Braves Will Make Mistake if they Send Heyward to the Minors.

I’ll be completely honest. The trade rumors that are swirling around are making my head hurt. It seems like every day there is a new name or new angle on an old rumor about what the Atlanta Braves may or may not trade away to acquire a hitter, reliever or bat-boy, or whatever you can wrap your mind around. One thing that came out a few days ago that baffled me was something that Mark Bowman from atlantabraves.com wrote about a week ago. He said, rather nonchalantly, that the Braves may be interested in acquiring Carlos Beltran from the New York Mets which would reduce the playing time of Jason Heyward in right field.

I thought that was one of the most ridiculous comments I have heard during this crazy trade deadline push. Imagine that: the Braves benching or sending Jason Heyward to the minors for 2 months of rent-a-Beltran. It seems absurd, right?

David O’Brien wrote an interesting article today for the Atlanta Journal Constitution comparing the Atlanta Braves this year with the Florida Marlins in 1997. The player that was sent to the minors was Luis Castillo in favor of Craig Counsell.

O’Brien essentially said that the Marlins’ moves were what they needed and the team came together to win the Wild Card and ultimately won the World Series. Castillo came back to the majors two seasons later and made the All Star game three years in a row and won Gold Gloves. All was well.

Much has been made about Heyward’s struggles this year. He has looked like a shell of the player he was in 2010. Compare his numbers:

Year G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO BA OBP SLG 2007 12 43 4 13 5 0 1 6 1 3 9 .302 .354 .488 2008 127 471 91 149 29 6 11 56 15 51 78 .316 .381 .473 2009 99 362 69 117 25 4 17 63 10 51 51 .323 .408 .555 2010 142 520 83 144 29 5 18 72 11 91 128 .277 .393 .456 2011 2 6 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .167 .286 .333 2011 78 263 37 58 14 1 11 27 5 31 60 .221 .307 .407 Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 7/26/2011.

Heyward is down in almost every category. The sad thing about this situation is that Heyward excelled in his first year. He fought off injuries and showed the potential that he has for everyone to see. What is remarkable is that he was only 20 years old. He had an outstanding year as he put up a 5.2 WAR. That type of production is for the elite players in the league. That is how good a year Heyward had last year.

This year his WAR is down to 1.2. Generally between 1 and 2 is a level that is replaceable. Heyward is in the realm, so there is no argument there.

But, the issue that I have with all this is that the discussion is about Heyward being moved. I think Beltran would add tremendous pop and a much needed right-handed presence against lefties to our lineup. Same with Hunter Pence. The only discussion is about Heyward. There is no discussion about Nate McLouth or Jordan Schafer being sent packing. Only Heyward.

Heyward is a better player than both McLouth and Schafer. I know that Beltran is not the center fielder that he once was. However, I would put Heyward in CF a couple times a week and Beltran in CF a few times a week. It would take some coordination, but it is something that you have to do to get your best lineup in the game.

Heyward is a sleeping giant. If the Braves send him down, they will make a huge mistake. If they acquire the bat that they need, Heyward needs to play alongside that person. That will make this team better.