When the Yankees drafted Slade Heathcott several years back, they saw an extremely talented high schooler who they felt fortunate to land picking so late in the first round of the 2009 MLB Draft. Of course, there was a reason that Heathcott was available to them. He had an unusually rough childhood growing up in a chaotic household in Texarkana, Texas, and there were serious questions about his character. His minor league years became a saga of one injury after the other with a couple lost seasons mixed in.
In 2015 however, the tables have been turned.