The J-Hey Kid is the Next Great One

By TheNaturalMevs on April 19, 2010

Jason Heyward’s hit yesterday might have gotten lost in the shuffle, but fans of baseball should fully realize what’s going on here. We’re seeing a legend built.

Here you have a 20 year old kid who is three years removed from walking around the hallways of his high school. His team is playing at home, coming off of a no-hit performance by the ace of a team in the Colorado Rockies who many think has what it takes to represent the National League in the World Series this season.

Heyward comes to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded with his team down one. He singles through the left side, plating the tying and winning runs for the Braves. The RBI’s bring his total to 15 through 12 games played. He’s OPSing a 1.003 thus far in his young career.

Another day in the life of this mature and humble kid in which he was the difference maker in a big win for the upstart Atlanta Braves.

If you write about baseball or follow it on a daily basis, Heyward is making it hard not to take notice of the things he’s doing each night at his age. The last time a young player had this much sustained success beyond a few weeks to start a rookie season was probably Albert Pujols.

I’m at the point as a fan where I want to catch every at-bat this youngster has. The fact that he’s so humble and so down to earth despite his talents is making me become a fan of him. One thing is already certain; while he won’t be without his struggles, as I told a friend last night: Heyward is the next one in this great game we follow.

[Box Score]