Last winter and at spring training, Braves general manager Frank Wren was asked if he would try to sign Jason Heyward to a long-term contract, as Tampa Bay did with Evan Longoria early in his rookie season and Milwaukee with Ryan Braun after his rookie year.
Last week, Wren was asked about a rumor that the Braves might consider trading Heyward after a disappointing, injury-plagued second season.
“We’ve never had one discussion about trading Jason Heyward,” Wren said. “That’s the furthest thing from our mind. That’s never come up. Nobody’s contemplated it.”
The mere fact that there was mention of the possibility says something of how bad a season Heyward had, and how perception of the 22-year-old has changed in some quarters.
Few people in baseball will be shocked if Heyward bounces back from an alarming second season — .227 average, .319 on-base percentage, 34 extra-base hits, 42 RBIs — with a performance in 2012 that more closely resembles his rookie season (.277/.393/52/72).
But plenty also question whether Heyward has all that it takes, including physical and mental toughness, to become a consistent, elite player year after year in the 162-game grind of major league baseball.
Moments after quashing the trade rumor, Wren said this: “The reality is Jason made some progress this season. He’s got to continue to make progress, and he’s going to be in a battle unless he continues to progress at a good rate.”
Almost as if to underscore what he had just said to a few reporters still processing that information, Wren continued: “He’s going to be in a battle for a position. It’s not a given he’s our right fielder. We’re going to go into the offseason planning with it in mind that we’ve got to have offensive production from right field. And we didn’t get that.”
Heyward was slowed by a thumb-ligament injury that diminished his power for part of his rookie season (he kept hitting for high average and OBP), and then slowed by a shoulder injury in 2011 that eventually landed him on the disabled list.
During the DL stint in June, veteran third baseman Chipper Jones commented that Heyward might need to learn to play while hurt because he could still contribute plenty and that teammates regularly played through various aches.
Heyward was back in the lineup less than a week after Jones’ comments. He hit .234 with seven homers, 28 RBIs and a .321 OBP in 83 games after returning from the DL on June 15, including a two-week period in August when he played sparingly. Rookie Jose Constanza was in the regular lineup then, while Heyward did extra work in the batting cage.
After returning to the regular lineup Aug. 19, Heyward hit .253 with two homers in his last 33 games, though he showed better plate discipline and posted a .340 OBP in that period.
Last week, a day after the Braves’ season ended, manager Fredi Gonzalez was asked if Heyward’s season could be written off as a “sophomore slump.”
“No, I don’t think you write it off,” he said. “There’s stuff that we tried during the year to try to fix him and get him better. But he’s too good of a baseball player, too good of a hitter to just write it off as sophomore jinx or whatever.”
Was Wren serving notice that Heyward really would compete for a job in spring training — Wren said offseason priorities are shortstop and outfield — or just lighting a fire beneath him?
“Some people are like, Jason needs to forget about this season,” said Heyward’s agent, Victor Menocal. “I had a great talk with Jason and he doesn’t want to forget about it, he wants to learn. It was good for him as far as his growth and what he wants to do to have a successful career. Getting to know his body better, what he needs to work on.”
Heyward said late in the season that he still didn’t feel comfortable batting, not the way he felt as a rookie, but that he was headed in the right direction.
“He’s a young guy with a lot of potential,” Wren said. “And at the major league level, managers and general managers will tell you, potential is great, but we need production. That’s kind of where we are. We have to see production.”
When Wren was asked if the Braves might want Heyward play winter ball, he said he would reserve comment.
In the final week of the season, Heyward was asked about offseason plans.
“First, heal,” he said. “Figure out if there’s anything else I can do to get healthy. Then just go to work. I feel like I’ll most definitely put more time in in the cage. Not that I ever slacked off at any point, it’s just that when you have injuries and get away from your confidence level, you’ve got to work twice as hard to get it back.”
Heal? Did that mean something still felt wrong with the shoulder?
“I don’t know if it’s back-related, neck-related or whatever,” Heyward said. “I just feel like, get to the bottom of whatever it is. I mean, because I don’t feel like it’s better, as far as 100 percent. It still nags me. I just want to get to the root of the problem. Just take the time, because it’s my career and I owe it to myself to most definitely get that checked.”
Menocal said Heyward would be examined, but didn’t elaborate.
When Wren was asked last week if the Braves would have Heyward examined again this winter, he said, “There are no health issues.”
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