What should the Braves do with Heyward and Freeman

by gondeee on Jul 23, 2009 9:05 AM EDT in Braves Minor League News

The two hottest things in Mississippi this season are the Braves top prospects Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman. After starting the year at hi-A Myrtle Beach, the Braves promoted both of them to double-A Mississippi and they have hardly missed a beat. In fact, Heyward is batting .100 points higher at the higher level against tougher competition. Could he be one of those guys that strangely gets better as he gets closer to the majors because pitchers are more likely to be around the plate at higher levels?

Not only is Heyward hitting .100 points higher in double-A than he was in A-ball (.296 to .396), but he is getting on base more (.369 to .476) and he is hitting for more power (.519 to .679), though only one of those extra base hits is a homerun so far. The strikeouts -- only 4 compared to 8 walks. Jay-Hay is an offensive machine.

Freddie Freeman hasn't lost much either. His average hasn't suffered (.302 to .298), and while his on-base percentage is down a bit (.394 to .333), his power is up (.447 to .509), including 2 homeruns. He too is not strikeing out that much -- 4 strikeouts to 3 walks.

These eye-popping numbers -- especially by Heyward -- are causing many fans to call for these guys to get promoted to the majors at some point this season. But is that the most prudent thing to do. After all, they did start the year at A-ball. This could just be two players having a hot two weeks, or maybe the league has not adjusted to them yet.

My take is that they should stay in Mississippi for the remainder of the regular season. The M-Braves don't really have a chance of making the playoffs, but the triple-A Gwinnett Braves do. Last year the Braves promoted Heyward from low-A to hi-A for the playoffs, I'd like to see them do the same thing this year and promote Heyward and Freeman to Gwinnett if the G-Braves make the playoffs.

I don't think either guy should be promoted to the majors this season. Let them play it out in the minors, then assign them both to the Arizona Fall League and see if Heyward can give the Braves organization back-to-back AFL MVPs. Then next spring give each guy a super-long look, much like they did with Tommy Hanson last spring, and if Heyward especially is ready, give him the right field job. If not, he can only gain more confidence in triple-A.

There's no need to rush these guys up this year, but what do you think. Vote in the poll.

Poll

How fast should the Braves move Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman?

Keep them in double-A this year

522 votes

Move them up to triple-A this year

739 votes

Call them up to the majors this year

151 votes

1412 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

I'd like to see more..

At AA before I make any judgements. They’ve been there for what, 2 weeks?

http://www.capitolavenueclub.com/

by PWHjort on Jul 23, 2009 9:21 AM EDT via mobile reply actions

I'm with you on this

The numbers are eyepopping, but I think we still don’t have quite the sample size we need. Not to mention I want to let their opponents see them a couple of times each, and adjust to their approach.

Let’s talk after another 50-100 PA.

by Sid Bream's Moustache on Jul 23, 2009 9:46 AM EDT up reply actions

I too would like to see a larger sample at AA. I have confidence they will do great, but I would rather see them prove themselves over a longer period then get burnt like FYF or Schafer did. If they kick ass the rest of they year they will be on the same path Hanson was on. Next year they start at AAA and get their footing.

BTW FYF has a .324 .324 .459 .784 line with the mets. that is his best stat line since his rookie year. Again, FYF sucks, just talking sample size.

hindsight is 20-13 just like Ted William actual vision- ken tremendous

by heapofoatmeal on Jul 23, 2009 11:00 AM EDT up reply actions

HAHA

that means he hasn’t walked yet.

Pete Rose was actually banned from baseball for teaching Jeff Francoeur how to play. He made up the gambling stuff to hide his shame.

by VivaLosBravos on Jul 23, 2009 11:43 AM EDT up reply actions

Actually, if you can believe it....

He hasn’t walked since June 19. What a joke of a player.

http://www.capitolavenueclub.com/

by PWHjort on Jul 23, 2009 12:44 PM EDT up reply actions

Which is fine

If you make good contact. IF.

Pete Rose was actually banned from baseball for teaching Jeff Francoeur how to play. He made up the gambling stuff to hide his shame.

by VivaLosBravos on Jul 23, 2009 1:24 PM EDT up reply actions

Not really.

Q: If on-base pct is so important then why don't they put it on the scoreboard? -Failcoeur

A: Because the Braves don't want to show their fans how bad you suck.

by timmy3 on Jul 24, 2009 5:48 PM EDT up reply actions

I think.........

They should stay in the minors this season. I like the idea of promoting them to AAA and if they fail send them back to AA for the begiining of next season. The AFL should also be a great experience for both of them. Bottom line: DONT RUSH

by AlRoBraves95 on Aug 3, 2009 9:52 PM EDT up reply actions

I like the idea of both Freddie and Jay-Hey staying in Mississippi for the remainder of the season. There’s really no sense in rushing their development to the Bigs. We have Casey for one more season and after that Freddie should be ready to take over first. Heyward I think could possibly ready by next season. Let him finish the year in Mississippi and then play out the AFL and Spring Training and see what happens. These two guys along with some of the other young talent in our farm system will make the next few years very exciting for Braves fans.

by GoBravesNC on Jul 23, 2009 9:22 AM EDT reply actions

Agree 100% with this

by l0stnumber on Jul 23, 2009 11:41 AM EDT up reply actions

I agree that they shouldn't be rushed up for the sake of rushing them up, but...

…if they keep up the pace they’re on now, I have no problem with calling one or both of them up in September when the rosters expand just to see how they handle big league pitching. Not a permanent move by any means, but maybe a week-long call up to see how they handle it and maybe they can help the ballclub out if we’re still in a division or pennant race.

http://hobnailboot.wordpress.com/

by AuditDawg on Jul 23, 2009 9:33 AM EDT reply actions

+1

by pancanbra on Jul 23, 2009 12:10 PM EDT up reply actions

If they’re killing AA, go ahead and move them up to AAA. If they kill AAA too, then there’s no reason they can’t be called up in September when rosters expand. At a minimum, it rewards them for their superior years and gives the Braves a chance to see how they fare against major league pitching in games that count. The Braves’ major league offense is working great right now, so there’s little reason to disrupt it and thrust rookies into the mix prematurely. But they can certainly provide some extra bench help in September. I’d guess Heyward is almost a lock to start in Atlanta next year barring a bad spring training while Freeman will probably start in AAA.

by redwards95 on Jul 23, 2009 9:42 AM EDT reply actions

Financial circumstances

If you call them up in September you a) start their service time clock for both Arb and FA and b) burn an option on a 20-year old (assuming they don’t start 2010 with the big club). I’m not saying the Braces shouldn’t call them up in September, but if they do they better have a good reason.

http://www.capitolavenueclub.com/

by PWHjort on Jul 23, 2009 9:52 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions

IMO....

Heyward’s worth a longterm deal now.

Don’t even mess with the whole Super Two crap, just give him an 8-10 year deal and bring him up whenever he proves he’s ready.

Q: If on-base pct is so important then why don't they put it on the scoreboard? -Failcoeur

A: Because the Braves don't want to show their fans how bad you suck.

by timmy3 on Jul 24, 2009 5:48 PM EDT up reply actions

Let em hang out at AA the rest of the season, or finish in AAA if they continue this pace, although i think they will come back to Earth in a few weeks. I don’t see an immediate need for them on the current team with the way it is clicking. If we were out of the pennant race, i might be acceptable to a September callup, but i think we’ll be playing meaningful games down to the wire, so i don’ t think there will be many chances for them to get their feet wet. There’s no need to start the clock early for a handful of at-bats in September.

"Ohhhh Shit."-Bobby Cox, 3/28/09

by 10-4 on Jul 23, 2009 9:50 AM EDT reply actions

Your idea is purrrfect,,,

A man walks into a meat shoppe and goes to the counter. The cashier asks, "Thinking about buying some meat?". The man replied, "No, I'm going to buy meat, I was thinking about punanny."

by bwellnjonesco on Jul 23, 2009 9:57 AM EDT reply actions

Jay-Hey

I really believe Heyward will probably follow Hanson’s path to the major leagues. He’ll probably spend the rest of this year in AA, maybe end the season in AAA, spend a long time with the club in spring training next year before returning to AAA to start the season and then finally be called up in late May or early June of 2010.

Freeman, from what I’ve read on him, could use a little more polish so it could be a little while before he’s in the bigs, but I’d be surprised if he didn’t make the club out of spring training in 2011, and he’ll most likely get a look in 2010.

But, I could be wrong.

by beeswax on Jul 23, 2009 9:59 AM EDT reply actions

Playoffs

Small sample size with those AA stats.
I’d have them play out the year in AA.
If Gwinnett makes the playoffs (1.5 games behind the WC slot at the moment), then move them to Gwinnett for the playoffs.

by Drom John on Jul 23, 2009 10:27 AM EDT reply actions

Leave them in AA....

…at least until after August 24, when I supposed to see Mississippi play!

"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone." A. Bartlett Giamatti

by sddbaker on Jul 23, 2009 10:41 AM EDT reply actions

I would promote Heyward to AAA if, after the next 4 weeks or so, he is still putting up ridiculous numbers. Contrary to popular belief, AAA is not just washed up 4A players. AA is the biggest test for a prospect and that makes sense why the Braves use it as the barometer of future success before calling ppl straight up to the bigs, but AAA is still better competition. Freeman should stay in AA for the rest of the year. He’s having a good season at such a young age, but he is at the right level of competition right now. He is at least being challenged slightly (which Heyward is clearly not).

http://www.whensidslid.com

by garriscp on Jul 23, 2009 11:08 AM EDT reply actions

Off-topic

Kelly activated. Conrad optioned.

http://www.capitolavenueclub.com/

by PWHjort on Jul 23, 2009 11:20 AM EDT via mobile reply actions

NOOOO BROOKSY, COME BACK!

Yunel is the Queen of Hearts

by GoBravesNY on Jul 23, 2009 11:31 AM EDT up reply actions

good

by sddbaker on Jul 23, 2009 11:31 AM EDT up reply actions

about Kelly...

Bad about Brooks…rather have him than Norton on the bench.

by sddbaker on Jul 23, 2009 4:14 PM EDT up reply actions

No! Why not Norton or Diory?

by Zeus12888 on Jul 23, 2009 11:32 AM EDT up reply actions

I think Norton has compromising pictures of Bobby Cox or Frank Wren. In a perfect world he’d have been released by now.

by John Holton on Jul 23, 2009 5:59 PM EDT up reply actions

I’m surprised no one has suggested trading them for Adam Dunn…and no, I’m not suggesting that the Braves do that.

by John Holton on Jul 23, 2009 11:21 AM EDT reply actions

If anyone thinks they should come to the majors this year, they're stupid

by Zeus12888 on Jul 23, 2009 11:32 AM EDT reply actions

Lesson from history...

Who was the last guy we promoted from AA after a hot two weeks there? Now he’s playing with the Mets and can’t get the ball out of the infield…

I’m not saying these guys will turn out like Francoeur if we call them up this season, but why rush things? Let them get ready, then bring them up. Some extra seasoning in the minors can only help them, and it might stop their heads from getting too big.

by tchoup on Jul 23, 2009 11:47 AM EDT reply actions

Andruw hit 385 homeruns being promoted from AA to the Majors. You cant compare Heyward and Freeman to Frenchy, because they both know what a walk looks like, and Heyward has great plate discipline. Back to the question though. There is no need to rush them because the big club is clicking on all cylinders. Ask this question before the Rockies series, and I wouldn’t have minded Heyward in right instead of Frenchy. At that time I was happy with Diaz. But there is no need to rush these guys at all. Polish them maybe even into the season next year and call them up. And Kotchman’s defense is superb and I in know way wan’t to see him leave that team. Some people just love to see a homerun but Kotcmans defense makes my panties wet!!!!

Baseball is my life

by That a boy on Jul 23, 2009 12:01 PM EDT up reply actions

Uhm

Francoeur spent over half a season with Mississippi. And that was after he’d finished at Mississippi the previous season. Heyward has only spent 2 weeks at Mississippi.

And if you’re going to use Francoeur as an example (which doesn’t fit this case), how about Brian McCann as a counter-example? He played less than 50 games at AA and was called up, and hasn’t stopped hitting since.

Not saying we should call up Heyward or Freeman, just saying, that example sucks. Frenchy had the same problem at AA that he has at the majors, we just didn’t know what we were looking for. Heyward and Freeman certainly don’t have those issues.

by Bronn on Jul 23, 2009 12:05 PM EDT up reply actions

Uhm...

I didn’t say he wasn’t there but two weeks, I said he got hot there for two weeks, then got the call, if I remember right, because he was doing so well.

The point isn’t to compare Heyward and Freeman to Francoeur, just to point out that calling someone up because he’s hit well for two weeks isn’t a good idea. You need to look at a larger sample size. McCann is a good example of what we should be doing here, letting these guys get some time there, see if they are consistent, and moving them along carefully, when they are truly ready, not because of a flash in the pan.

by tchoup on Jul 23, 2009 12:50 PM EDT up reply actions

slowly, please

I hope we take it slow with these guys. A lot of us were on the Schaefer bandwagon last year and coming out of Spring Training this year. For reasons we do not have to debate here, that did not work out so well and we shipped some mid-level prospects off for a legit center fielder. Hopefully Wren and Cox remember that next year.

On this year, unless some major injuries occure in our outfield, I can’t see Heyward getting the call. Especially considering PWHjort’s point on the arbitration clock and using up an option. That’s stuff I never think about, but certainly necessary to consider.

by hollerin' brave on Jul 23, 2009 11:56 AM EDT reply actions

Give Heyward 3 more weeks in AA

If he doesn’t fall flat on his face, I’d send him to Gwinnett. He can help them push for the playoffs and stay with them for a playoff run. If his numbers completely drop off, I’d let him finish the season with Mississippi.

Freeman needs to finish out with Mississippi regardless. I think he’s still adjusting to the superior pitching he’s seeing, and he needs to make sure to remain patient and take his walks. I think there’s a decent chance he goes on some kind of power surge, like he did last season, but I really want to see if he can post a good average and OBP over the remainder of the AA season.

by Bronn on Jul 23, 2009 12:10 PM EDT reply actions

I forsee Heyward making a push to make the roster next year. He’s hitting everything and everybody and he even put on a good performance early on in training camp last year. He could end up being like Schafer this year (except hopefully not sucking when he makes the team). Or, he could end up being like Hanson, starting the year at AAA and then getting called up in June for financial reasons. I don’t see Freeman getting a shot at the big league club till at least 2011.

by pancanbra on Jul 23, 2009 12:13 PM EDT reply actions

Both should be September callups. However if one of our OF’s goes down I would not hesitate bringing up Heyward. He’s a special talent. Could easily be on the same path as Andruw Jones who in 1996 moved up to AA ball at roughly the same time as Heyward. By August 15th of 1996 Jones was in Atlanta.

by dw12 on Jul 23, 2009 1:14 PM EDT reply actions