Kuzul

The first thing I will forever remember about Jason Heyward was his very first at bat as a major leaguer.

Facing a 2-0 count against a veteran pitcher in Carlos Zambrano, Heyward’s first swing connected with Zambrano’s fastball and flew into orbit, as did every Braves fan’s expectations for the 20 year old rookie.

And the guy didn’t disappoint.

Heyward was leading the Braves in homers and RBI at the end of April and continued to produce at an extremely high level in May before he got a thumb injury sliding into third against the Arizona Diamondbacks, causing him to slump and lose power before going on the disabled list for 15 days in June.

He came back stronger than ever though, hitting .356 in July, .299 in August and .278 in September.

He raised his average from pre-All-Star break at .251 to hit .302 after, leaving him at a season average of .277.

Heyward possesses what will become plus-power (he hit 17 homers as a rookie), a great ability to get on base (.393 OBP), a stunning ability to come through in the clutch (several game-winning hits), a .976 fielding percentage and he will only get better.

Now to 2011, Heyward’s second year.

The age-old question for players who impress as rookies is: Do they continue to improve, or do they take a step back?

A sophomore slump, so to speak.

I don’t see this with Heyward. After getting three months of video and knowing what looked like weaknesses to go off of, Heyward truly came through for the Braves with his impressive second half. He made adjustments to the problems that developed from his troubles with his thumb and looks to be a scary player heading into the upcoming season.

Heyward should grow into a perennial .300, 30-homer, 100-RBI, 20-steal player.

He possesses what most would consider five tools, and nothing seems to have changed after his rookie year.

This year, I think Heyward will take the next step to put closer to those numbers.

If he hits in the No. 2 hole like he did most of last year, then his RBI total will be down, but I could see a .290, 25-homer, 100-runs-type of season out of that spot and possibly in the 80 RBI range if he gets put in the sixth spot. 

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Martin Prado was as valuable as anyone in baseball to his team in the first half of the season in 2010 playing second base.

His MVP-caliber season was derailed in the second half as injuries kept him out of the lineup for a stretch in August as well as the playoffs, as the Atlanta Braves were knocked out in the first round by the eventual World Series champions, the San Francisco Giants.

Prado was elected to his first All-Star game last year as a reserve at second base, but now will find himself playing either left field or third (depending upon Chipper Jones’ rehabilitation), because of the trade for and now contract extension to Dan Uggla from the Florida Marlins.

I want to say that I thank Prado for his willingness to do what’s best for the team, especially after being its best player for the first half of the year this past season.

Prado hit .307 in each of the past two seasons with homers jumping up from 11 in 2009 to 15 in 2010. Prado hit .325 and was leading the National League going into the All-Star game until a slight slump, along with some injuries, led him to hit just .278 after the break.

Prado has been used throughout his pro career at either third or second, so there will likely be a bit of an adjustment period for him, which may hinder him slightly at the plate. Prado is one of the best pure ballplayers I’ve seen in recent years, though, so any hindrance should be short-lived and he should be back to what we saw last year in no time.

The Braves are counting on Prado to be the catalyst for this lineup in the leadoff spot and for him to learn to play left field on an everyday basis.   

While I’m not expecting him to hit .320 over the year, I would like to see him continue to hit over .300 with his good on-base percentage.

Prado is extremely valuable to a Braves team that lacks a true leadoff hitter and an injury or a slow start for him would really set this team back a bit.

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Since 2006, second baseman Dan Uggla has hit 154 home runs.

The only person to hit more over that time is Albert Pujols.

Now, the Atlanta Braves are hoping for more of the same from the 30 year old right-handed hitter.

Uggla and the Braves agreed officially today on a five-year, $62 million extension, which will keep the second baseman through the rest of his prime years as a major leaguer.

This was a huge step for the Braves, as Uggla would have been eligible to become a free agent after this upcoming season. It was also important for the Braves to make a long term deal because Uggla brings something that Braves haven’t had much of in recent seasons: A power hitter from the right hand side and really a true power hitter period.

Uggla is coming off a season in which he won his first Silver Slugger award, having hit .287 with 33 homers and105 RBI. All three of those numbers were career highs, and it looks like he may be hitting a his stride heading into the 2011 season.

His average was 44 points high than it was the year before, so that could be expected to drop down to more of the .260-.275 range, but Uggla has hit at least 30 homers in all but one season in his short career, the exception being his rookie year, when he hit 27.

So, what can Braves fans expect from Uggla?

I’d say somewhere in the .270, 30-homer, 90- to 100-RBI range, which would be a welcome number from an offense that has lacked the big time power hitter since the departure of Andruw Jones.

Uggla is solid at second base defensively, but is one-of-a-kind from the plate at the position, giving him huge value.

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