Chicago Cubs: Will the real Jason Heyward please stand up?
Will Chicago Cubs starting right fielder Jason Heyward rebound from a disappointing 2016 season and return to his career averages in 2017?
While the Chicago Cubs did not make a significant improvement to their group of position players this off-season outside of veteran center fielder Jon Jay, the Cubs could get a significant addition from a player that was already on their roster in 2016.
That player is starting right fielder Jason Heyward.
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There is no question that Heyward struggled offensively for the Cubs during his first season with the team in 2016. After signing a lofty contract with the Cubs, it is fair to wonder if Heyward was pressing to live up to the expectations of the lucrative contract that he had signed with Cubs. While there is no question that Heyward did struggle offensively, he did bring tremendous value to the Cubs in terms of Gold Glove defense, base running, and there was the speech he delivered to the team during the rain delay in Game 7 of the World Series against the Cleveland Indians.
Entering the 2017 season, the expectation should be for Heyward to revert to his career averages. Heyward is an extremely talented baseball player, and in Major League Baseball, talent typically prevails above all us.
Heyward has spent this off-season in Arizona working on his swing. The Cubs believe to have found a hitch in Heyward’s swing that would result in the weak contact that plagued him throughout the 2016 season. That is an encouraging sign considering the past work that the Cubs’ hitting coaches have done with players. Players such as Kris Bryant, and most notably Javier Baez had prior hitches in their swings and they were corrected. Bryant won the 2016 National League MVP Award while Baez played his way into the Cubs’ starting lineup.
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Fortunately, the Cubs do not need Heyward to have a MVP type of season. The Cubs only need Heyward to be Jason Heyward and that will be a significant addition.