Jason Alias Heyward (born August 9, 1989), nicknamed “J-Hey” is an American professional baseball right fielder for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Originally the Atlanta Braves’ first-round selection in the 2007 MLB draft from Henry County High School in Georgia, he began his minor league career at age 17. Heyward soon became one of the top-rated prospects in all of baseball for batting, speed, and defense, and debuted in MLB as Atlanta’s starting right fielder on Opening Day 2010.
There, he played until being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals after the 2014 season. Standing 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) tall and weighing 245 pounds (111 kg), he throws and bats left-handed. He has worn uniform No. 22 throughout his major league career in honor of a high school friend and teammate who died in a traffic collision.
Heyward had a fast and quality start to the season. He hit two home runs and stole two bases against the Milwaukee Brewers on April 6, becoming only the 18th player—and first Cub—to have a multi-homer, multi-steal game since 1901.
It was also his first multi-homer game as a Cub. On April 24, he hit a dramatic three-run home run late in the game to regain the lead in a 7–6 victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
On May 8, Heyward hit a walk-off, solo home run against the Miami Marlins in the 11th inning, giving the Cubs a 3–2 win. This was Heyward’s third walk-off hit as a Cub (second home run), also snapping a 1-for-20 slump in the process.
In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Heyward batted .265/.392/.456 with 6 home runs and 22 RBIs in 50 games. His .848 OPS was his highest since his rookie season in 2010, and he recorded a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in the right field.
Heyward is currently married to Vedrana Heyward. The beautiful couple’s son was born in March 2022. They own a $5.9 million mansion in the Gold Coast neighborhood of Chicago.