Heisler looking for more
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What will Adam Heisler do for an encore?
The Winnipeg Goldeyes outfielder was quietly one of the most productive players in the American Association last season, though Heisler mostly flew under the radar since he's team was so far off the pace in the standings and he's not a power hitter.
In 92 games last season, Heisler hit .328 with four homers and 44 RBI while scoring 64 runs and stealing 44 bases (third in the American Association), adding seven sacrifice flies and delivering 33 multi-hit games as he was voted a post-season All-Star.
Is it possible that Heisler could do even more, now that he's got a full season in the American Association under his belt?
“That's asking a lot,” said Goldeyes manager Rick Forney. “He grew a lot as a player. This was the first season in a while that he got the chance to play every day and he took advantage of it. He matured as a hitter, he's a good defender, he covers a lot of ground (in the outfield). He made such a big difference at the top of the lineup last year, showed a lot of discipline, he uses the whole field, he takes his walks, steals bases, scores run and has some sneaky pop in his bat.
“I don't want to put the weight of the world on his shoulders by saying I expect him to do more, but I would expect him to be the same offensive player that he was last year, based on the fact that he gained a lot of experience and figured a lot of things out.”
Forney said he's undecided about whether Heisler will hit leadoff or second in his lineup, but he's confident in his ability to handle either job.
“I'm kind of flip-flopping back and forth right now. The lineup always evolves and you never know how things are going to work out,” said Forney. “I haven't made a final decision on that, but I know one thing, we're going to put him near the top of the order because of his speed.”
With Reggie Abercrombie back to patrol centre-field, Heisler, 27, figures to spend the majority of his time in left field this season, though the Goldeyes have four capable outfielders on the roster with Josh Romanski and David Rohm also joining the squad.
After four seasons in the Chicago White Sox system, Heisler burst onto the scene and immediately made his presence felt as a table-setter for the Goldeyes, making a smooth transition to independent baseball.
“Now I kind of know what to expect,” said Heisler, who was chosen twice in the MLB Draft but ended up signing with the White Sox as a free agent in 2011 after battling back from a shoulder injury. “I would say it's like when you're going back to your college town after you went to college for a year. You went back home and now you're coming back and you know what's got to happen to get going.
“My job is to get on base, steal some bags, get into scoring position and score runs.”
Since baseball forces you to live in the moment, Heisler didn't really appreciate the magnitude of his season until he went back his home base in Mobile, Alabama last fall.
“When I get home, I take that first week to hang out with family and relax and the more they talked about it, the more I got to sit back and realize it was a pretty successful year for myself and I hope to build off of it,” said Heisler, who reached Triple-A with the Charlotte Knights in 2013. “Hopefully this year we'll have more team goals that we get to accomplish.”
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