Heywood named Defensive Player of the Month.

[The Chosen One]

http://m.espn.go.com/general/blogs/b...tspot&id=49182

Don't think he cares though.

[jpack1]

Very deserved.

[Carp]

Now he just needs some more mutli hit games.

[chipchildress]

he's still gotta hit if he's going to be the right fielder.

[yeezus]

How long did it take a guy like Carlos Gomez to become a really good offensive player? And Heyward has shown more flashes than Gomez did at this same point. Heyward is still only 24. He's still figuring out consistency. I have no desire to see him walk and take off elsewhere.

[thewupk]

he's still gotta hit if he's going to be the right fielder.

He has hit. 120 or better wrc+ in 3 of his 4 seasons. That's good. Not great and maybe not what people expected but it's good. He's a good hitter.

[cajunrevenge]

How long did it take a guy like Carlos Gomez to become a really good offensive player? And Heyward has shown more flashes than Gomez did at this same point. Heyward is still only 24. He's still figuring out consistency. I have no desire to see him walk and take off elsewhere.

Do you have any desire to pay him 25 million a year if he never finds consistency at the plate? Someone is going to pay him center fielder money and play him there to get max value. Its going to be a desperate team like the Cubs or Mets that do it.

[BremanFan88]

Do you have any desire to pay him 25 million a year if he never finds consistency at the plate? Someone is going to pay him center fielder money and play him there to get max value. Its going to be a desperate team like the Cubs or Mets that do it.

Game changers get paid big money. Heyward is a game changer in the field, on the bases AND at the plate. As long as he's a Brave he'll always lead this team in WAR so why not pay him. Freeman got paid despite not be a good baserunner or fielder so why not pay someone that is actually good at all facets of the game when we're perfectly fine with a limited skill set player getting a lot of money. But then again people get wrapped up in batting average(see Chris Johnson) and wouldn't understand. I don't think people understand how many games Jason Heyward's all around play has won us of the past 4 years. The answer is more than Freddie so pay the man.

[zitothebrave]

Do you have any desire to pay him 25 million a year if he never finds consistency at the plate? Someone is going to pay him center fielder money and play him there to get max value. Its going to be a desperate team like the Cubs or Mets that do it.

Would I pay Jason 25M. hell to the yes.

[zitothebrave]

he's still gotta hit if he's going to be the right fielder.

Over the last 3 seasons, of players with 1000 PA, Jason is 14th amongst RF in wRC+. With guys who no longer play RF like Justin or Harper he's above average for his position and he's the best defender at his position.

[Runnin]

Jason is a GREAT defender and we're probably seeing him now at the height of his defensive prowess, but a game changer? I wouldn't go that far. I wouldn't use that term even for Simmons, who had one of the greatest years in the field ever last year. What really good defenders do is make the pitching seem better than it is. Simmons and Heyward are perfect compliments to our staff of stingy starters and generally shutdown bullpen.

Lately we seem to be getting back to the winning formula we had last year with the pitching getting better as the game progress.