Baseball America posted their regular Ask BA column yesterday and this question caught my interest.
Both Jason Heyward and Mike Stanton had hugely successful rookie sesons. From here out, who do you see being the more productive of the two? Does Heyward become Ryan Braun, Nick Markakis or somewhere in between? Is Stanton closer to Ryan Howard or Adam Dunn?
John Botelho
Rockland, Mass.Heyward and Stanton are so talented that it's hard to find good comparisons for them. Heyward has more on-base ability than Braun and more power than Markakis, and I see him becoming a .320/.420/.550 hitter in time. Stanton is a big-bodied slugger a la Howard and Dunn, but he hits righthanded and is much more athletic than they are. Howard has more power while Dunn draws more walks, so I see Stanton as closer to Howard.
Wow! .320/,420.550 would be the best hitter in baseball, no? Stanton equal to Ryan Howard? Where do I sign up?
Who would you rather have in 2011?