You know the story by now. 26 year-old Jason Heyward jumped ship from the St. Louis Cardinals in free agency and took less money to join their Central Division rivals, the Chicago Cubs.
Fans danced in the streets of Wrigleyville; then hydrated themselves with Cardinal fan tears.
Theo Epstein struck gold once again, but the one criticism that Heyward and the Cubs’ front office have faced is doubt on whether or not the 3-time Gold Glover (playing RF) will be able to make the transition over to center. I would like to call shenanigans on those doubters.
What puzzles me the most is why anyone that has a solid grasp on the game of baseball think that a player with Heyward’s elite athleticism and already proven defensive pedigree – especially at his age – not be more than capable of becoming an outstanding centerfielder?
Especially now playing his home games at Wrigley Field, where he won’t be asked to cover an obscene amount of ground.
Of course, the dimensions of Wrigley can also make it a dangerous ballpark to play in for corner outfielders. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want my 184 million dollar investment having to maneuver through the opponents’ bullpen on a consistent basis, or chasing a ball down the line only to be greeted by the padded brick wall which lives merely inches off of the foul line.
Being the hard nosed player that he is, I am content having Jason Heyward out in center where he won’t be running up bullpen mounds or jumping over benches and buckets of balls.
Although it has not been stated publicly by Heyward or his agent, it would make a ton of sense if Heyward went into the offseason wanting to be a center fielder. After years of success in right, he is primed to be the quarterback of the outfield.
From an offensive standpoint, Heyward’s statistics, minus the power numbers, would have stacked up amongst the league’s best center fielders over the past few seasons. He only struck out 90 times in 2015.
Strikeouts are a facet of the game that as we know, the Cubs have oh-so-desperately needed to improve upon (1,518 Ks as a team in 2015). Even after posting low power numbers in 2015, there is zero doubt in my mind that he has 20+ HR 80+ RBI potential. Either way, hitting dingers isn’t what the Cubs have brought him in to do. You’ve heard the names Rizzo, Bryant, and Schwarber; they have that covered.
Jason Heyward staying put in center also means that Theo and Jed are not yet ready to part ways with Jorge Soler.
When healthy, Soler has shown potential to have one of the higher offensive ceilings amongst the young hitters emerging in the game today. Still only 23 years of age, his defense has some question marks. However, Soler was one of the lone bright spots offensively for the Cubs in their NLCS fail against the Mets.
A platoon of Soler and Coghlan is one of the better right field tandems in baseball.
Theo Epstein put to rest the narrative that the Cubs need to find a way to get Jason Heyward playing right field via making another deal. At Heyward’s introductory press conference this week Epstein stated, “We expect him to be a solid to excellent centerfielder.”
Don’t believe him, just watch.