Heyward named MLB.com's top minor league player

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - Former Myrtle Beach Pelicans outfielder Jason Heyward has been named the top prospect in Minor League Baseball in MLB.com's rankings of the top 50 prospects in the game. The honor is the latest for Heyward, who was named the 2009 Minor League Player of the Year by both USA Today and Baseball America. Included on MLB.com's Top 50 list was Heyward's fellow Braves prospect pitcher Julio Teheran.

Heyward started his breakout 2009 campaign with the Pelicans after attending the Braves' Major League camp in spring training. The McDonough, Georgia native, selected by Atlanta with the 14th overall pick in the 2007 MLB Draft, was one of the most consistent Pelicans offensive performers in the first half of the season. The outfielder received his promotion to Double-A Mississippi July 3 but not before posting a .296 average, 10 home runs, 31 runs batted in and 12 doubles. The 19-year-old finished his time with the Pelicans by boosting his average 13 points over the course of a nine-game hitting streak. At Mississippi, Heyward caught fire, batting over .400 until nearly six weeks into his Southern League stint. In 47 Double-A games, he batted .352 with seven homers and 30 RBIs. Before 2009 was out, Heyward saw time in three season-concluding games with the Triple-A Gwinnett Braves and four with the Peoria Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League where he competed against the top prospects in all of Minor League Baseball. His designation marks the first time a Braves' minor leaguer has been the top ranked prospect by MLB.com.

Joining Heyward on MLB.com's prestigious list at number 34 is the Braves' prized pitching prospect Teheran. A native of Cartagena, Colombia, Teheran signed with the Braves in 2007. That year, an American League scout referred to the then-16-year-old as "the best arm I've seen," and MLB.com's projections declared Teheran possessed "the stuff and the swagger to top a rotation in the future." Entering the 2009 season, Teheran was ranked by Baseball America as the second-best right-handed pitcher and eighth-best overall prospect in the Atlanta system. In 2009, the Braves started the young right-hander at Rookie-level Danville where he recorded a 2-1 record and a 2.68 ERA in seven June and July starts. An August promotion to Class A Rome netted seven more starts, one of which was a September 2 seven-inning, shutout effort against the Charleston RiverDogs in his second-to-last appearance of the year. He completed 2009 with 67 strikeouts against just 18 walks in 81 1/3 combined innings. In two seasons of professional ball, Teheran has gone 4-6 with a career 4.11 ERA at Danville (R) and Rome (A). He is expected to begin 2010 at Rome and could debut at Myrtle Beach this season.

The Pelicans kick off the 2010 season with their April 8 home opener against the Wilmington Blue Rocks at BB&T Coastal Field. Ticket packages are currently available for the '10 campaign including season tickets, mini-plans and flexbooks, and tickets for the 2010 California-Carolina League All-Star Game at BB&T Coastal Field June 22 are also available now. For more information, contact the box office at (843)918-6000 or (877)918-TIXX.