Atlanta Braves: Ten Years of Number One Prospects 2001-2010

2009-2010: The Legend of Jason Heyward

2009

The Braves farm system had come a long way in just a couple of years since the Saltalamacchia days. Jason Heyward led the Braves as the 10th best prospect in the top 100. RHP Tommy Hanson checked in at number 13 and Jordan Schafer rounded out the top 50. The Braves totaled five players in the top 100 with a young Freddie Freeman making his first appearance at number 80.

2010

Depending on which publication you were reading, Jason Heyward and Stephen Strasburg were interchangeable at the number one spot of the 2010 class. The legend of Heyward was growing by leaps and bounds. He was number two on Baseball Prospectus’ Top 100 list. Heyward was accompanied by other young studs that would help lead the Braves to a run of success in the early-2010s. Players such as Julio Teheran (33) Arodys Vizcaino (45), and Freddie Freeman (51) would all soon be contributing to the major league team.

In the spring of 2010, the legend was reaching a fever pitch. The Heyward-Hype Train was about to run off of the tracks. Evidently that spring, he was hitting balls so far that they were bouncing off of the International Space Station and destroying vehicles in the parking lot.

Bobby Cox compared the sound off of his bat to Hank Aaron and Mickey Mantle. So, there’s no reason to wonder why the crowd was chanting his name in his first-ever major-league at-bat. He didn’t disappoint as he clobbered a 2-0 pitch over the right-field wall.

Outside of being arguably the best defensive outfielder in the game, Heyward’s bat was no slouch. Between 2010-2013 he was slashing .259/.352/.443. His career OPS+ stood at an incredibly solid 115.  He was coming off of a career season with the bat in which he hit 27 homers and stole 21 bags.

Then, on August 21, 2013, Heyward was struck in the face by a Jonathan Niese fastball and suffered a broken jaw. It was a horrifying moment that left Heyward on the ground for several minutes before walking off while spitting blood. Heyward returned later that season but was limited to just 104 games.

Following the 2014 season, Heyward seemed destined for a big contract in free agency and the Braves traded him to the Cardinals. Prior to the 2016 season, Heyward signed an eight-year, $184 million contract with the Cubs.

During his time in Braves uniform, he hit .262/.351/.429 with an OPS+ of 114. He had a very good year for the Cardinals in 2015, hitting .293 with 50 XBH, 23 SB, while winning a Gold Glove for the Red Birds.

Since joining Chicago he has posted an OPS+ of 86.

Some consider Jason Heyward to be a bust, but of the top 50 prospects from 2010, he has accumulated the third-most WAR behind only Buster Posey and Giancarlo Stanton. Since 2010, no outfielder has more defensive runs saved then Jason Heyward. He will always hold a special plate in the hearts of Braves’ fans everywhere.