Jason Heyward’s Resurgence: An In-Depth Look at the Changes to his Approach
(5/7/23) How changes to his swing mechanics and approach have led to a resurgent start to the season for Jason Heyward.
Originally published on Medium on May 7, 2023.
When Jason Heyward was released by the Chicago Cubs at the end of last season, it was widely believed that his best days were well behind him, and even fewer people believed that he would be able to be a starting outfielder again. Since signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers last off-season, Heyward has turned this perception around and is having one of the best starts to a season of his career. With a simplified approach at the plate, Heyward is showing an improved ability to identify pitches, allowing him to make high-quality contact and achieve better results at the plate.
Overview:
After a couple seasons of underwhelming offensive production with the Chicago Cubs, it was expected before the season that Jason Heyward would be, at most, a fourth outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers who could combine above-average defense and potentially near league-average offense with some batted ball luck. Through 27 games this season, Heyward has exceeded these expectations and is making a case to permanently stay in the lineup moving forward.
As shown by the table above, Heyward slashed .204/.278/.377 (61 wRC+) last season and .214/.280/.347 (70 wRC+) in 2021; with 5 Outs Above Average in the outfield over the last two seasons. So far this season, Heyward has been slashing .246/.347/.525 (135 wRC+) with 1 Outs Above Average in the outfield. Heyward has seen increases in Slugging Percentage and Isolated Power this season, which indicates that he is making higher-quality contact, most likely the result of seeing the ball better at the plate. With a BABIP of .262, Heyward is currently not experiencing any “batted-ball luck”, and it would not be surprising if his BABIP increased towards league-average over time, raising his batting average. Jason Heyward’s improved offensive performance can be explained by two reasons: an improved approach at the plate, which has allowed for him to simplify his mechanics and tap into more power at the plate.
Change #1: Swing Mechanics
A change in swing mechanics has been one of the reasons why Jason Heyward has achieved offensive success early in the season. It appears that Heyward and the Dodgers placed a priority on simplifying his swing mechanics over the off-season, allowing for Heyward to see the ball better and produce higher-quality contact.
The images above compare Heyward’s stance from 2022 to the stance he has been using so far this season. In my opinion, there are two main takeaways from this side-by-side comparison. One, it appears that Heyward’s bat is now at a more 45 degree angle, as opposed to in the past when it has been more parallel to the ground. Second, it appears that Heyward is more “into his legs” during his stance, as opposed to waiting until the pitcher begins his delivery.
Both of these adjustments have one thing in common: to simplify Heyward’s load in order for him to see the ball better. Especially early in his career, Heyward has tended to have a lot of body movement in his load, which can make it more difficult to see pitches as they approach the plate and often resulted in weaker contact. With these adjustments, it appears that Heyward is able to identify pitches better, and therefore make stronger contact as a result.
2022 video: b13c4983–5830–45ed-8b36–372a3d3cc1a2.mp4
2023 video: f71b256b-6dbe-4166–82b6-e83e3a434c0d.mp4
Heyward’s underlying batted-ball metrics indicate that Heyward has seen a sizable increase in Barrel Rate and Hard-Hit Rate early in the season, confirming the assumptions provided by the changes in Heyward’s swing mechanics. While a 13.0% Barrel Rate and 58.7% Hard-Hit Rate is, in all likelihood, unsustainable over the course of a full season, it appears likely that Heyward’s improved ability to make higher-quality contact will be sustainable in general, due to the changes he has made to his swing mechanics this season.
Change #2: Approach
Another reason for Heyward’s impressive start to the season has been his improved offensive approach. As mentioned earlier, Heyward has focused on simplifying his swing mechanics in order to better identify pitches, and his plate discipline metrics indicate that these adjustments have been successful.
As shown by the table above, Heyward has been making contact and swinging at pitches in the zone at similar rates to the past couple of seasons, however one area where he has greatly improved is in his Chase Rate, down 11.5% from 2022 and ~10.0% from 2021. Heyward’s improved ability to not chase pitches outside of the zone has been reflected in his Walk Rate, as Heyward is now walking at one of the highest rates of his career.
With the exception of the COVID-shortened season of 2020, Heyward has not walked at a rate this high since his rookie season with the Atlanta Braves. In addition to the aforementioned increase in Barrel Rate and Hard-Hit Rate, Heyward’s improved approach has also led to an increase in his wOBA and xwOBA.
Given that Heyward’s wOBA and xwOBA are identical, it gives me reason to believe that Heyward’s offensive production so far this season is not simply due to “batted-ball luck” but rather due to a focused effort to improve his approach at the plate in order to make higher-quality contact and draw more walks, which can lead to more reliable, sustainable offensive production.
Concluding Thoughts:
With a simplified approach at the plate, Heyward is showing an improved ability to identify pitches, allowing him to make high-quality contact and achieve better results at the plate. Simplifying his swing mechanics has allowed for Heyward to see the baseball better on the way to the plate, lowering his Chase Rate which has led to more walks and an increased ability to tap into his raw power. In conclusion, Heyward has been off to an impressive start to the 2023 season, and if he can sustain his improved quality-of-contact, he can be an important piece of the Dodgers lineup for the remainder of the season.
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