Cubs Fans: It is Okay to be Disappointed in Jason Heyward

Chicago Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein and General Manager Jed Hoyer sat on both sides of Jason Heyward in early December beaming from ear to ear.

Fresh off an unbelievable playoff run in 2015 where Chicago won its first playoff series (and playoff game) since 2003, the Cubs signed the top free agent on the market to an eight-year deal worth $184 million.

There were certainly reasons for Epstein and Hoyer to be smiling.

Heyward, who spent the 2015 season with the division rival St. Louis Cardinals, reportedly turned down more money from the reigning National League Central champions in order to sign in Chicago. The Georgia native finished his single season in St. Louis with a .293/.359/.439 slash line and knocked in 60 RBIs with 13 homeruns. Heyward finished 15th in MVP voting and won his second-straight Gold Glove award.

One of the biggest reasons why Heyward turned down St. Louis’ offer was because of the chance to play with some of Chicago’s impressive young bats.

“As everyone may have seen from the numbers that came out, I didn’t take the highest offer,” Heyward said at the time, per Tony Andracki of CSNChicago.com “But for me, a winning attitude and culture and the fact that this was such a young group that I could grow myself with and be 26 years old.”

Then-23-year-old third baseman Kris Bryant was coming off an NL Rookie of the Year performance, 29-year-old Jake Arrieta capped off an impressive season on the bump by winning the NL Cy Young Award, 26-year-old Anthony Rizzo finished fourth in NL MVP voting in his third full season with the Cubs, while youngsters Addison Russell, Javier Baez, Kyle Schwarber and Jorge Soler were all coming off impressive postseason performances.

Heyward appeared to be a perfect fit in Chicago’s lineup in the No. 2 spot because of his strong career on-base percentage, and his addition in the outfield immediately made the Cubs a stronger team defensively.

With Dexter Fowler back in center field and leading off, Heyward had a chance early in the season to put up strong numbers out of the gate. In the team’s first 22 games in April, the young left-hander batted just .224 with a .333 on-base percentage. He did drive in 12 RBIs and walked 13 times, but he struck out 19 times and did not look like a player worthy of an eight-year, $184 million deal.

Fans stuck behind Heyward, cheering him on as he struggled in May, finishing the month with a disappointing .217/.301/.301 slash line. He hit his first home run but finished the month with just six RBIs and grounded into four double plays.

As June approached, conventional wisdom suggested the former All Star would begin to heat up with the warmer weather. Heyward did hit .257 with three home runs, but he recorded just eight RBIs and struck out 21 times opposed to just nine walks.

Heyward showed some signs of coming around in June before coming back to his 2016 reality again in July. He hit just .217 in 26 games and registered five doubles, one triple, one home run and a season-low five RBIs. Additionally, his .291 on-base percentage was the lowest of the season, just behind the .301 OBP he finished with in May.

In late July, manager Joe Maddon dropped Heyward to seventh in the lineup:

Sports Illustrated contributor Joe Sheehan pointed out the level at which Heyward is currently playing, and it is not good:

When diving deeper into Heyward’s numbers, his drop in play is even more noticeable when looking at his Wins Above Replacement (WAR) and Defensive Wins Above Replacement (dWAR). In 2014 and 2015, Heyward recorded a plus-6.2 and plus-6.5 WAR with impressive plus-2.8 and plus-2.0 dWAR, but he has a meager plus-1.4 WAR and a plus-1.2 dWAR in 2015.

Heyward’s plus-1.2 dWAR is still impressive, but his overall WAR is disappointing for a guy who has never dropped below a plus-2.5 WAR in his career.

Despite Heyward’s struggles, Cubs fans have been quick to defend their big offseason acquisition.

“He’ll come around, his history suggests he will!”

“His glove alone in right field is an upgrade over anyone the Cubs would have put out there!”

Sure, there is a chance Heyward could go on a tear and become the straw that stirs the proverbial drink in Chicago come playoff time, but it is hard to imagine him working himself out of this funk anytime soon.

He did bat .357 while slugging .643 with the Cardinals against the Cubs in the playoffs last season, but in his career he has averaged just a .208/.250/.358 slash line in 13 playoff games.

Advocating for someone to ‘boo’ a player, particularly one who is on the team they support, is both childish and silly, but at this point, it is okay to stop making excuses for Heyward’s poor play. He is still a player who possess all the talent to become one of Major League Baseball’s best, but it is okay for Cubs fans to admit his struggles this season.

Will Heyward be counted on to make an impact once the playoffs come around? Without a doubt. But the fact that the Cubs boast a lineup with Bryant, Rizzo, Ben Zobrist, Baez, Fowler, Russell and rookie Willson Contreras, that means Heyward will not have to be a difference-maker in order for the Cubs to be successful.

Four months of the baseball season are in the books, and while the Cubs are still riding high atop the NL Central, it is okay to admit that Heyward has been a disappointment in 2016.