The Los Angeles Dodgers took a chance on former World Series champion Jason Heyward this offseason, and their move seems to be paying off.
Heyward, 33, has impressed early in spring training, which has led to talk that he is likely to make the Dodgers’ Opening Day roster.
In Wednesday’s spring training game against the Texas Rangers, Heyward crushed a home run.
On Thursday, Heyward showed off his glove with a nice catch in left-center field.
Heyward is a five-time Gold Glove winner, so defense has always been his strength. The question is whether he will be able to contribute at the plate for Los Angeles.
Heyward batted just .204 with a .555 OPS for the Chicago Cubs last season. He’s now changed the mechanics of his swing, and looks totally different at the plate—which seems to be yielding good results.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts previously said that Heyward is looking good to claim an outfield spot with the team.
If he keeps this up, Heyward might just end up as the Dodgers’ starting center fielder.
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