Jason Alias Heyward (born August 9, 1989), better known by his nickname “J-Hey,” is a Major League Baseball right fielder for the Chicago Cubs. He began his minor league career at the age of 17 after being selected in the first round of the 2007 MLB draft by the Atlanta Braves out of Henry County High School in Georgia.
Heyward quickly rose to the top of baseball’s hitting, speed, and defensive rankings, and made his MLB debut as Atlanta’s starting right fielder on Opening Day 2010.
He played there until the 2014 season when he was dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals. He throws and bats left-handed, standing 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) tall, and weighs 245 pounds (111 kg). Throughout his big league career, he has worn No. 22 in commemoration of a high school friend and teammate who died in a traffic accident.
Heyward was named the Braves’ top overall prospect in 2007 and the organization’s greatest power hitter, according to Baseball America, which also identified him as having the finest strike zone control and excelling at numerous other abilities.
Baseball America and USA Today both named him Minor League Player of the Year in 2009. Over the course of 99 games, he hit.323, with 17 home runs (HR), 63 runs batted in (RBI), a.408 on-base percentage, and a.555 slugging percentage.
Baseball America, Keith Law of ESPN.com, and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com all ranked Heyward as baseball’s best prospect heading into the 2010 season.
Heyward was chosen to the National League (NL) All-Star squad and placed second in the NL Rookie of the Year Award after making his MLB debut for Atlanta in 2010. He was selected MLB Rookie of the Year by Baseball America.
In 2011 and 2013, injuries reduced his playing time. In 2012, he had a breakout season, hitting 27 home runs, 82 RBI, and 21 stolen bases while ranking eighth in the National League in runs scored with 93.
He earned the Fielding Bible and National League Gold Glove Awards for right fielders in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017, as well as Wilson’s MLB Defensive Player of the Year in 2014. He’s largely considered one of baseball’s top outfield defenders.
Jason Heyward Parents: Meet Laura Heyward And Eugene Heyward
The beautiful couples behind the birth of Jason Heyward are Laura Heyward and Eugene Heyward. Laura Heyward, his mother resides in McDonough, Ga. Not much is known about his father Eugene Hayward but it is said that his father was never a baseball player.