Zach John Savage realized his chances of getting Jason Heyward to fulfill his commitment to UCLA in 2007 were slim, especially after the Braves selected the multitalented local standout with the 14th overall pick in that year's draft.
The suspense did last a while, though, as Heyward didn't agree to a $1.7 million bonus with the Braves until four days before the deadline.
Now, more than eight years later and with an eight-year, $184 million contract, Heyward embarks on the biggest challenge of his baseball career -- achieving the greatness projected for him since high school.
"Everything stands out about Jason," said Cubs infielder Tommy La Stella, who has known him since their days in the Braves organization. "He has been 'The Man' for a long time."
In joining the rising Cubs, loaded with young stars and seasoned veterans, the 6-foot-5, 245-pound Heyward won't be required to carry the bulk of the team freight. But there will be high expectations to put up numbers commensurate with the richest contract in franchise history.
So far, the milestones of batting .300, hitting 30 home runs and driving in 100 runs in a single season have eluded him.
Nevertheless, Heyward's supporters portray him as incredibly unselfish with a multitude of intangibles and no diminishing skills that could hamper the Cubs' effort to win their first World Series since 1908.
"It's in there," a Braves source said of Heyward's ability to post bigger numbers. "He does whatever he has been asked to do. He's a principled person."
While batting primarily second in his rookie season in 2010, Heyward finished second in the National League Rookie of the Year balloting after batting .277 with 18 home runs and 72 RBIs.
But a right rotator cuff injury stunted his development in 2011 before he rebounded the following season as a middle-of-the-order hitter when he posted career highs of 27 home runs and 82 RBIs.
You have to remember he was batting in one of the biggest parks (Turner Field)," the Braves source said.
Heyward again was at or near the top of the order in 2013 and had a .403 on-base percentage in 134 plate appearances from the leadoff spot.
His production from the top spot is encouraging because he could end up there for the Cubs with versatile Ben Zobrist and power hitters Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Kyle Schwarber behind him in the Cubs' order.
The Braves traded Heyward after 2014 as part of a rebuilding process, while the Cardinals sought a replacement in right field after the death of top prospect Oscar Taveras.
With free agency one year away, Heyward decided to postpone any negotiations with the Cardinals until after the season, and responded with a .293 batting average and 23 stolen bases -- both career highs.
La Stella believes Heyward's tabling talks until free agency was designed solely to refrain from becoming a distraction to teammates, adding that his batting average reflected his commitment to the team.
"He sets a good example for anyone who plays with him," La Stella said.
Savage, who has coached three teams to the College World Series (including a 2013 title) in his last six seasons at UCLA, quickly noticed Heyward's professional demeanor in separate visits to Heyward's hometown in McDonough, Ga., and during lunch in Malibu, Calif., during a recruiting visit in 2006.
"He was way beyond his years, physically and mentally," Savage recalled. "People treated him with respect and looked up to him. He made people around him better."
Despite the distance from Georgia to Southern California and his projected first-round status, Heyward was extremely sincere about the chance to attend UCLA. Kenny Washington, an uncle of Heyward's father Eugene, played on John Wooden's NCAA championship basketball teams during the 1963-64 and 1964-65 seasons.
"He was in tune with the UCLA tradition and helping us build the program," Savage said. "He was sincere, just like his parents (who met as students at Dartmouth)."
Heyward has haunted Cubs fans since his first major-league at-bat -- a three-run homer off Carlos Zambrano in the 2010 opener. He is a lifetime .311 hitter at Wrigley Field.
Heyward also possesses the range to play center field and cover the gaps, which will be essential with Schwarber in left field and Jorge Soler in right. Heyward prevented the Cardinals from getting swept in a three-game series on Sept. 20 at Wrigley when he moved to the gap in right-center to catch Addison Russell's fly and then made a strong throw to home plate to nail Anthony Rizzo to help preserve a 4-3 victory.
It was one of the 122 defensive runs Heyward has saved since 2010 -- the most in the majors over that span.
"It's like he has a time clock in his head," La Stella said.
Heyward's clock with the Cubs now is running.
