[BigRed75]

So I looked at my 30-year sim - here's what I found (major league stats only):

Jason Heyward
Started 2009 season in Rome and was promoted to Mississippi and then a cup of coffee at Gwinnett. Started back in AA in 2010 but made it to AAA midway through season and most of 2011. Got first taste of ML action in 2011 (.323/.417/.468 in 62 at-bats) with Atlanta but got claimed off waivers by Milwaukee in the off-season.

Spent all of 2012 with Milwaukee, where he hit .273/.345/.388 in 112 games with 9 HR. Sent down to AAA in 2013, only played eight games at ML level that year. Bounced between AAA and Milwaukee in 2014 and claimed off waivers by the Red Sox. Spent most of 2015 in Pawtucket, appeared in only three games for Boston with just two AB, going 1-for-2. Spent 2016 in minors (mostly AA!) and was released at end of season. Hung around without a contract for 2017 and retired on 1/1/2018

Final Major League stats:
.286 BA (135-for-472), 12 HR, 73 RBI, 11 SB, .776 career OPS in 161 games for three teams (Atlanta, Milwaukee, Boston)

Jordan Schafer
Spent first 5 1/2 season of career in Atlanta, where his best overall season was 2012 when he hit .305/.379/.525 with 22 HR and 24 SB. A 24 HR season in 2013 came at the expense of a nearly 60-point drop across all three average categories. Was traded to Milwaukee in July 2014 as a rental player before signing a four-year contract with San Francisco before the 2015 season.

Injuries dogged his career with the Giants, including a four-month spell on the DL following a concussion. Never could regain the form he had in Atlanta, but the Giants signed him to a two-year extension in 2018 regardless, only to see him get claimed by the Dodgers the following year. Bounced around to Texas and Arizona before being released at the end of the 2020 season and retiring on 1/1/2022.

Final Major League stats:
.257 BA (with 923 hits), 122 HR, 532 RBI, 151 SB, .751 career OPS in 1141 games for six teams (Atlanta, Milwaukee, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Arizona and Texas)

Freddie Freeman
Made it to the majors in 2011 with Atlanta, but didn't arrive at Turner Field to stay until 2013 when he hit 30 HR and 96 RBI in 159 games (career highs in both categories). Was traded to Baltimore in 2015, where he platooned at 1B for the Orioles' 2016 World Series winning team. Stayed with the Orioles for 5 1/2 seasons, winning a Gold Glove at 1B in 2019. His best season with Baltimore was 2017, when he hit .301/.342/.507 with 26 HR and 92 RBI in 151 games.

Was only offered a minor-league deal with the Angels after the 2020 season, but still managed to play in 130 games with Angels that season. He parlayed that into a three-year deal with Tampa Bay but was injured for most of the final year of that contract. Retired on 11/1/2024. Was a two-time Gold Glove winner at 1B (2013, 2019)

Final Major League stats:
.279 BA (1602 hits), 233 HR, 888 RBI, 970 K, .782 career OPS in 1658 games for four teams (Atlanta, Baltimore, LA Angels and Tampa Bay)

Tommy Hanson
Interestingly, he didn't make it to the Bigs until 2010, when he spent half the season in AAA and half in Atlanta. First full season was the next year, 2011 (14-14 with 3.43 ERA and 212 K). His best year in Atlanta was 2015, when he went 19-9 with a 3.38 ERA and 244 strikeouts. He became a free agent after the 2016 season and signed a 5-year deal with Toronto.

While he had a winning record in his first two seasons with the Blue Jays, his ERA was in the fives both times and he couldn't crack 200 Ks either time. Suffered his first losing record in 2019, but turned it around for his walk year in 2021 (14-9, 3.96 ERA, 235 K). He then signed a 2-year deal with the Astros and pitched fairly undistinguished ball. That was his last contract, he didn't play at all in 2024 and retired thereafter. He was a four-time NL All-Star (2012-2015)

Final Major League stats:
184-141, 2619 K, 879 BB, 4.20 career ERA in 469 games (454 starts) for three teams (Atlanta, Toronto, Houston)

Cody Johnson
His career got off to a rocky start when he was released by Atlanta after the 2009 season. Signed a minor-league deal with Houston and made it to the Show at the end of 2010. He spent the next eight full seasons with the Astros, including a .295/.354/.562 season with 48 HR and 107 RBI in 2013. He was a four-time All-Star with Houston (2012-2015) and won the 2015 Gold Glove in LF.

He signed a 4-year, $83 million contract with Colorado before the 2019 season. He spent the next seven seasons with the Rockies but could never crack 40 homers again, coming close in 2021 with 39 and 106 RBI while hitting .264/.350/.529 in 159 games. Was claimed off waivers by the Dodgers after the 2025 season and was playing okay, even signing an extension for another season until a shoulder injury forced him to retire on 9/27/2026.

Final Major League stats:
.275 BA (1963 hits), 388 HR, 1237 RBI, 1260 K, .847 career OPS in 2143 games for three teams (Houston, Colorado, Los Angeles)

Matt LaPorta
As in real life, LaPorta came up to the majors in the middle of 2009. He stuck around for all of 2010 with the Indians, smashing 40 HR and 124 RBI while hitting .273/.342/.536 in 161 games. The Indians then traded him to the Angels after that season, and he never performed as well since, eventually getting demoted to AAA in 2015. A free agent, LaPorta signed a minor-league contract with Tampa Bay for 2016 and bounced around their organisation, never again reaching the big leagues before retiring on 1/1/2019. He was an All-Star during his outstanding 2010 season.

Final Major League stats:
.259 BA (695-for-2679), 138 HR, 474 RBI, 649 K, .803 career OPS in 720 games for two teams (Cleveland and LA Angels)

Marlon Byrd
Byrd followed the classic journeyman career path for the rest of his time in professional baseball. A part-timer, he actually spent a 40-game stint in AAA in 2011 and was claimed off waivers by Philadelphia following the 2013 season. He opened 2014 in AAA and played four games for the Phils before being claimed again in June, this time by the Reds. Byrd then bounced around the majors, playing for Cincinnati, Milwaukee and Cleveland before a sore neck caused him to retire following the 2016 season.

Final Major League stats:
.261 BA (874 hits), 66 HR, 400 RBI, 52 SB, .721 career OPS in 1119 games for six teams (Philadelphia, Washington, Texas, Philadelphia (again), Cincinnati, Milwaukee and Cleveland)