Bobby Cox and the Atlanta Braves today made it official that Jason Heyward would be the opening day right fielder for the Braves. Many had assumed this would be the case since spring training started and Heyward has done nothing to make anyone think differently. His exploits in batting practice, patience at the plate in games and overall maturity have been well documented This blog even made the case for him to hit second in the Braves' lineup. Some however wondered if Heyward's Major League debut would be delayed so that the team could gain extra time before Heyward would be eligible for arbitration. Major League Baseball is certainly as much of as a business as it is a game in this day and age and teams often have to make decisions based on their financial ramifications rather than what may be best for the competitiveness of the team.
Today it was refreshing to see the Braves make a decision based on an individual's performance and potential rather than the financial impact to the team. Atlanta officials believe that the Braves have a chance to compete for the National League East title this year and with that in mind they want to have the twenty-five best players available with them when the season gets underway. Heyward has arrived at the Major League level because the competitiveness of the team meant more to the Braves than the cost of being competitive.
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