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For many, drafting outfielder Jason Heyward in fantasy leagues has been like drinking. At first, it feels great and you are having a good time. Then, you look at the batting average, homers and RBI (or lack there of) and begin to feel nauseous and the headaches occur.
Fantasy hangover. We are still searching for a cure.
If you know me well enough, you are aware that I have the biggest man crush on Heyward. Reminding me of the great Ken Griffey Jr., Heyward has always been one of my favorite players in the majors, so it pains me to see him struggling thus far. After the first month of the season, Heyward is batting just .206 with just two home runs and seven RBI. He’s struck out 26 times and is sporting an OBP under .300. Luckily, he is making a presence on the base paths, swiping four bags so far. However, the problem has been with his bat, not his feet. Can the young player get it going?
Wait? You expected me to say no?
It’s interesting with Heyward this year. His plate discipline is the same as usual, swinging at 28.1 percent of pitches landing outside of the strike zone (28.3 in 2013). But interestingly enough, Heyward is actually seeing a higher percentage of fastballs this year, but is struggling more. Last year, he hit .297 on pitches inside of the strike zone, compared to .242 this year. He isn’t connecting on those fastballs, seeing almost 70 percent of such pitches. His contact rate is down about three percent compared to last year, but the guy is still walking about the same percent of the time as last season.
So what does all this mean? Well, Heyward has been a bit unlucky, to be fair. His batting average on balls in play (BABIP) is currently .257, but his career BABIP is .300. Heyward is still only 25-years old and is going to make the necessary adjustments to succeed. And remember, while the batting average is hideous, you weren’t drafting him for average, seeing as he is a career .257 hitter. The power surge is going to come and if he averages five steal attempts per month, that should put him around the 20-25 steal range, making him a 20/20 threat, which is rare in fantasy nowadays. Only nine players accomplished the feat in 2013. Remember, outside of Justin Upton and Freddie Freeman, the majority of the Braves offense has been struggling, batting just .238 (23rd) as a team and ranking 28th in runs (92). This offense is going to heat up in a big way, and batting leadoff, the runs will come and he will see better RBI opportunity. He is still a very disciplined hitter and once he starts to make consistent contact, the fantasy numbers will follow.
During his career in April, Heyward is batting just .226 with 103 strikeouts. It’s just a slow start, folks. Don’t panic just yet.
Adam Pfeifer is a featured fantasy sports columnist for Rant Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @aPfeiferRS.
