LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla.–The Braves have a big league roster loaded with players who grew up within driving distance of Fulton County Stadium, and they made another Georgia high school product their first-round choice.

Jason Heyward has been a mainstay in East Cobb’s (Ga.) travel programs, and the Braves scout their backyard as well, or better, than any major league team, making Heyward an obvious choice.

One of the caveats in his evaluation was the fact that many scouting directors and crosscheckers that went in to see him this spring might have left without any clue of how good of a hitter he is. He’s patient at the plate, and as the targeted man of his high school lineup, some scouts say they went in to see him three games or more and saw him take fewer than five swings total. Making matters worse, his batting practice sessions were not much better, as the pitching he saw in BP was less than ideal.

The Braves and Marlins were the only two teams Heyward worked out for following his high school season, and once he got past Florida at 12, there was no doubt that Heyward was going to be the Braves guy. Al Goetz, the Braves area scout in Georiga, Alabama and North Florida, has a deep history with Heyward.

“This process started for (Braves scouting director) Roy (Clark) and his staff from the day after last year’s draft,” said Kurt Kemp, the Braves farm director who scouted Heyward last summer before he was promoted from crosschecker. Kemp is here representing the Braves along with longtime scouting director Paul Snyder and former player Ralph Garr.