Quote:
Originally Posted by brucey_72
Why is he mentally soft? What does he do? As a Cubs fan, nice to get information about a guy.
|
He doesn't have any confidence in himself at all. He's a mad tinkerer and any time he has a bad week, he goes back to dicking with his swing and it sets him into a month long slump.
He always always ALWAYS has someone/something to blame for his under-performance. His thumb, his appendix, being moved to the 2 hole, being moved to the 5 hole, his coaching, the expectations in ATL, their unwillingness to extend him, on and on and on. Heyward ALWAYS had an explanation for why he wasn't playing well and it never seemed to involve legitimate introspection. Then he up and did it again this year when he signed with the Cubs and groused about being asked to be the man in STL and cited being a complementary player in Chicago as a primary motivation.
Albert Pujols to this day bitches about being compared to Mike Trout despite being nowhere near the player Trout is because he's a legitimate alpha-male. Bryce Harper just came out in an interview and said he's the best player in baseball and you'd never hear him say anyone is better than him. Chris Carpenter once ate a baby on the mound. Incredible players believe they're the best and they will take your soul from you.
Beta males like Jason Heyward bitch about their spot in the batting order and celebrate being asked less of.
I've never been more disappointed in a player than I was in Heyward. I wanted the guy to be a Cardinal and was absolutely certain he'd unlock the potential he showed as a rookie. Then he absolutely showed me why the Braves didn't want to invest long-term in him. He has the soul of a semi-finalist. He's content just being there. He doesn't believe in himself and he doesn't have the fire that the greats have.
His role is exactly what he is now - a remarkably well compensated role-player.