After a terrible year at the plate in 2016, Chicago Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward is off to a hot start this season.
Jason Heyward’s anemic hitting was just about the only dark spot in the Chicago Cubs’ otherwise magical 2016.
Signed to an eight-year, $184-million free-agent deal before the 2016 season, Heyward hit just .230/.306/.325 with a career-low seven homers. His postseason hitting was even worse, and he didn’t start the first three game of the World Series.
But (small-sample size alert) 2017 has been a different story.
The former All-Star hit his third home run in the last four days Monday, and he’s now batting .294/.342/.456 with 16 RBIs through 18 games. He has not had that many RBIs in a calendar month since August 2012, when he was with the Atlanta Braves.
Last April, he had no homers and 12 RBIs while hitting just .224.
Make it three homers over the past four games for red-hot Jason Heyward. https://t.co/bdTxUf23Yr pic.twitter.com/4TVsTU3B2Z
— MLB (@MLB) April 24, 2017
Date of Jason Heyward's third homer of year:
— Jeremy Frank (@MLBRandomStats) April 24, 2017
2010: 4/11
'11: 4/12
'12: 5/5
'13: 6/3
'14: 5/11
'15: 5/15
'16: 6/6
'17: 4/24
Better yet for the Cubs, Heyward is hitting the ball harder than he did during his 2016 struggles.
According to Statcast, his three homers this year have had exit velocities of 106.8 mph,104.6 mph and 105 mph. Heyward’s hardest-hit ball last year was just 102.9 mph.
“I’d say (the exit velocity) matters in the sense that this year there’s more consistent solid contact and that’s what you want to go for,” Heyward told MLB.com. “Line drives are great.”
Jason Heyward
— Born on Third (@BornOnThirdCubs) April 25, 2017
2016: 142 games / 1.5 WAR
2017: 18 games/ 0.8 WAR
Get it, J-Hey.
Heyward spent the offseason trying to rebuild his swing.
“I’ve never seen a veteran player work as much as Jason did this winter, let alone right after winning a World Series and having already signed a long-term deal,” Theo Epstein, the Cubs’ vice president of baseball operations, told FOX Sports. “It shows how much he cares, his dedication, his pride and his character. He’s the ultimate pro.”
The work seem to be paying off, at least for now. But is it time to proclaim Heyward back, as many fans are doing on Twitter?
Maybe, but the center fielder himself knows it is early.
“It’s great but it’s not over,” Heyward said. “It’s one game at a time. This game is hard, it’s not easy, and you’re always going to be humbled. It’s great to see hard work pay off but I have to keep going because that’s the way the game goes.”