The oft-maligned Chicago outfielder has found his stroke at the plate. Just how much better has he been, and can he sustain this level of play?
When Jason Heyward burst onto the scene as a rookie with the Atlanta Braves in 2010, he was more of an offensive force than a defensive one.
He hit 18 home runs that year with a slash line of .277/.393/.456, totaling 83 runs scored, 72 RBI, 11 stolen bases, a weighted on-base average (wOBA) of .377 and a weighted runs created (wRC+) of 134. Two years later, he had a career-best power season in which he blasted 27 homers with 93 runs, 82 RBI and 21 runs scored with a career-high slugging percentage of .