Chicago Cubs: Jason Heyward's Adjustments Paying Off Early
Chicago Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward worked on his plate approach over the winter. One week into the new season, it seems to be making a difference.
With the 2017 season underway, there's not much more to be said about Jason Heyward's disappointing performance a year ago. He knows he didn't live up to expectations. The Chicago Cubs know it. Everyone knows it. A World Series title can cover up those kinds of letdowns, but even as reigning champs the Cubs want to see much more out of their eight-year, $184 million investment.
We may only be six games into the new campaign, but Heyward is doing his part so far to put those bad memories of his first year in Chicago behind him. He's 7-for-21 with a triple, two runs scored, a walk and four runs batted in. Altogether, he's sporting a .333/.391/.429 in the early going.
Heyward's best game of the nascent season came yesterday against the Milwaukee Brewers. He went 2-for-5 with three RBI, two of them coming on a first-inning triple. He flirted with a homer in the ninth inning, but Brewers center fielder Keon Broxton made a leaping grab at the wall. The Cubs won the contest by a 7-4 margin, moving their record to 4-2.
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Early season victories certainly are nice, but most teams are just as concerned with their players getting off to encouraging starts. Especially ones in dire need of a bounce-back year like J-Hey. After he slashed a meager .230/.306/.325 in 2016 for a career-low 70 OPS+, the Cubs will be enthused by the fact that their right fielder has collected at least one hit in each of his games so far.
The Cubs and Heyward believe his promising beginning to 2017 isn't the result of random luck. Rather, the 27-year-old worked on making adjustments to his offensive approach during the offseason. According to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat, Heyward worked on his swing with Cubs hitting coaches John Mallee and Eric Hinske over the winter at the team's Arizona facility.
Heyward says he's trying to relax more at the plate and let the at-bat come to him. Cubs manager Joe Maddon has noticed a difference, even after only a handful of games. Per Muskat:
"I like where his hands are positioned, I like that his hands are more involved now," Maddon said. "He's staying through the ball longer. I've seen a natural progression through the beginning of camp. I like the setup to begin with. I thought it was entirely different than what I'd seen in the past.
"I also want him to be patient with it. You're not going to see results overnight. Everybody wants to pour water on it and have it turn into what they want."
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Indeed, it's still very early and Heyward's 2017 will presumably go through plenty of ups and downs. He and the Cubs just hope that this season includes many more high points than last year's.
As was the case in 2016, the Cubs have a strong and deep enough roster that they don't need Heyward to be an MVP candidate. However, more production from him will only improve their chances of defending their crown, as well as provide some more return on their big investment.