While Jason Heyward continues to play Gold Glove-caliber defense and draw plenty of walks, it’s been a fairely rough go at the plate lately for the Braves right fielder.
Heyward was 5-for-40 (.125) with two extra-base base hits and two RBI in his past 13 games before Saturday, dropping his average to .245 with eight homers and a .370 slugging percentage in 84 games for the season.
“Jason’s timing is always an issue,” Braves hitting coach Greg Walker said. “When he gives himself enough time to swing the bat … his stop-and-start is always a little bit of a battle for him; his timing can get off. But when his timing’s right, he’s really good. When he’s late, his eyes tell him that I’m beat and he kind of loses his swing plane. It comes and goes a little bit.
“But even when he’s not hot, he stills does things – takes a walk, steals a base, plays defense, runs the bases. He can put the ball in play when he needs to to get a run in. I don’t think Jason’s batting average is indicative of his value to our offense.”
Heyward had a .200 average (12-for-60) with no homers, five RBIs and a .300 slugging percentage in his past 18 games, albeit with 13 walks and a .351 on-base percentage.
Before that light-hitting stretch, Heyward had batted .291 with 15 extra-base hits (five homers), a .358 OBP and .429 slugging percentage over 50 games from April through June 15.
“He fights his timing,” Walker said,. “He really understands how to swing the bat, and when he gives himself enough time to do it, he’s really good. When he’s late it kind of falls apart on him a little bit.”
Heyward had a solid .282 average in 245 at-bats against right-handers before Saturday, with six homers, a .380 OBP and .416 slugging percentage. But against lefties he had a majors-worst .132 average (11-for-82) with two homers, a .209 OBP and .232 slugging percentage.
The Braves are scheduled to face Diamondbacks lefty Wade Miley in Sunday’s series finale, the first lefty starter they’ve faced in two weeks.
