There are not many players that I was more excited to see the majors than Jason Heyward. After being the 14th overall pick of the Braves in 2007 he moved quickly through the minors. By 2009 he was considered by many to be the #1 prospect in all of baseball.
When he made his major league debut in 2010 in a game against the Cubs…that was exciting. But then in his first at-bat, he hit a 3-run home run…that was thrilled. Storybook stuff.
I got this card signed that next spring during a private signing. I ended up getting a deal that knocked it down to a reasonable price that I still think was worth it. At the time I was toying with starting a collection of signed rookie Ginters, but that was just going to be a little too pricey a project for me.
Heyward is going to start his 10th season in the big leagues in 2019. His career, while good, it not quite what people expected. He owns a career line of .263/.343/.410 with an OPS+ of 103. This puts him a shade above league average with the bat. He only has one All-Star selection (2010), though he does have five Gold Gloves.