By David Waldstein
New York Times News Service
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Chipper Jones is on the back end of his career, but the Atlanta Braves are getting close to introducing the next edition, a ferocious left-handed hitter who could torment the New York Mets for the next decade. His name is Jason Heyward, a 20-year-old slugging right fielder who has drawn comparisons to Darryl Strawberry and Fred McGriff.
Worse, for the Mets, his mother is from Jamaica, Queens, and before being drafted by the Braves his favorite team was the Yankees. He is 6-foot-4, weighs 220 pounds and looks like a lean tight end. And he can absolutely crush the ball.
“He’ll hit the hardest shots you’ve ever seen,” Braves manager Bobby Cox said. “He’s going to hit home runs, there’s no doubt about that. But he’s a line-drive hitter.”
Heyward started playing professionally in rookie ball at age 17, and in the last two years in the minors he hit 28 home runs. The legend of his power has grown rapidly this spring, with Heyward shattering two windshields on cars outside the Braves’ complex in Kissimmee, Fla., during batting practice.
“He hits some long home runs,” said former Braves right fielder Jeff Francoeur, now with the Mets, stretching out the adjective. “He’s a big kid and he’s got brute strength. It will be interesting to see, but I think they would be smart to start him this year.”
Heyward had one hit and two walks in the Mets’ 4-2 victory over the Braves on Tuesday, and one of the former players that he is compared to was impressed by his plate discipline.
“That kid has the goods,” Strawberry said. “He’s got a ton of talent. You can see it. He’s going to be a very good ballplayer, there’s no doubt about it. He’s only 20?”
Indeed he is, but if Heyward is going to be the face of the Braves for the next decade, then perhaps the Mets can counter with a big left-handed slugger of their own: Ike Davis.
Davis, the Mets’ first-round pick in the 2008 draft, is a standout defensive first baseman who can also hit the ball with authority. He is likely to begin the season as the Mets’ Triple-A first baseman, but Citi Field does not seem far away.
Davis was impressive at the plate in that Tuesday game, hitting a line-drive double to the gap in right-center and showing the ability to go the other way, fighting off a two-strike pitch on the outside corner for a single to left.
Like Heyward, Davis is big: 6-4, 215 pounds. He will turn 23 on March 22.
Tuesday, both were wearing jerseys with numbers in the 70s, a sign that they still have work to do before establishing themselves as major leaguers. But over the next few seasons, both could emerge as key figures in the Braves-Mets rivalry.
“That’s the hope,” Davis said.
The Mets are planning to be patient with Davis. Daniel Murphy is the starting first baseman and the Mets have some hope for him, too. But Davis clearly is the bigger prospect, the one the Mets expect to counterpunch with Heyward, maybe all the way to 2020 and beyond.
As for Heyward, he says his goal is to make the team this year, and Cox, who is planning to retire after the season, seems to fancy that idea.
“He’s got the head for it,” Cox said. “He can certainly handle all the media attention and not let it get to him.”
When approached to do an interview Tuesday, Heyward at first declined because he had work to do in the batting cage. But when he finished, he was engaging and straightforward, confident without being brash.
Born in Ridgewood, N.J., in 1989, Heyward moved with his family to Macon, Ga., where he grew up a fan of the Yankees for two reasons: one, his grandfather George Benjamin of the Bronx, who was drafted by the team as an outfielder but never played after falling ill.
The other reason, not surprisingly, is the success the Yankees enjoyed during his youth.
“I’m a big fan of winning and I have a lot of respect for the Yankees, but definitely the Braves also,” he said. “The Braves are definitely a winning organization.”
His family is from Queens, he loves the Yankees and he hits long home runs for the Braves. Sounds like a bad combination for the Mets.