Jason Heyward

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Jason Heyward

Bats Left, Throws Left
Height 6' 4", Weight 220 lb.

High School Henry County High School

Born August 9, 1989 in McDonough, GA USA

BR Minors page

[edit] Biographical Information

Outfielder Jason Heyward was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the first round of the 2007 amateur draft.

Heyward led his high school to its first state title as a junior. He impressed scouts with his excellent batting eye and Baseball America praised his "rare blend of strong tools and feel for all phases of the game." He was expected to play right field in the professional ranks.

The Braves selected Heyward with the 14th pick of the 2007 draft. He debuted professionally with the GCL Braves on August 16, going 1 for 3 with a solo home run. He hit .302 as a 17-year-old in 12 games for two teams in Rookie ball in his first season.

Jason then hit .316/.341/.473 between the Rome Braves and Myrtle Beach Pelicans in 2008. He led all Braves farmhands in batting average. His .323 average ranked third in the South Atlantic League behind Eric Fryer and Jesus Montero. He joined Caleb Gindl and Mike Stanton on the All-Star outfield. He won the SAL Most Outstanding Prospect Award. Baseball America rated him as the league's #2 prospect, right behind Madison Bumgarner and just ahead of Stanton and Jhoulys Chacin. They also called him the best batting prospect and most exciting player in the SAL.

He had a tremendous season in 2009, starting the year with Myrtle Beach, where he hit .296 in 49 games. Promoted to the AA Mississippi Braves of the Southern League, he dominated the circuit, battering opposing pitchers for a .352 average and a .611 slugging percentage over 47 games. He ended the season with a brief taste of AAA ball, getting 4 hits in 11 at-bats with the Gwinnett Braves of the International League. Overall, his batting line was .323/.408/.555 with 25 doubles and 17 home runs in 99 games, earning him the Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year Award.