No. I didn't misspell Heyward. This isn't a post about the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship, the Butler Bulldogs, or their forward Gordon Hayward. This is a story about two people, in similar situations, with very different outcomes.
Yesterday was Opening Day. I was excited to see that ESPN 3 would be offering a few games for my viewing pleasure, and had tuned in to see the Chicago Cubs vs. the Atlanta Braves for my first look at the Braves' rookie sensation, Jason Heyward.
Heyward, just 20 years old, made such an impression in Spring Training that the Braves had no choice but to keep him on the roster and to put him in right field on Opening Day. His first major league at bat came with two on and one out in the first inning. Watching him take the first two offerings from Carlos Zambrano for balls one and two, I began thinking of a very similar at-bat I saw on Opening Day three years ago.
Alex Gordon, like Heyward was a highly touted amateur drafted in the first round. Both were local. Gordon was born in Lincoln, NE where he later starred for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He was a local kid, playing for the home team, the Kansas City Royals. Heyward was also taken by his home town club, the Braves. Alex Gordon was a 'can't-miss' prospect. The complete package. He could hit for power. Hit for average. Play tremendous defense at third base. Run. Throw. He could do everything. His junior season at Nebraska "he swept the collegiate baseball awards for college player of the year, winning the Golden Spikes Award, the Dick Howser Award, the Brooks Wallace Award and the ABCA Rawlings Player of the Year." Selecting Alex Gordon second overall in the 2005 amateur draft was a no-brainer for the Royals, and by most accounts, any team in their position would have done the same.
In his first professional season, Gordon was named the 2006 Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America. Jason Heyward was the recipient of the same award in 2009. Gordon was destined for greatness, and Royals fans everywhere could hardly wait for him bring a winning tradition back to Kansas City.
During Spring Training in 2007, no one out-hit or out-played the rising Royals phenom. Hall 0f Fame third-baseman George Brett told reporters that he'd never seen a talent the likes of Alex Gordon, confessing that Gordon was better than he had been. Just like Jason Heyward, Gordon's performance that spring earned him a spot in the Opening Day lineup, and comparisons to Hall of Fame talent. Gordon was going to be the next George Brett, Heyward the next Ken Griffey, Jr.
Before ever taking the field for his Major League debut, Gordon was the face of the franchise. He was the Future, and the Future looked bright. His chance to prove himself came early. Just like Heyward, Gordon's first Major League at-bat came with runners in scoring position in the first inning on Opening Day.
The similarities between these two rookies are too great to ignore. As I was glued to the screen during Heyward's at-bat Monday, I knew exactly what Braves fans were feeling. The home-grown talent, coming to the plate in front of the home crowd, all of them hoping that the rookie would live up to the hype. Three years ago it was Alex Gordon with two outs and the bases loaded in Kansas City. Yesterday it was Jason Heyward, two on and one out in Atlanta.
On the third offering from Zambrano, all of Heyward's potential became pure kinetic energy with one powerful swing sending the pitch screaming over the right field fence for a three-run homerun. The Opening Day crowd roared. Heyward had delivered.
But three years ago the crowd at Kauffman Stadium didn't roar—it groaned. In his first chance to live up to the hype, Gordon struck out. His delivery is still pending.
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