Bobby Cox on Jason Heyward: ‘Don’t expect miracles now’
Jason Heyward probably won't hit a homer every game. (AJC photo by Phil Skinner)
The first thing Bobby Cox said to me after the game was, “Don’t expect miracles now.”
And part of me felt like saying, “You mean we shouldn’t expect Jason Heyward to hit 162 homers and drive in 648 runs this season? Why not? He’s on pace to do it.” But the bigger part of me said (grudgingly), “Yeah, you’re right.”
We waited long to see what the new guy could do, and with his first swing he gave us reason to believe. But baseball, as we know, is a game of failure. The best hitters make outs seven times in 10, et cetera. And Heyward, who’s the best-looking rookie any of us has ever beheld, is nonetheless a rookie.
He won’t hit 162 home runs in 2010. He might not hit 25. (He had only 29 homers in the minors.) We — and I plead guiltier than anyone — spent yesterday falling all over ourselves to gush, but in the cold light of Tuesday morning we — and I’m talking to myself here, too — have to remember: The guy’s 20; he hasn’t yet figured out everything.
Although it must be said that the least surprised person at Turner Field on Monday was … Jason Heyward. Someone asked if he’d ever dreamed of hitting a home run as a Brave, and he almost laughed off the question. “If I played here in my home town, I’d hope I’d hit a home run in 81 games,” he said.
And that’s the part of Jason Heyward the folks who work for the Braves keep emphasizing: It’s not just that he’s gifted. “Everybody who gets here has talent,” Terry Pendleton said. “It’s the way he carries himself, the way he goes about his business.”
Jordan Schafer hit a home run in his first big-league at-bat on Opening Night last season, but by June he’d been sent to Gwinnett. That said, there are more differences than similarities between Schafer and Heyward. Schafer always struck out a lot, even in the minors; Heyward has a history of not striking out.
“Don’t expect miracles,” Bobby Cox said, and we shouldn’t. But neither should we be shocked if Jason Heyward turns out to be really terrific really soon. Because the Braves themselves, truth to tell, are expecting no less.
Asked what managing such a rookie in his final season might do for Bobby Cox, Chipper Jones smiled. “It’s going to make him have second thoughts,” he said, and he didn’t mean about Jason Heyward. He meant about this retirement thing.
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168 comments Add your comment
Falkor
April 6th, 2010
10:05 am
First!
Mark Bradley
April 6th, 2010
10:11 am
Kudos to you, Falkor.
#2 BAMA FAN
April 6th, 2010
10:13 am
The future looks great for the bravos!!
Scoots
April 6th, 2010
10:15 am
Hope they saved some run production for the rest of the season.
Mark – how’d Wagner and Saito look yesterday? Obviously the box score shows they did good.
Mark Bradley
April 6th, 2010
10:16 am
Both looked outstanding, Scoots. Two clean innings.
Scoots
April 6th, 2010
10:17 am
It was almost Ha/eyward Day yesterday – Gordon barely missed that buzzer-beater. That would have been pandemonium – great, great game. Best NCAA title game in a long time.
Tron5000
April 6th, 2010
10:19 am
Best Opening Day I’ve been to, and I think I’m at 8 in a row. Electric atmosphere. So glad Pops god me that ticket package for Christmas.
SimpleDawg
April 6th, 2010
10:19 am
I’ll bet there’ll be more people who claim to have been at The Ted yesterday than claimed to be at ol’ Fulton County Stadium when The Hammer hit 715.
After the top of the first I was thinking….$#!+, D-Low is going to struggle all year to win any games.
After the game, I felt better about the team’s ability to out score D-Low’s ERA….
Behold the J-Hey Kid ! The most celebrated rookie position player since Bob Horner.
Jl
April 6th, 2010
10:23 am
My prediction for heyward this year .301, 31 hr, 102 RBI. I know that’s asking a lot but the kid is special. What do you think are realistic numbers for this year from him mark?
Tron5000
April 6th, 2010
10:29 am
SimpleDawg, I’ll be able to tell my kids I was at the game yesterday as well as Hanson’s first start. I was also there for Smoltz’s 200th win, and I believe his 3000th K was on April 22, 2008. I wanted to go there for my best friend’s birthday, but some other friends wanted to go to a restaurant instead. So we saw it on TV. I was bummed.
And Mark, going back to your previous blog, yes, I was at all 4 Mark Redman home starts that year. He made 6 Braves starts in all, and his last home start was on May 1, my birthday. That was rough. So Hanson and Heyward make up for that.
Falkor
April 6th, 2010
10:33 am
It’s going to be an exciting year, and not just because of yesterday. We opened the same way last year, then blew a lead and our chance to sweep the opening series with the Phillies, which was a major let-down.
Things like that will happen again this year, but much less frequently. The bullpen is much better, the lineup will score more runs, and I think the rotation is even better despite losing Vasquez!
The Doctor
April 6th, 2010
10:36 am
“The best hitters make outs seven times in 10, et cetera.”
Only if you think Jeff Francoeur was among the “best hitters.” The best hitters might only get hits 3 out of 10 times, but the best offensive players find another way to get on base for one or two of the other seven. The best offensive players will give you an OBP of over .400.
Bobby Cox on Jason Heyward: 'Don't expect miracles now' | Internet Buzz
April 6th, 2010
10:45 am
[...] Read the full article… [...]
Hillbilly Deluxe
April 6th, 2010
10:45 am
The first test for a Major League hitter comes 2 or 3 months down the road when the pitchers have learned him and start to adjust. Then he has to adjust and that’s the test. Baseball is a game of constant adjustment between pitchers and hitters.
He has a world of talent and seems to have a good head on his shoulders. Just relax and let him play ball.
As for even the best hitters failing more than they succeed, the difference between a .250 hitter and a .300 hitter is one hit a week. 6 for 20 instead of 5 for twenty. It’s a fine line.
Reid Adair
April 6th, 2010
10:45 am
I agree with Bobby Cox’s statement about not expecting miracles. Jason Heyward cannot single-handedly make up for the issues with this team that Frank Wren failed to resolve in the off-season.
That being said, yesterday was exciting.
Greg
April 6th, 2010
10:46 am
Still trying to figure out why Lowe, our 4th or 5th best starter, was out there on opening day. Because he’s so overpaid? Oh well, it worked out well in hindsight since he got 16 runs of support. Maybe he’ll get a lot of run support all year so he can win 15 games again along with his 13-17 losses. It’ll be up to the rest of the starting rotation to get this team back to the playoffs.
FALCONS SORRY
April 6th, 2010
10:49 am
JASON HAYWOOD! MY MAN! WHAT A GREAT START TO YOUR CAREER IN THE ATL YOUNG MAN! IF YOU LISTEN TO YOUR COACH TP YOU SHOULD KEEP DOING REAL GOOD! YOU MAKE US ALL PROUD AS A COMUNITY! DONT TURN YOUR BACK ON YOUR COACH WHO TRYING TO TEACH YOU RIGHT LIKE THAT SISSY JEFF FRANCORE DID! YOU SEE HOW THAT WORK OUT FOR HIM! YOU CAN OWN THIS TOWN J DOG! YOU CAN BE ONE OF THE BEAT ATHLETE ATL EVER HAVE RIGHT UP THEIR WITH MV7 AND DEON SANDER AND NIQUE! HAS LONG AS THE SNAKE AUTHUR BLANK DONT EVER BUY THE BRAVES AND RUIN THEM LIKE HE DONE DID THE FALCONS YOU SHOULD BE ALL RIGHT! IF HE DO BUY THE BRAVES THEN YOU BETTER WATCH YOUR BACK J HAY! HE TURN HIS BACK ON YOU AND STAB YOU IN YOUR AND LAUGH ALL THE WAY TO BANK TO COUNT THAT MONEY YOU MADE FOR HIM! LET ALL THE HATER HERE IN ATL THAT CHEER FOR THAT SORRY CHIPER JONES BE YOUR MOTORVATOR TO BE THE BEST OF ALL TIME SO YOU CAN GET YOU A BIG CONTRACT WITH A TEAM THAT CAN AFFORD TO PAY YOU LIKE NEW YORK OR THE BOSTON! MAKE US PROUD JH!
Dawgdad
April 6th, 2010
10:52 am
Hate to be the one to introduce some reality here, but lets not get carried away. J-Hey is going to struggle at some time as the pitchers learn his weakness, maybe he doesn’t have one, but he would be one of the first if he doesn’t. Kid is going to be great, but Bobby knows that with every triumph there will be struggle. Hopefully the rest of the team will perform to such an extent that we don’t put undue pressure on this kid. Let him progress at his own pace, give him some days off to assess his game and observe, and keep TP as far away from him as possible.
London Based Jacket
April 6th, 2010
10:54 am
Mark,
I was able to pick up the Braves game in London on ESPN America. When I came in it was the bottom of the seventh when Chipper, then McCann reached on walks. Then we had Glaus and I think Escobar and then Heyward and Melky. God it felt great to see some really good hitters who are tough outs coming up.
Thisis a more disciplined and selective bunhc of hitters than we have seen for the Braves recently and they make the other team throw strikes and work for outs. It should mena we scrape a few more runs over the course of each series and if our pitching holds up we should begin to win the 2 out of 3 you need to make the postseason.
Should be alot of fun this year.
Jesse Stone
April 6th, 2010
10:57 am
FALCONS SORRY- …..nevermind.
Ronald Jc
April 6th, 2010
10:57 am
Scoots, “great, great, game?” Did you see the Kansas – Memphis game in 2008? This game was boring until the end. The stories of Butler and Duke getting there were great, but the game itself? Give me a break! Only Duke and Butler fans will remember it in two years. Had Gordon Hayward hit the shot then maybe we would remember the game – Do you remember Keith Smart’s shot? What about the plays that set it up? See my point?
I was riveted to the tube, screaming and jumping up and down watching JHey yesterday but during the NCAA championship game i turned to the Travel channel and turned back at the end of the game.
Jethro
April 6th, 2010
11:00 am
Bobby’s right. It’s a long season, he’s just a kid. Still, great strories start with Chapter 1. Great first chapter, in my book. I shall heed Bobby’s caution as this stroy unfolds.
Hopeful
April 6th, 2010
11:02 am
Jason Heyward did great! Hope he keeps up the good work and does not disappoint the world of atheleticism like VICK did…..KUDOS Jason!Stay on top of your game dude!
BravesFan1
April 6th, 2010
11:04 am
Bobby’s right. Shouldn’t get too excited just yet, but wow!!!
This was written before yesterday but the NL East has a chance to be awesome this year.
http://thesportsdebates.com/2010/04/05/the-2010-mlb-division-strength-debate%E2%80%A6-the-nl-east-is-the-beast-of-mlb/
b-man
April 6th, 2010
11:05 am
Falcons Sorry, dude what are you trying to say? I read that crap you posted and cannot make it out. First off if Jason is “your man” learn how to spell his name. For that matter lear how to spell period! Jason will get paid, hopefully here but he will get his. Yesterday was only one game and if you are any bit of a sports fan you should know that with every good game comes with a bad game. He is not going to hit 40hrs (it would be nice) this year but he is a better player than Schafer and Francoeur was. To the Arthur Blank rant. Dude he did not ruin the Falcons the player you idolize ruined the Falcons. I would love it if he put up the $$$ to buy the Braves. That is what makes a team work, a single owner who wants to see his money in action. So next time you drink that funny stuff stay away from a computer.
Andrew
April 6th, 2010
11:07 am
I wouldn’t give your hopes in so soon,remember that guy schaffer last year?Yeah he went 0 for 50 the rest of his abs ..anyways if he does do really good its just what the Braves would need for hitting and to compete with the Phillies and Mets offense this season.
McCann Fan
April 6th, 2010
11:07 am
Yesterday was ridiculous at the Ted. The place went absolutely nuts when Heyward smoked that ball over the fence. He is going to be simply awesome!
jw
April 6th, 2010
11:07 am
I like what I see in the Braves – trouble is, when these guys get a little more star power, will management keep them or let them go? Money is tight, but we need another few years of deep playoff capable teams, trimming payroll and letting these guys get away because we can’t afford them makes us no better than Pittsburgh – let’s try to hang on to some of these guys and not let them get away! My point being – a lot of ex-Braves did some damage and made some headlines yesterday, too! Wonder what the team would be like if a few of those guys were still around? I know we will never approach the “old” 70’s – 80’s Braves again, but will the Braves fans support a team that is always close to wild card contention every year instead of pennant contention? That will be the big question in time!
Ted M
April 6th, 2010
11:07 am
I talked to my brother on the phone yesterday around 5pm. The first thing I said was “I’m TIVOing the Braves game don’t tell me anything about it”. That bastard told me anyway. He said he couldn’t help it.
It was still exciting to see.
One day soon Heyward is going to be side by side in the outfield with Schafer and the Braves are going to be great because of it.
Pittsburg Phil
April 6th, 2010
11:11 am
Hey FALCONS SORRY, you may want to take the meds.
There Jesse. I said it for you.
curtis jones
April 6th, 2010
11:13 am
Meanwhile Casey Kotchman knocked in 4 runs for the Mariners yesterday. I think that’s more than he drove in for the Braves in a year and a half.
michaelprick
April 6th, 2010
11:20 am
FALCONS SORRY’S post was as worthless as Greg Norton’s pitch hitting abilities
tnt
April 6th, 2010
11:22 am
and to think we still have schafer,freeman,kimbrel,teheran,vizcaino and mike minor still on their way within the next year
Kurt
April 6th, 2010
11:23 am
I also realize that it’s early and he’s young and pitchers will adjust to him and all that, but DANG!!! He has the quickest bat I have ever seen, bar none. Including Gary Sheffield. And to swing that hard and still not strike out that much? The kid’s impressive. We Braves fans are in for a treat this year.
Stephen
April 6th, 2010
11:23 am
30th!!!
glorydays
April 6th, 2010
11:25 am
Even if JHeyward had swung and missed on his first swing I would have been up and cheering. It was beautiful.
Falcons' Fan 915
April 6th, 2010
11:26 am
What’s the deal with rookie athletes in Atlanta having making big plays in their first taste of live action?Matt Ryan has a touchdown pass in his first from scrimage and now,Heyward goes yard in his first at bat.AWESOME!
Fillin' up @ Juniors
April 6th, 2010
11:28 am
no better than pittspurgh? Its not like our payroll is 30 million… we are spending 95 mill on this team, which puts us in the middle of the pack. Payroll is a much smaller piece of the success pie chart than farm systems, coaching, ingame manouveors, injuries, and in season team building. The Braves never stop looking to make the team better during the season, and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t but we are nothing like Pittsburgh. We have like 5 players over 10mil a year…lets not over react, you can screw yourself up with massive payrolls as easy as with little money aka Seattle, New York Yankees from 2001-2008, the Cubs since the mid 2000’s, the Dodgers since forever… Lets not over react to the payroll.
heartofdarkness
April 6th, 2010
11:28 am
Hey! Where is the article celebrating the fantastic championship game in men’s basketball staged in Indianapolis last night? Some weeks ago, there was a column asking readers to share their opinion on whether Atlanta was one of the nation’s basketball hotbeds. I just finished laughing yesterday, and thought it timely to register a “no”. That being said, congratulations to Gwinnett’s Avery Jukes for his excellent season and for his play in the championship game.
glorydays
April 6th, 2010
11:28 am
FALCONS SORRY: CAN YOU PUT YOUR HATE ASIDE AND LET US JUST ENJOY THE MOMENT. IT MIGHT DO YOU SOME GOOD AS WELL, YOU NEVER KNOW UNTIL YOU TRY IT.
BuckheadBrave
April 6th, 2010
11:33 am
I hope you all realize FALCONS SORRY was just some racist hick most likely from rural Georgia thinking he is funny. He is just trying to make it look like all black people are ghetto, egotistical, thugs. If he knew anything about Jason Heyward he’d know that the down to earth son of HARVARD grads is anything but. Trust me Jeff Francoeur was trashier, and more of an egotistical thug than J-Hey will ever be. Do you see Heyward throwing a fit if he gets sent down later on, me either. Do us a favor let the people of Atlanta enjoy having a star like Heyward and stay away from Turner Field. The atmosphere at the Ted and the ensuing posts on here were the most positive i have seen regarding the Braves lets keep it that way and keep intolerant bafoons like falcons sorry off of here. Trust me Jason Heyward is as far from Michael Vick as you can get, thank god.
The Wad
April 6th, 2010
11:35 am
Falconsorry ‘as long as that snake Arthur Blank don`t by the braves and ruin them like he did the Falcons’? You either have a strange sense of humor or you are a fool…..
As I watched yesterdays game I was thinking of the game not too long ago when the Braves had a ten spot on the Phillies early and lost. Grateful for yesterday`s outcome and very excited about the Braves this year.
olddawg
April 6th, 2010
11:44 am
Dartmouth not Harvaed buit both are Ivy League Schools
The Wad
April 6th, 2010
11:44 am
Sorry, I meant illiterate fool.
olddawg
April 6th, 2010
11:45 am
and looking at the way I spelled Harvard I am not a graduate of either lol
Curious George
April 6th, 2010
11:46 am
Would the poster known as “BuckheadBrave” @ 11:33am never made the negative comments about Jeff Francoeur if that player’s name was Garret Anderson?
How come hatemongers like “BuckheadBrave” cannot even correctly spell relatively simple words like “buffoon,” even when they have spelling verification programs readily available to them?
paw paw
April 6th, 2010
11:50 am
falconsorry You are a poor excuse of human being.How far did you go in school??? Go braves!!
Kay Whidy
April 6th, 2010
11:51 am
Sounds like Falcons Sorry hates the white man.
PoliticalMan
April 6th, 2010
11:52 am
I hate to be the one that pours a little water on all this optimism. Didn’t we just have a guy in right field who we thought was the second coming of Mickey Mantle? Can we wait at least until the All Star break before we annoit another one. The Braves actually have quite a few question marks. How about the entire outfield. Maybe first base. Based on last yr, third base might be a problem. Was that guy on the mound on opening day our best pitcher? OH. OH. Being a guy who frequently sat in the center field cheap seat in the 1960s, before the dancing bears and women invaded us, I have learned a little caution with the Braves.
Blackberry Cobbler
April 6th, 2010
11:52 am
Let’s talk about Lowe, not Heyward.
Yesterday was typical Lowe. No real bad, but not real good either. I good serviceable pitcher if your lineup can produce 5+ runs on a consistent basis. A pitcher not worth near what he’s getting paid.