(Jupiter, FL) Just as he was at the Winter Warm-Up, new St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jason Heyward has been all smiles in Spring Training.
“You’re not going to see me frown too much, especially in Spring Training,” laughed Heyward, who has been immersed in getting to know his new teammates and readying for the season.
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“It’s been fun to watch–a good guy, he’s fit in really well with the clubhouse,” shared Matt Holliday, who was among those Heyward joined for early workouts in Florida. The two also figure to be close together in the lineup this season as Mike Matheny does not plan to use Heyward in the lead-off spot.
“That’s where we’re going to start this,” confirmed Matheny. “Right now, I want Jason in a good place. I want a good place in his mind, feel like he’s going to fit in around here. He’s saying all the right things and the right thing is to say ‘I’ll hit wherever they want me to hit’, but I’ve made it clear to him we don’t need him to be something that he’s not.”
As for Heyward, he’s not worried about where he will be batting–or his pending free agency after the season.
“Play baseball,” he said of what he’s most looking forward to this year. “Play baseball for an organization that gets it, that gets the whole process of starting out in Spring Training with a goal, a mindset, and they say literally when we show up everyday for work we know we’re showing up to go play into October, and deep into October.”
LIVE PITCHING PRACTICE
–Pitching today will be Lance Lynn, John Lackey, Marco Gonzales, Carlos Martinez, Carlos Villanueva, Sam Tuivailala, Trevor Rosenthal, Jordan Walden, Sam Freeman, Tyler Lyons, Mitch Harris, Marcus Hatley, and Dean Kiekhefer.
