Live from Opening Day: Heyward homers his first time up!
April 5, 2010: Jason Heyward at the cage. "He's the real deal," Chipper said. (Photo by M. Bradley)
Bobby Cox couldn’t think of a suitable antecedent. Neither could Terry Pendleton. Neither could Chipper Jones, who was himself a rookie of immense promise.
“The media spotlight is 10, 20 times bigger than it was even 10 years ago,” Jones said, and that’s true.
When Jason Heyward picked up a bat and walked to the cage Monday, he took in his wake a camera crew and two still photographers. And when he, on his sixth practice swing — actually his fourth full swing, the first two having been bunts — he hoisted a delivery from China Cadahia over the fence in right-center, a writer who has been covering the Braves since 1984 (i.e., me) felt compelled to note it.
“Everyone who gets here has talent,” said Pendleton, the Braves’ hitting coach, speaking as he watched Heyward take his pregame swings. “What’s impressive about him is the way he carries himself, the way he goes about his business.”
Said Chipper: “He’s the real deal.”
Having been here these past 26 years, I can say with some measure of authority that there has never been a Braves rookie whose Opening Day debut has stirred such anticipation. Chipper was a September call-up in 1993. Andruw Jones arrived in August 1996. John Smoltz, Steve Avery and Tommy Hanson were midseason promotions.
Bottom line: There aren’t many rookies who ever make their first big-league start on Opening Day, and there have been few in the history of the sport whose advent has been a bigger deal than Heyward’s. Think not? Just click on this link and you’ll find a story by Ben McGrath in the The New Yorker, which isn’t to be confused with Baseball Digest, on Jason Heyward.
“We had Rafael Furcal start on Opening Day,” Cox said, “and he was 19.” Or thereabouts, someone noted.
“Sometimes 19, sometimes 22,” Cox said, laughing.
And Rafael Furcal, however old he was, wound up being the 2000 Rookie of the Year. If the projections for Heyward are accurate, he’ll win the 2010 ROY award and then the MVP before 2015. You wonder if the wattage of this spotlight will prove too great for any 20-year-old, but everyone who has been around Jason Heyward makes the same point: He’s not just another 20-year-old. He’s different. He’s special.
And we’ll be here all afternoon and into the evening to see how he fares. Join me for this august occasion. (Though technically it’s April. I made a little joke.) I’ll be obliged if you did.
Update: On cue, Jason Heyward hit a home run his first time up. Off Carlos Zambrano. Three-run shot way back into the bullpen in right-center. Crushed it. Whoa.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
475 comments Add your comment
the mook
April 5th, 2010
7:01 pm
i’m sure it will be a classy interview by him as usual. taking it all in stride
Bill
April 5th, 2010
7:01 pm
Thanks Mark for a great job. Go Braves!
the mook
April 5th, 2010
7:03 pm
good job mark
and once again Lowe puts in another sorry outing and yet gets the win because of an offensive outburst. he may be a 15 game winner yet again with that luck.
NoShamSam
April 5th, 2010
7:05 pm
Enter your comments here
AJ
April 5th, 2010
7:08 pm
A win is a win…wish they could have saved some of those runs for another time. Timely hitting and some errors will get you 16 runs…wow!
Decatur Tech Fan
April 5th, 2010
7:09 pm
Guys and Gals, hate to rain on ur parade on such a glorious day, but if D Lowe (down low) is the best we got, we inna Heap o trouble. Get ur 2011 tickets now. this season is OVER! shoot for third in the division boyz, its all u gonna get.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 5th, 2010
7:12 pm
“if D Lowe (down low) is the best we got”
Judging by what the other guys did last year, he’s the 4th or 5th best we got.
There are still 161 games to be played, but this team looks legit.
AJ
April 5th, 2010
7:13 pm
We could have used the bullpen differently….Moylan, Saito & Wagner will get plenty of work in close games. Keep them fresh, Bobby.
Jason Heyward - MeMiM
April 5th, 2010
7:17 pm
[...] is 20 years old, 6-foot-4, about 220 pounds, and the new starting right fielder for the Atlanta BravJason Heyward – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) SportsNation Blog Archives Jason Heyward ESPN Jason Heyward [...]
Holly
April 5th, 2010
7:17 pm
Improving would include his feet in the shot.
the mook
April 5th, 2010
7:18 pm
some people will always see the glass half empty…
it’s a gorgeous opening day
we won
heyward hit a homerun to start his career
big mac stayed hot
just sit back and enjoy all this awesomeness
Big L
April 5th, 2010
7:23 pm
At the grand old age of 31, it has probably been 10 years since I loved the Braves. The corporate nature over the last half decade has just killed the feelings I had as a teenager. But something feels different. I wiped tears outta my eyes as I hollered for Heywards shot to “git out”. I hope that this season helps me rediscover something I lost after Ted Turner sold the team . Go Braves.
Pi$$onaDAWG
April 5th, 2010
7:28 pm
WOW!!!! Braves look Great!!! Call me after the 50-50 games are played and we are fighting over the last 62.
Mark Bradley
April 5th, 2010
7:35 pm
I waited out the mob, Mook. Heyward got a shaving cream pie in the face courtesy of Peter Moylan, you should know.
Alaska Braves Fan
April 5th, 2010
7:37 pm
To those who do so enjoy criticizing a man whom the entire baseball world recognizes as one of the greatest managers ever: Please apply for a manager’s position. I want very much to observe how you win every game and make every decision spot on the money. Quit hiding your baseball genius while you sit in your home watching TV. Get out there and show us what you’ve got on the field of play, sort of like Bobby does it.
ABF
Pi$$onaDAWG
April 5th, 2010
7:38 pm
MB he earned it. We have a long way to go. I hope the Braves deliver.
Jason Heyward - oSeat
April 5th, 2010
7:39 pm
[...] on eBay Motors. Modesto Bee Bobby Cox, Atlanta Braves counting on young outfielder Jason HeywarJason Heyward – See our Sporting Goods store. More than 30000 Products 40% Off. Buy jason heyward now! Fuel your [...]
E.Lo
April 5th, 2010
7:40 pm
That was spoken like a true loser Tech fan, Decatur Tech Fan.
Live from Opening Day: Batting seventh, Jason Heyward | Mark Bradley (jason heyward) | Today's Hot Stories
April 5th, 2010
7:41 pm
[...] from the Braves’ 2010 opener. The topic: Jason Heyward makes his massively heralded debut.original article Share and [...]
MitchC
April 5th, 2010
8:01 pm
Mark, I know we can’t judge from Opening Day, and that this was just one game of 162, but, I watched the whole game today, every pitch, and I really liked what I saw.
I know this team isn’t going to score 16 runs every day, but we have a capable offense, and if our pitching holds up, we will be tough to beat. We aren’t the Phillies, but I believe in my heart that we are better than any other team in this division besides Philadelphia. The Nationals are a joke, the Mets will underachieve as usual, and the Marlins, they don’t scare me.
Additionally, I think that Chipper will be motivated to have a big comeback year, and the team as a whole will be motivated to make the playoffs, to send Bobby out with one last October.
I stick with my prediction: If this team stays relatively healthy, we will win around 90 games, and snare the Wild Card.
Big Red Machine
April 5th, 2010
8:26 pm
Heyward’s homerun is good for the game and was planned in advance
DoninGa
April 5th, 2010
8:37 pm
I’VE BEEN AROUND AWHILE-(77.5)- and I have to confess as the announcers were “bringing Heyward to the plate” I was thinking…wouldn’t it be really something if his first major league at bat also produced a home run as did the Cub player. And then it happened….the announcer
went “ape” and for the next few minutes the World was a better place! Certainly, the fans have
a real support job on their hands. GO BRAVES!
luvthosedawgs68
April 5th, 2010
9:01 pm
For all of you who have absolutely no idea how to handle a pitching staff. 1) Saito and Wagner hadn’t pitched since Friday. With a day off tomorrow, there’s no way Bobby would let them go 4 days in a row without pitching. There’s a difference between keeping your best pitchers fresh and wearing them out. It’s just common sense. Might have been different with a game tomorrow, but it’s an off day. Plus, they both asked Bobby to pitch.
Phoenix | Live from Opening Day: Batting seventh, Jason Heyward | Mark Bradley
April 5th, 2010
9:06 pm
[...] Excerpt from: Live from Opening Day: Batting seventh, Jason Heyward | Mark Bradley [...]
Balderdash
April 6th, 2010
8:02 am
How did Milky Carerra do?