For once, everyone should be jealous of Atlanta.
Not because it is an airport that is somehow characterized as a city (yes, I stole that joke from "Futurama," 1999−2003). At one point it might have been known for being home to Ludacris, but then he went and did a song with some 15−year−old pre−pubescent Aaron Carter−wannabe named Justin Bieber. And it isn't because of the Atlanta Hawks (no one cares about that team anyway), Coca−Cola, or anything having to do with Ted Turner — I hate to break it to Conan, but the only time I ever watch TBS is when it has on old episodes of "The Office." But hey, it's his business if he wants to have "Tyler Perry's House of Payne" as a lead−in.
There is only one reason to envy Atlanta: It gets to watch Jason Heyward, the best young hitter in baseball. All the Braves' rookie has done in his first 12 games in the majors is hit a three−run home run in his first at bat against the Chicago Cubs, hit .302 with a 1.004 OPS, and drive in 15 runs, tying him for second in the National League in that category. To top it all off, Heyward capped his first two weeks in the bigs with a walk−off, two−run single in the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies on Sunday to give Atlanta the 4−3 win. How's that for an introduction?
A lot of young prospects in baseball get overhyped. Heyward is just 20 years old, but after a spring in which he smashed cars outside of the Braves' spring training complex and drew comparisons to the likes of Ken Griffey Jr., Albert Pujols and even Hank Aaron — that last one from his manager, Bobby Cox — he has lived up to the billing as the best prospect in baseball so far this season.
Granted, it is still early. There is still time for Heyward to be the next Jeff Francoeur, the former young gun in Atlanta who had a few great years early but has since seen a decline in his numbers. Or he could even be Jeremy Hermida, a star−caliber player with all the tools who has never fully put things together. But my guess is that he will continue to back up the hype. I'll go out on a small limb, at the very least, and say that he isn't the next Alex Gordon, Brandon Wood or Andy Marte — all top−10 prospects who have fizzled at the Major League level.
Now, as a Red Sox fan — despite the team's slump of late — I probably don't have much of a right to be coveting what the Braves have, even if I have had to endure watching an outfield of Hermida, Bill Hall and J.D. Drew for the last week or so. But I can't help wishing that I could watch Heyward playing for my team for the next 10 years.
It reminds me of 2005, when the Sox traded Hanley Ramirez to the Florida Marlins for Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell. I can't complain about that deal too much, since it did help bring a second World Series trophy in a four−year span. But I still feel like I was cheated out of watching one of the best young players in the game in his prime. To this day, I wonder what it would have been like to have Ramirez in a Boston uniform.
I just hope Braves fans realize how lucky they are. A player like Heyward doesn't come along very often, and they get to see him every day. I mean, how many guys nowadays are being mentioned in the same breath as Hank Aaron, even if it was just concerning the sound of the ball off his bat?
Now if only TBS still broadcasted all the Braves games, then I would have another reason to watch it. You know, until Conan comes on.
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Ethan Landy is a senior majoring in English. He can be reached at ethan.landy@tufts.edu.
