NewsHeisey hustling his way through Minors
Reds prospect climbing ranks, on verge of callup
Chris Heisey's play in Double-A earned him a selection to the 2009 All-Star Futures Game. (Jamie Squire/Getty)
By Steve Gartner / MLB.com
07/23/09 1:25 PM ET
LOUISVILLE -- Chris Heisey hits a grounder toward third base and takes off toward first Tuesday during a game for Triple-A Louisville against the Buffalo Bisons. While most players jog out a simple groundout, Heisey dashes down the first-base line. The throw from third to first is high, and Heisey makes the most of this extra second. He's safe. Heisey's hustle is one of the many things that has expedited his path up the Reds' Minor League system. After just three years, he's on the cusp of becoming the next prospect to make the jump to the Majors. "He's a very talented young player, who's really on the fast track," Bats manager Rick Sweet said. "Potential-wise, he can be an everyday player." Since joining the Bats on June 26, Heisey has been an everyday player in the outfield. He had hit .347 with 13 home runs and 40 RBIs in 71 games for Double-A Carolina before his promotion. And when he came to Louisville, he didn't experience the drop-off in production many young players do when moving up in an organization. "He stepped right in and continued what he was doing in Double-A ball," Bats hitting coach Smokey Garrett said. "He kept hitting the ball and wasn't intimidated." Although Heisey had made a quick jump, he wasn't always the can't-miss prospect he looks like today. The Reds drafted Heisey in the 17th round of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft. And he didn't come from a college with the tradition of an LSU or a USC -- he attended Messiah College in Grantham, Pa. "Don't know where it is," Sweet said. "Don't care about any of that stuff. I don't look where he came from. He does a lot of good things. He's probably the first one to come out of there. " Heisey, who is 24, was just happy to be drafted. He knew the jump from a Division III school to even the Rookie League in Billings, Mont., would be huge. "We might have had one or two guys who could hit but probably not good enough to play at the pro level," Heisey said. "It was a big change. The hardest jump to me was coming from college to pro ball." Yet the transition wasn't that bad for Heisey at first. He led the Rookie League in hitting when he started. But then reality set in, and he experienced the first slump of his pro career. Heisey did manage to break out of it, however, and finished with a .286 average that first season. "Right away I felt like I could do this," Heisey said. "For whatever reason after [the slump], I could hit. Once I had the success, it was a matter of putting it together." Heisey was promoted to Class A Dayton in 2007 and to Chattanooga, the Reds' previous Double-A site, at the end of 2008. He started at Double-A again this season and his play earned him a selection in the 2009 Futures All-Star Game in St. Louis. Garrett said he has seen only a few players ascend at Heisey's rate, with the most recent being Reds outfielder Jay Bruce. "He just stepped right in like he's been here all along," Garrett said of Heisey coming to Louisville. Sweet said he sees many parallels between Heisey and Bruce. "The way they've moved up, and their games are alike," Sweet said. "They're both guys in clutch situations that you want up there." Heisey has continued to swing the bat with the same consistency as he had with Carolina, which led to Sweet placing him third in the Bats batting order, a big responsibility for a player who has just joined the team. "They're going to give you pitches that you have to make adjustments [on]," Bats infielder Kevin Barker said. "He's going to have to make them quicker than most. It's a tough spot to be in." In that difficult position, Heisey has succeeded. He's hit .312 with three homers and 16 RBIs in 20 games. Sweet said it was important to get off to that good start. "For a young guy, coming here and struggling can take a toll on you," Sweet said. "It makes your season longer. I think if he keeps making adjustments every day, he's going to be a good player." The adjustments are what will take him to the next level. During a three-game stretch earlier this month, Heisey was just 2-for-15. "He needs to realize just how good of a baseball player he is," Sweet said. "I see him as a guy who's just finding out how good of a player he can be." Heisey showed he's starting to grasp that potential later in the game Tuesday against Buffalo. He drew a 3-2 count and then cleanly ripped the ball just inside the third-base line for a double. The Reds could take a look at him if they fall out of contention and begin to call up prospects. "Obviously you think about it," Heisey said of the prospect of playing for the Reds. "But I don't dwell on it. I can just go out there every day and do my best." Especially to beat out those groundouts.Steve Gartner is an associate reporter for MLB.com This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
