Loading ...The Shot Heard ‘Round The League
Written by Thomas on April 15, 2010 – 12:53 pmWhen Jason Heyward made contact with Carlos Zambrano’s first inning 2-0 offering on Opening Day, I began yelling “Get out!” while the ball was in the air. Moments later I realized how foolish this was as the ball had easily carried the right field fence and landed deep into the Braves’ pen. It then dawned on me that Heyward’s blast was quite possibly the hardest hit ball I had ever seen. Since the beginning of Spring Training, Braves fans have been bombarded with numerous Heyward comparables from players, coaches, and members of the media, the most notable of which may have been Bobby Cox comparing the sound of a ball off Heyward’s bat to that of Henry Aaron’s. Following a second inning Heyward double against the Cubs last Wednesday, Peachtree TV analyst Joe Simpson stated, “There’ve been a lot of comparisons from this guy drawn to people like Fred McGriff, Dave Parker, and some others, but that line drive, John (Smoltz), reminded me of Dave Winfield and how hard he used to hit the ball”. While I’m sure Joe has his reasons for this comparison, it would be nearly impossible to research how hard those players actually hit the ball. We can, however, look at how hard contemporary players hit it and put the magnitude of Heyward’s first homer into perspective.
After visiting Hittrackeronline.com, a website designed by engineer Greg Rybarczyk that scientifically estimates homerun distances, it becomes apparent that we have a potential monster on our hands. Over one week into the season, Heyward’s first long ball, which traveled an estimated 476 feet according to the website, remains the longest homerun to date (the next closest belongs to Baltimore’s Luke Scott at 456 feet). In fact, Hittracker’s archives show that it was the longest homerun hit in Turner Field since Mark Teixeira hit one 480 feet in September of 2007!
More importantly is the speed with which the ball left Heyward’s bat (estimated at 120.9 MPH). While it may not matter if a homer scrapes the fence on its way over or carries all the way to “Sky Field” on the scoreboard, homerun distance is a reflection of bat speed which is a pretty good gauge of a player’s strength. Since 2007 only 5 long balls have come off of bats faster than the one Heyward hit off of “Big Z” which is a testament to the athlete’s raw power. Of course, the Braves are not looking for a player who can win Home Run Derbies, but this raw power combined with plate discipline makes for a scary out.
Tags: Home Run, Jason Heyward, Opening Day
Posted in General | 5 Comments »
By gtmurff on Apr 15, 2010 | Reply
Consider this: Four Braves players have hit a total of seven long balls this year. Our current leader (with 3HRs) is a 20-year old who's had less than 2-weeks in the bigs. I'd say the future is bright for Heyward.
By Connor on Apr 15, 2010 | Reply
Good stuff. I'm curious how Glaus' homerun compares from last night, that balled was absolutely crushed as well.
By Connor on Apr 15, 2010 | Reply
ball*
By gtmurff on Apr 16, 2010 | Reply
Interestingly, Hittrackeronline.com doesn't have Glaus' HR listed yet. I'm new to that site, do they usually miss some?
By Castrologist on Apr 16, 2010 | Reply
I watched the swing and I didn't like it at first. Watching Chipper Jones swing, now that's a thing of beauty. I am learning to like Heyward's swing. His game yesterday was amazing. If not for an unbelievable play by the Padres second baseman, he would have reached base safely all four times. Let's hope he keeps it up this weekend against the Rockies.