Jacob Heyward
Heyward with the Richmond Flying Squirrels in 2021
Outfielder
Born: (1995-08-01) August 1, 1995
McDonough, Georgia
Bats: Right
Throws: Right

Jacob August Heyward (born August 1, 1995) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and current coach. He played college baseball at the University of Miami. He was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the 18th round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft, and played with the organization through the 2022 season. Following the end of his playing career, Heyward remained with the Giants as a minor league coach.

Amateur career

Heyward attended Eagle's Landing Christian Academy in McDonough, Georgia.[1] In 2013, as a senior, he batted .331 with nine home runs and 42 RBIs and was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 38th round of the 2013 Major League Baseball draft.[2] However, he did not sign and instead enrolled at the University of Miami where he played college baseball for the Miami Hurricanes.[3]

In 2014, as a freshman at Miami, Heyward appeared in only 24 games.[4] However, in 2015, his sophomore year, he broke out and emerged as Miami's starting left fielder, batting .327 with four home runs and 24 RBIs in 56 games.[5] He also batted .355 in nine 2015 NCAA Division I baseball tournament games, including batting .455 in three games at the 2015 College World Series.[6] Heyward returned in 2016 as the club's starting right fielder, hitting .242 with six home runs, 39 RBIs, and a .403 on-base percentage in 64 starts.[7]

Professional career

After his junior year, he was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the 18th round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft.[8] He signed and made his professional debut for the Rookie-level Arizona League Giants, batting .337 with one home run, 21 RBIs, and ten stolen bases in 28 games. He also played in four games for the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes at the end of the year. In 2017, he played for the Augusta GreenJackets where he batted .223/.317/.351 with ten home runs and 45 RBIs in 107 games,[9] and in 2018, he spent a majority of the year with the San Jose Giants, hitting .258/.357/.415 with 12 home runs, 47 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases in 112 games. He also played in two games for the Sacramento River Cats to end the season.[10]

Heyward began 2019 with the Richmond Flying Squirrels[11] and was named an Eastern League All-Star, earning All-Star game MVP honors.[12] He was selected to play in the Arizona Fall League for the Scottsdale Scorpions following the season.[13] He was promoted to the Sacramento River Cats at the end of the season, and finished the year there. Over 127 games between the two clubs, Heyward slashed .211/.362/.348 with 11 home runs, 47 RBIs, and 149 strikeouts in 388 at bats.[14]

He then played for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League.[14] He batted .184./.296/.421.[14]

Heyward did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[15] In the 2021 season, he played for Richmond, and batted .208 with 71 strikeouts in 202 at bats.[14] In 2022 he returned to Richmond. He batted .201/.303/.337. He elected free agency following the season on November 10, 2022.[16]

Coaching career

On March 8, 2023, the San Francisco Giants announced that Heyward had been hired to serve as the manager for one of their rookie ball teams for the 2023 season.[17]

Personal life

Heyward's brother, Jason, is an outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers.[18]

References

  1. ↑ Brian Paglia (May 1, 2013). "ELCA's Heyward makes his own path | Sports". henryherald.com. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  2. ↑ Carroll Rogers Walton. "Braves draft Jacob Heyward - updated". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  3. ↑ John Reynolds (February 7, 2017). "Beyond the U: Jacob Heyward". State of The U. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Jacob Heyward: Prospect Profile for San Francisco Giants' 18th-Round Pick | Bleacher Report | Latest News, Videos and Highlights". Bleacher Report. June 11, 2016. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Collins finds fun fit at 'The U' | Perfect Game USA". Perfectgame.org. May 5, 2016. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  6. ↑ "10 players to watch in college baseball in 2016". The San Diego Union-Tribune. June 15, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Jacob Heyward hopes to follow All-Star brother to the majors | Sports". aikenstandard.com. April 19, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Four Henry County natives selected in 2016 MLB Draft | Sports". henryherald.com. June 14, 2016. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Heyward's homer leads Augusta to win over Hickory". www.wrdw.com. Associated Press. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Jacob Heyward Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  11. ↑ O'Connor, John. "Richmond-area products Matt Winn, Connor Overton will start season with Flying Squirrels". Richmond Times-Dispatch.
  12. ↑ O'Connor, John. "MVP Jacob Heyward, Flying Squirrels shine in Eastern League All-Star Game victory at The Diamond". Richmond Times-Dispatch.
  13. ↑ Norris, Josh. "2019 Arizona Fall League Rosters Announced". www.baseballamerica.com.
  14. 1 2 3 4 "Jacob Heyward College, Minor & Fall Leagues Statistics & History".
  15. ↑ "2020 Minor League Baseball season cancelled". mlb.com. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  16. ↑ Pontes, Geoff (November 13, 2022). "2022-23 Minor League Free Agents For All 30 MLB Teams". Baseball America. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  17. ↑ Baggarly, Andrew (June 5, 2023). "Giants' Jacob Heyward, a 27-year-old manager, is reinventing himself as a baseball prospect". The Athletic. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  18. ↑ "Sherman: Heyward comes through in starring role for Miami". ESPN.com. June 16, 2015.
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