As the old saying goes, “hard work pays off,” and that is the case with outfielder Jason Heyward of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers basically saved Heyward from retiring prior to last season. The 34-year-old outfielder decided to take one more crack at it and put together a highly productive season in his backup role.
Jason Heyward Signs One-Year/$9M Deal With Dodgers
With much less hesitance, Heyward ran it back with the LA Dodgers, signing a deal this offseason worth one year, $9 million.
Heyward recently expressed his gratitude toward the organization for the opportunity: “It’s amazing to have people believe in you, that’s something that’s earned, for sure, especially with the Dodgers. They don’t hand out these jerseys lightly. It’s just a privilege to come back here and wear No. 23 for this group, this fan base, and city.”
“Just want to work hard, have fun and compete.”
In 98 starts, while appearing in 124 games for the Dodgers last season where he faced all right-handed pitchers, the former Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals star batted .269/.340/.473 with 23 doubles, 15 home runs, 40 RBI, 56 runs scored.
There isn’t a safer place in the world to hit than hidden within this current star-studded Dodgers lineup. In fact, Heyward’s time with the Dodgers – from fine-tuning his swing to being able to be just one of the guys – has prolonged his career.
Heyward is someone who overcame adversity as he was cut by the Chicago Cubs in 2022. Having a strong 2023 was imperative for Heyward to continue prolonging his professional career in the majors.
Jason Heyward Is Shohei Ohtani’s “Unofficial Spokesperson”
Now entering his 15th MLB season, Heyward has a very specific role on this LA Dodgers team, beyond his contributions on the field and his personal goal to “work hard, have fun and compete.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has nominated Jason Heyward to assume the role of the team’s “unofficial spokesperson” for the Japanese media. Heyward will handle all things ” Shohei Ohtani” as the superstar’s arrival in Los Angeles will draw hundreds, maybe even thousands, of international media to American ballparks.
In a recent interview with SportsNet LA, Roberts addressed the challenge of handling the media onslaught accompanying Ohtani’s presence on the team. Referencing his own experience playing alongside Barry Bonds, Roberts acknowledged the importance of having a seasoned player who can field media inquiries, allowing others to focus on the game.
He emphasized that the unique situation with Ohtani and the curiosity surrounding other new players such as Yoshinobu Yamamoto, necessitates a respected lifer such as Heyward to handle media interaction.
“I played with Barry Bonds […] and I was that player, a teammate that answered a lot of questions because other teammates didn’t care to.” – Dave Roberts
Barry Bonds sits the bench next to Dave Roberts as the Colorado Rockies as the Rockies defeated the Giants 7-4 at Coors Field September 3, 2007, in Denver
LA Dodgers Are A Rock Star Team With Mucho Talent
Heyward will be rejoining perhaps the most talented and most dynamic team in all of baseball this coming season as they signed two-time AL MVP Shohei Ohtani to a historic 10-year, $700 million contract as well as signing rookie Japanese star pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto to the largest contract by a pitcher in league history (12 years, $325 million.)
Having new additions like those players bolsters a roster that was already supreme beforehand. We haven’t even gotten to three-time Silver Slugger first baseman Freddie Freeman (whom Heyward is good friends with) and outfielder Mookie Betts, a six-time Golden Glove recipient and a former AL MVP himself.
The ‘J-Hey Kid’, as he was called back in his early days as a young Atlanta Braves phenom, can slide in at any outfield position and hold down the forte if any of the starters get injured. Heyward is also someone who can produce RBI in the box and help manufacture runs.
He’s a veteran presence with championship pedigree who will be a solid influence on young and incoming players.
Heyward is also someone who gives back to the community as he has the Jason Heyward Baseball Academy in Chicago, which he recently established.
The club will provide hands-on instruction for young boys and girls ages 6-14 who love baseball as a nonprofit organization that will be hosted in the North Austin Center.
His academy not only offers baseball but also will have a FIFA regulation-sized indoor soccer turf field, classrooms to have proactive learning sessions, indoor courts, a workout facility, and more.
The Dodgers are the betting favorites to win the 2024 World Series at +350 according to Fox Sports and Heyward is elated to be along for the ride.
The Chicago Cubs officially released veteran outfielder Jason Heyward on Wednesday. The baseball world knew this was coming as the Cubs had already given the MLBbro outfielder a warm sendoff at Wrigley Field, honoring him during a game in late September.
A true leader in the clubhouse, Heyward was once proclaimed by the late great Hank Aaron to be the next Black baseball star when he broke through with the Atlanta Braves in 2007. In his later years, he was beloved by the city of Chicago for his connection with the city and his contributions to the 2016 team that broke a 108-year World Series drought.
Heyward posted a ,245 average, .700 OPS over seven seasons with the team and had one more year and $22 million remaining on the 8-year contract he signed in December 2015). Heyward’s MLB journey is full of roller coasters and ups and downs, but his reputation as the consummate professional has been steady and the driving force behind his 13-year career that is probably coming to an end. The 32-year-old outfielder will go down as one of the best teammates and defensive players of his generation.
Rewinding The Clock: MLB’s Next Generation
When discussing the great young players in the game, Heyward used to be one of the first names that would come up. You’d hear about Buster Posey (who edged Heyward for Rookie of the Year), Bryce Harper, Mike Trout, Manny Machado. As these guys took off like rocket ships, Heyward went from being in that conversation to just being a guy.
Originally the Braves’ first-round selection in the 2007 MLB Draft out of Henry County High School in Georgia, Heyward began his minor league career as a prodigy at age 17. Heyward soon became one of the top-rated prospects in all of baseball for his multifaceted skill set and debuted as Atlanta’s starting right fielder Opening Day, 2010 with fanfare and expectations on 100.
He was projected to be the second coming of Darryl Strawberry, Willie McCovey or Willie Mays and was even given the nickname “J-Hey Kid” (Mays was known as the Say-Hey Kid) after hitting 18 homers and finishing 20th in the MVP balloting and second in the Rookie of the Year voting. He homered in his first MLB at bat, which in hindsight is probably the worst thing he could have done, because from then on people expected him to become an overnight Hall of Famer.
After seven solid seasons in Atlanta, Heyward was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals and had a career season, finishing 15th in the MVP voting. If Black baseball fans in Atlanta were slowly losing touch with the team that was known for its Soul Patrollers in the 90s, Heyward’s departure was the last straw.
“Get one thing straight. I didn’t choose it. I got traded,” Heyward told The Shadow League back in 2015. “So that’s between teams, but for me, I like St. Louis a lot. It’s been a great experience so far. I like the mindset and the mentality we bring. It’s a one day at a time attitude and we never give up and we never feel like we are out of any game.”
Despite his success in Da Lou, J-Hey took less money to sign a long-term deal with the Cubs. His blossoming combination of solid hitting and better defense in the outfield was supposed to be thecornerstone of Chicago’s North side success for years to come.
His slash line of .248/.280/.347 with 281 RBI in his first 710 games of a 744-game stint, didn’t add up to his salary, but what gets overlooked by many in professional sports is his veteran leadership behind the scenes that balanced out the struggles that fans see on the field.
Nothing illustrated this point more for Heyward than Game 7 of the World Series back in 2016. J-Hey called a team meeting during a rain delay to rally his teammates to a championship.
Just think of how much his teammates respected him to lock in after his speech – despite Heyward batting .104 (5-48) over 16 games in the postseason. This is the example of leadership and the respect he commanded in the dugout as a liaison between the manager, coaches and players. Championship teams need that one player. Heyward was that guy for years.
“What I’ve taken most from it is, how do we handle failure?” Heyward said in a September press conference. “Because that’s a big part of life, obviously, but it’s a big part of this game. We’re always going to fail more times than we succeed. And I know that’s cliche, but how we handle those things, that comes back your way.”
Despite his offensive struggles this past season, his leadership and professionalism were appreciated by Cubs President, Jed Hoyer, according to NBCSports.com. Heyward was nominated in 2021 and 2022 for a Roberto Clemente Award as well.
“He’s a guy who had a lot of [veteran] players that influenced him as a young player in Atlanta, and he kind of pays it back now,” Hoyer said, referring to, among others, his current manager, David Ross. “He’s really good with those [young] guys. Everyone always talks about Jason being such a pro, how he handles all of his business off the field, how he prepares for games, how he prepares in the offseason. Everything he does is kind of first class in that regard.”
Shadowed By The Hype: MLBbro Royalty
It was probably unfair for folks to limit Heyward’s “star appeal” by putting him in a box and defining him as merely a baseball player who hasn’t lived up to the billing. Heyward is actually an American success story and when speaking with him, it’s obvious in his eloquence that he’s not only intelligent and insightful, but respectful to people and the game of baseball. Say what you want about his baseball steez and the fact that he never had that breakout 30-homer, 30-steal, 100 RBI year, his worth as an MLB player and the way he represents the African-American community is invaluable.
Heyward is the son of Dartmouth graduates and was born in Ridgewood, New Jersey. His pops, Eugene, is from South Carolina, and mother, Laura, is from NYC. They are an Ivy League love story having met at Dartmouth. Eugene played basketball and majored in engineering and Laura studied French. Eugene’s uncle, Kenny Washington, played basketball for two John Wooden-led NCAA championship UCLA teams in 1964 and 1965. Jason’s younger brother Jacob was also a right fielder who played college baseball for the Miami Hurricanes.
The Heywards moved to the Atlanta metropolitan area in Georgia soon after Jason was born. The pressure of being a hometown product and playing in the shadows of so many great African-American Braves players of the past added to the already massive challenge of adjusting to big league life. As if Heyward needed any more over-the-top expectations, Hank Aaron of all people,hailed him as the future of baseball.
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