observe. “Mark,” Wren said, “you need to see this guy.”
And now he’ll be here April 5. (Game’s at 4:10 p.m. Tickets still available. Hint, hint.)
Earlier this month Bryan Smith of FanGraphs made a strong case as to why the Braves shouldn’t let Heyward start this season in the majors. The crux of his argument was the crux of every argument in 21st Century baseball: Money.
A player is eligible for free agency after six full big-league seasons. A full big-league season constitutes 172 service days. If the Braves would have stashed Heyward in Gwinnett until, say, April 17, he’d have finished 2010 with 170 big-league service days. (Assuming he didn’t pull a Jordan Schafer and get demoted.) He would not be eligible for free agency until after the 2016 season.
Wrote Smith: “There is simply no argument to be made that the marginal value gained by playing Jason Heyward over Matt Diaz for three weeks in April is worth losing Heyward’s rights for the 2016 season.”
That’s a logical and reasoned conclusion. It’s also bloodless. It doesn’t take into account the anticipation building here in the A-T-L for the guy from McDonough, and somehow saying, “Don’t worry — you’ll get your first glimpse of Jason Heyward in a real big-league game against the Rockies on Saturday night, April 17th,” doesn’t have the oomph of this:
“Starting in right field on Opening Day, Jason Heyward!”
The Braves have had big prospects before. Andruw Jones was twice the minor league player of the year, but he arrived in the middle of a season and joined a team coming off a World Series title. Chipper Jones was a big deal, but he likewise joined a team grown accustomed to winning. Jeff Francoeur was the hometown hero, the Golden Child, but he arrived in midyear to bolster a team working on its 14th consecutive division title. Heyward is different.
He could be the man — technically he’s only 20, but that’s close enough — who leads the Braves up from mediocrity. They haven’t made the playoffs since 2005, and they’re coming off an offseason in which their maneuvers did not, shall we say, meet with unanimous approval. Put simply, Braves fans need a jolt. And here he comes:
Joltin’ Jason, the J-Hey Kid.
As Bobby Cox told esteemed colleague Carroll Rogers: “I would have had to have been blind to not see what he showed.”
Yes, and the Braves would have had to have been tone-deaf not to acknowledge the yearning emanating from their fans. Jason Heyward is the most eagerly awaited Brave since … who, Chipper? Bob Horner? Dale Murphy? (I won’t mention Brad Komminsk if you won’t.) To have sent him to the minors for the sake of saving a few service days would have made business sense, but nobody buys a ticket to watch an accountant balance the ledger.
Forget 2016. In the year 2010, the Atlanta Braves needed to give us a reason to snap to attention on Day 1. And they just did.
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153 comments Add your comment
cdog
March 26th, 2010
9:33 pm
mark, show you how much you know. you probably would have someone like matt diaz starting over that kind of talent, jason heyward.you need to get out of atlanta.
Stephen
March 26th, 2010
9:34 pm
@Moneyball You want a team that’s really embraced Moneyball recently, look no further than the Boston Red Sox. You also kinda missed the point of the book: a small market team DID compete with the big boys because they were smarter. And the post-season is a crap shoot as Braves fans should know. Someone above made the point- but even if Hey is Pujols good, 10 games of Hey vs Diaz just isn’t make a difference.
Pretty bad argument senor.
Mr. Turnip-Green Jeans
March 26th, 2010
9:38 pm
Braves are getting more national press than any time since Aaron’s final countdown. One of SI’s two lead stories is Heyward and the Braves. This kid is gonna sell LOTS of T-shirts, and put LOTS of warm fannies in otherwise empty seats. I predict a ton of sellouts this season!
Here’s the SI link, if you give a crap… http://xrl.us/Heyward
NoCoach Blewitt
March 26th, 2010
9:40 pm
Please kindly sent Melky back to the Bronx ….. We need a left fielder…. Thanks
Mr. Turnip-Green Jeans
March 26th, 2010
9:43 pm
Here’s a direct link to the Heyward/Braves story. The previous one is to the SI Homepage. Sowwy.
http://xrl.us/ImAnIdiot
Mr. Turnip-Green Jeans
March 26th, 2010
9:45 pm
One more thang.
SPOOON!!!
Mr. Turnip-Green Jeans
March 26th, 2010
9:56 pm
OK, two more.
Heyward is the type player who can catch the imagination of kids. If things go as planned, every kid on every baseball field will be Jason Heyward. The Braves have always needed a certain type player (very young, uber-talented, super-cool temperament off the field, keg of dynamite on it) to build a young, long-lasting, fan base. They’ve finally got one…
AGTFan
March 26th, 2010
10:20 pm
@Stephen – Moneyball works real well when you spend more money a season than most 3rd world countries. There’s a huge difference between the money ball of nickel and diming your way through contracts and using statistical analysis to enable you to spend more money than all other teams with one exception. If Boston had Heyward right now, he would be starting this season.
Hire Mark Price
March 26th, 2010
10:51 pm
GTfan for Price as part of the program
Mike Jay
March 26th, 2010
11:33 pm
I think you all thinking this is a bad move financially are being a little short sided. You are looking at about 5-10 mil in 2016 money. I guarantee you the money that would be lost by not starting him off in the ATL will easily surpass that. Crazy thought but hear me out….
Imagine a team that is mostly terrible for basically ever. sure they had their 2 -3 year stretches here and there but over the course of half a lifetime they are mostly awful and occasionally mediocre. Then the unthinkable happens. The same owner who watched them mostly struggle for years. The same owner who took over as manager of the team before MLB said get the hell out of the dugout, brings in some brilliant baseball people. Gives the mostly a blank checkbook and gets outta the way. 14 glorious years of great baseball follow. However, over the last bit fans be came spoiled and disappointed in the teams lackluster playoff performance. Attendance goes down and the owner sells the team to a faceless corporation. The team goes on a four year run off missing the playoffs. New ownership ‘group’ lacks the previous owner’s desire to win and becomes more bottom line minded. All the while fans become more and more apathetic.
That is where this Franchise is at now. Starting the best talent in AAA to come through the organization in years for what would be purely financial reasons could cause long term damage to the Braves. This fan base is teetering on the brink, they ‘need’ a reason to come back to the ballpark. Recall the backlash for not starting Hanson right away. That is nothing compared to what would happen if they did that with Heyward. He is the talk of MLB., not just Atlanta. There will be more sellouts, more merchandise, more national televised games, etc. And not just for those 10 games.
That’s just the impact to the fans. What about the impact to the clubhouse? Wildcard races are always close. It could literally come down to a game or two. It ’s easy for us to say, big deal it’s not that big of an upgrade over Diaz for 10 games. I guarantee you those players in the clubhouse don’t think like that. Team chemistry and a will to succeed are what separate good teams from Championship teams. Not making this move would hurt both of those. Heyward has excelled at every stop. Everyone on the field stops and watches him take batting practice. 14 year vets! He’s ready for the next step and they all know it. It’s one thing to know your ball club has a fixed budget that doesn’t allow yo to spend whatever you want. It’s whole nother thing to basically tell your team that while you would really like to win as many games as possible this year, but for the first ten games you need to play a man short so we can potentially save a little $ in 2016.
Keith
March 27th, 2010
12:51 am
If memory serves, Brad Komminsk opened his major league career against…………Fernando Valenzuela and the Dodgers. He struck out each time. That screwball messed his swing for good. Offspeed pitches became fastballs that he consistently missed. Remind us of another outfielder in New York. Heyward just needs to relax and play ball. Most real fans understand that he may not be the next Aaron or Mays (Bobby didn’t help him in that respect) but 20-25 hrs and 80-90 rbi this year would be a good start. I hope the rest of the lineup can take the burden off this 20 year old phenom.
Youngerthan Thatnow
March 27th, 2010
1:29 am
Damned if you do… damned if you don’t!!
It doesn’t matter what decision was made on Jason Heyward in this situation… the Braves were going to be condemned either way. And I honestly believe that some of you here were waiting for the decision to come down just so you could bee-otch and moan about it, supporting the opposite alternative.
I come here every night to get my comic relief… some here amuse me that much!!
scottbravesfan
March 27th, 2010
2:08 am
Maybe if people in Atlanta actually went to some games they could afford to keep their players. But no one supports any of the four teams. Come the summer the regional fans will once again boost the Braves attendance over 2 million but the locals can’t be depended on actually going to any games for any sport.
SHO-NUFF
March 27th, 2010
8:17 am
Maybe if people could actually afford to go some games, then a lot more would. Maybe the problem with fan attendance is the high price of admission, for quality seats and concessions. Perhaps if the organization didn’t have to pay some players $10,000 to $15,000 per AB, or per inning pitched, a ticket wouldn’t be so excessive.
Stephen
March 27th, 2010
10:25 am
The passion of fans wanting to win and get excited is awesome. I’m a die hard Braves fan and will root for them this year even if they start a surgically repaired and detoxed Otis Nixon in left field.
Part of good decision making is thinking about risk and reward: If you hold out on Hey for 10 days, you’re guaranteed a good chunk of money and it’s very unlikely that you’ll lose any of those 10 games by starting Diaz not Hey (Can we please keep in mind that he is a rookie and unlikely to step up to the majors sporting a .300 from day 1?).
On the other hand, you have the potential to possibly have a more impassioned fan base and more motivated clubhouse for a little bit of extra time?
The emotional fan motivation side of this debate has been blown way out of proportion. In concrete terms, even if we accept the lowball estimate of “5 million 2016 dollars: (which I think is inaccurate), consider that we signed Wagner for 7 million, and the same emotional lot that love Hey in April are the ones touting that signing of Wagner.
Also, anti money ball arguments aren’t really relevant, so you should drop them. Moneyball has nothing to do with whether or not this is a good decision.
Ralph
March 27th, 2010
11:07 am
Mark, I don’t know how you put an “s” behind “car”.
Navigator
March 27th, 2010
12:32 pm
I sure would like to have seen the discussion that had Heyward start, and I’m sure BCox was miffed that he has this rookie on this team. He’s knows that an old veteran could do a better job, maybe he’ll platoon him with a .200 hitter.
mark
March 27th, 2010
12:43 pm
Go Braves! I expect a lot from you guys this season!
PlusSizeModel
March 27th, 2010
12:56 pm
Dude already looks like he’s 28 anyway. Might as well bring him up.
Warren Buffett
March 27th, 2010
3:05 pm
Two weeks in April 2010 will be a scant memory in 2016. We did what?
Spankees
March 27th, 2010
3:40 pm
If I’m not mistaken, this means the Yankees will get Heyward and Hanson after the 2015 season. We need to enjoy their talents while we can.
bvillebaron
March 27th, 2010
3:47 pm
Spankees:
What I Yankee fan on this board. It’s a good thing for them they have all this money to spend so they can try to swoop up all the good players that other teams develop and they can’t. The Braves have a good history of finding a way to keep their best home grown talent around (e.g. Chipper, Glavine, Andrew) while they are still productive (which is why Mark I kept telling you all winter it made no sense to spend big bucks on the overrated talent availble this offseason). Unfortunately, for the Yankees, Hanson and Heyward will be just like Joe Mauer. They ain’t going nowhere.
NO 3 MAN RUSH EVER
March 27th, 2010
4:12 pm
BRADLEY ARE YOU GOING TO KEEP THIS UO FIR A MONTH LIKE THE ONE ON KY BASKETBALL? THAT THING IS UP SO LONG THAT I AM STARTING TO ROOT AGAINST THEM.
Your Brave
March 27th, 2010
6:36 pm
TECH SUCKS
DAWGS RULE
butch.from.the.cape
March 27th, 2010
7:49 pm
Brian McCann was a FOOL to sign that contract with the Braves. Dont get me wrong, as a Braves fan who wants to see the Braves win, I’m glad that he did. However, Jeff Francoeur has shown that it isnt much of a gamble for a player to risk going for the big pay day.
For example…….in 2009 Jeff Francoeur made $3.375 while McCann made $3.5 mil. This year, Francoeur is going to make $5 mil while McCann’s making $5.5 mil. If Francoeur ends up having a good year this year, he will be in line to BLOW PAST the $6.5 mil that McCann is scheduled to make in 2011. McCann is 5 times the player that Francoeur is. However, McCann is barely making more than Francoeur.
Even though Francoeur sacrificed a little money by not signing a McCann like contract with the Braves, the potential reward (the money Francoeur could have made if he progressed in a similar fashion as McCann) is much greater than the money he gave up by doing the 1 year contract route.
Also, in 2007, McCann signed a 5 year, $28.5 mil contract. In Feb. of this year, Tim Linecum signed a 2 year, $23 mil contract. If Jason Heyward turns out to be the real deal, the Braves will either have to pay him Tim Linecum money (I can only imagine what Linecum will end up being paid during the last 2 years of arbitration before he is eligible for free agency) during his arbitration years………or the Braves will end up signing Heyward to a Joe Mauer type contract before Heyward is eligible for arbitration.
Either way, the Braves are gambling big time that Heyward is going to be open to signing the old hometown discount. The big question is how much of a discount will it be?
butch.from.the.cape
March 27th, 2010
8:07 pm
I’m sure that Tommy Hanson, despite finishing 3rd in the Rookie of the Year race in 2009, is THRILLED that Jason Heyward will be eligible for arbitration the same year (2012) he is.
Sure, catering to the Braves fan whose emotions want to see Heyward on the Opening Day roster will provide a temporary fix for them. However, what happens if Heyward gets off to a slow start to begin the 2010 season? I feel that Heyward will have a pretty good rookie season. However, it is not unreasonable to assume that he may struggle the first month of the season or so, like most rookies do.
If that happens, then the Braves would have ended up paying $9 mil dollars for 6 weeks of Jason Heyward…….because instead of being eligible for arbitration after the 2013 season……he’ll be eligible after the 2012 season……………which means that instead of paying Heyward $600-$700K in 2013, they’ll end up paying him at least $10 mil (again, if he’s as good as advertised, just look at Tim Linecum as the perfect example).
It’s a HUGE gamble to assume that Heyward is going to sign a hometown discount contract. If Heyward is as good as advertised, I just dont see him being in any rush to sign a discounted contract.
Also, one needs to remember that Heyward’s family is from New Jersey. Just imagine Heyward in a Yankees uniform. Imagine how many homers he could hit what that short right field porch. Imagine the endorsement opportunities awaiting Heyward if he waits for free agency and signs with the Yankees. He could end up making A-Rod money when he is eligible for free agency after the 2015 season.
ET
March 27th, 2010
10:52 pm
You guys are forgetting one thing about 2016 and Haywards contract potential. That is the year that the Oboma tax kicks in for luxury healthcare plans like what the bball players get. It doesn’t matter what he signs for because most of it will go to the government to pay for the budget breaking health care plan. Heyward will be lucky to have enough left over to buy a moon pie and an RC…God I loved eating moon pies and drinking RC Colas…a match made in heaven, which is where we will end up if we catch something serious in 2016…did I mention the health care cost?
Elmore Spencer
March 27th, 2010
10:57 pm
Brian McCann was a FOOL to sign that contract with the Braves.
huh? IM glad everyone has a crystal ball and can see into the future so well. McCann did the smart thing by taking the guaranteed money. He could have gotten hurt the day after he signed that contract and would have still gotten the money. That money is financial security for his family for the rest of their lives. How is that foolish?
I mean good grief Heyward hasn’t even played a game in the pros yet and we already have him playing for the Yankees in 5 years. I need to go to Vegas with you people sometime.
Elmore Spencer
March 27th, 2010
11:01 pm
You guys are forgetting one thing about 2016 and Haywards contract potential. That is the year that the Oboma tax kicks in for luxury healthcare plans like what the bball players get. It doesn’t matter what he signs for because most of it will go to the government to pay for the budget breaking health care plan. Heyward will be lucky to have enough left over to buy a moon pie and an RC…God I loved eating moon pies and drinking RC Colas…a match made in heaven, which is where we will end up if we catch something serious in 2016…did I mention the health care cost?
You know what really broke the budget. Trillion dollar wars looking for weapons buried in the sand that didnt even exist. Im sure Jason Heyward and his millions will be just fine. Rich people dont pay taxes anyway. They just move the money from one pocket to the other when the tax man comes.
Elmore Spencer
March 27th, 2010
11:03 pm
which is where we will end up if we catch something serious in 2016
As opposed to now where insurance companies cancel your coverage if you get sick or deny you coverage if you have a preexisting condition? You know what the Republican health care plan is?
Dont get sick.
Rusty
March 27th, 2010
11:45 pm
This is terrible news. I was SOO looking forward to the 2016 season. This makes absolutely no sense. The best right fielder should NOT have made this team. The best player on this team should NOT have made this team. However, I will pay to see this kid on opening day. Thank You BRAVES.
kjb
March 28th, 2010
12:34 am
I’m sick of you so call braves fan talking about a player on your braves team because of the color of their skin, so what if Jason Heyward is an african american, it shouldn’t matter if you love the braves & the game of baseball!!!! I’m an african american myself & I’ve been a diehard braves fan since about 1983 (7yrsold)& will be to the day I die. Dale Murphy, Bob Horner, Bruce Benedict, Sid Bream, Jeff Blauser, Mark Lemke, Glenn Hubbard, Chipper Jones, the big 3 Jsmoltz, Tglavine, & Gmaddux & even some of the new braves Brian McCann, Tommy Hanson are some of my favorite braves for the past & present & their all white players!!! Dion James, Deion Sanders, Terry Harper, Chris Chambliss, Fred McGriff, Gary Sheffield, David Justice, Terry Pendleton, Brian Jordan, Claudell Washington, Ken Griffey Sr.,Lonnie Smith, & Ron Gant were also some of my favorite braves, all black players. We have had alot of latins play for the braves that I like, Javy Lopez, the 3 Raphaels’ Ramirez, Belliard, & Furcal, Andruw Jones, Ozzie Guillen, & now Yunell Escobar @ JJ just to name a few. That’s coming from a black man that love the game of baseball & the Atlanta Braves til the day I die period!!! So if you love the braves & the game of baseball like I do, it shouldn’t matter who plays for them period!!! I wanted Jordan Shaefer to make it last year & still hopes he ends up being our cf for the near future cause I think the potential is there in him. I can’t wait to see Freddie Freeman come up. Yes Jason Heyward is black, yes he will struggle every now & then, that’s part of the game, but be honest braves fans, this young man is very mature for his age, very polite, loves to play the game, respects his elders, respects the game, not an arrogant person, & most important, he’s a Bobby Cox type of player (very humble & plays the game the right way) & I’m not saying that because I’m black, it’s because of what I’ve seen in him so far!!! From what I’ve seen so far, Jason Heyward will be a great player in this game & for the Braves for years to come & even Bobby & Chipper thinks he will. Chipper Jones have had struggles before & I pulled for him every time he came to bat. So let’s cheer for the young man & Chipper & the braves to have a wonderful year for Bobby Cox!!!! Go Braves!!! A diehard braves’ fan for life period!!!
WonderDawg
March 28th, 2010
8:37 am
Nice read, Mark. I, for one can’t read enough about Jason Heyward. I hope he, the Braves and Cox have a year to remember.
WonderDawg
March 28th, 2010
8:42 am
The top 10% of wage earners in the US pay over 85% of the total income tax, Elmore Spencer. Why don’t you educate yourself before you spew such stupidity?
Navigator
March 28th, 2010
8:57 am
KJB: You have a big problem if you thing majority of post are about race, is that your first thought everytime folks are discussing the future of the braves?? If Heyward turns out to be the next Chipper Jones or better, the Braves will ante up the money and the fans will cheer loudly. I’m so tired of people like you using a race card when the situation is not race related. As far as paying a rookie a big salary to prevent the Yankees from grabbing him, that situation exist with any player and the Braves have a decision to make. The Braves record in recent years a signing big bonuses have not been good ones, so paying big bucks for an untried player is a concern for all of the fans. As far as not supporting an African American player is ridiculous in this time period, just ridiculous as the African American community not supporting players of color because they come from outside the contiguous borders of the continental USA, or we shouldn’t support white players that come from Canada, South American, Australia or anywhere else they may come from.
Braves #1
March 28th, 2010
9:08 am
The Bravo’s are the team to beat in the Nat’l League this year….mark your calendars for October..Boys and Girls…………………….!
BobtheBlogger
March 28th, 2010
9:29 am
As I recall, the Braves won one of their division championships by one game, and one or two by two games. What if the Braves waited two weeks to bring up Heyward, and then lost the wild card by a game or two? Sure, it’s a long season, but if you lose by one or two games, any game you could have won is important.
If Heyward starts to get pitched around in the 7 hole this year, I’d like to see him in the #2 spot. While he is not a prototypical #2 hitter, it would be nice seeing pitchers having to deal with him with Chipper and Glaus on deck.
ET
March 28th, 2010
9:51 am
WonderDawg…thanks for setting “tickle me Elmore ” straight. These guys won’t face the fact that Oboma is breaking the bank. They continue to blame it on Bush. Heyward will be paying 60-70% taxes after you add up sales , state & federal taxes. Plus get ready for a new VOC tax (value added tax). In Europe it goes as high as 20% added onto everything that is sold in those countries. It’s not just a sales tax, it adds taxes at every step of the manufacturing or assembly process. It is the only way that Oboma can pay for these policies that he is implimenting. That is what this committee he has formed will come up with. Just wait and see…
jim
March 28th, 2010
3:20 pm
Great news regarding Heyward. My son and I have tickets for Opening Day and they are in Right Field – thanks Braves! One other thing – lets kick some National League East butt this year. Go Bravos!!!!
tnt
March 28th, 2010
3:39 pm
J-Hey, Drop the World…
Jopper
March 28th, 2010
5:01 pm
I disagree. If he’s that good… let’s not lose him a year earlier than we have to! Braves fans just have to have him in the lineup on Opening Day to make it out to the ballpark and support this team? Ridiculous. The fans should support this team either way and look forward to April 17th when he joins the club AND look forward to 2016 when he’s playing for us rather than the Yankees.
Decatur Tech Fan
March 28th, 2010
5:33 pm
Hey SEC Rules….how many players off of Tenn and KY BB teams will earn a college degree?
Answer…same number that are in the Final Four… ZERO. Hahahahahaaha lol.
Decatur Tech Fan
March 28th, 2010
5:36 pm
IMO……Heyward > Justice. Go Braves….beat Phillies!
butch.from.the.cape
March 28th, 2010
5:43 pm
I find it interesting that Braves management would suspend that minor leaguer who was caught with the prostitute.
By the way, what did the Braves do when Bobby Cox was charged with punching his wife in 1995? He was ordered to attend alcohol and domestic abuse counseling…….however no suspension from either the Braves or MLB.
I would consider punching your wife to be a more “suspendable” offense than hooking up with a prostitute.
Malted Falcon
March 28th, 2010
7:00 pm
Where is Brad Komminsk? Does anyone know???
MightyQuinn
March 28th, 2010
8:15 pm
Saw Brad Komminsk coaching AA in the minors, still looked like he could go out and play. Was in great shape.
Coach (2011 or Bust)
March 29th, 2010
12:57 am
Great news concerning Jason Heyward. I agree that he should start the season in Atlanta.
That said, the Braves offense appears to be in trouble and nobody is talking about it. With twenty-four spring training games under their belt the Atlanta offense ranks right in the middle of the 30 team pack in runs scored and RBI.
But even more disconcerting is the one extra base hit in 37 at bats from Troy Glaus. Our hour hole clean up hitter looks like his power stroke is missing in action. Combine this with the spring training struggles so far from Nate McLouth, and this fan must give pause when remembering the struggles by the 2009 offense in the first half of their season.
Power and speed were problems last year and so far they look like this Braves vehicle is still in need of some major engine upgrades.
Mark
March 29th, 2010
7:32 am
It should be Jeff Francoeur in right field.
Bob
March 29th, 2010
8:37 am
I am sure though Booby Cox will find a reason to play Melky ahead of Heyward at some point this season, since Cox so favors veterans over rookies, regardless if they are producing or not.
ugaaccountant
March 29th, 2010
10:15 am
Coach – Were you really expecting a top tier offense this year? Really? The idea all along was clearly top tier pitching, middle of the pack offense. Heyward was, is, and will be our only chance at top tier hitting. We paid for middle of the pack hitting, so unless Heyward blows us away the organization never was counting on being a great hitting team.