Pirates A to Z: Ke'Bryan Hayes proved to be an elite defender, now must improve at plate

During the offseason, the Tribune-Review will offer Pirates A to Z: An alphabetical, player-by-player look at the 40-man roster, from outfielder Miguel Andujar to pitcher Miguel Yajure.

Player: Ke’Bryan Hayes

Position: Third baseman

Bats: Right

Throws: Right

Age: 25 (Jan. 28)

Height: 5-foot-10

Weight: 205 pounds

2022 MLB statistics: Slashed .244/.314/.345 with 24 doubles, three triples, seven home runs and 41 RBIs in 136 games.

Contract: Signed for eight years, $80 million in April.

Acquired: Selected in first round of 2015 MLB Draft.

This past season: On the day Hayes agreed to the richest contract in franchise history, he left the season opener at St. Louis in the first inning with a muscle cramp in his left hand and forearm.

It was an ominous start to the season for Hayes, who spent 60 days on the injured list at the beginning of the 2021 season and vowed in spring training to make himself available to play on an everyday basis.

By the end of the season, the concerns about Hayes were related to his hip and back. An offseason injury lingered all year, affecting his performance at the plate more than anything.

When the Pirates signed Hayes to an eight-year, $70 million contract before the home opener, chairman Bob Nutting pronounced him a cornerstone of their rebuild. Drafted and developed by the Pirates, he was a three-time Gold Glove winner in the minor leagues who had quickly become one of the best in the majors.

“Given Ke’s performances, given his character, given the person that he’s become and his seven-year history with the club, it seems to be the time building around, putting that stake in the ground, having a clear path toward a real future here in Pittsburgh,” Nutting said. “Our sole goal has been to build a championship team and it takes time to do that. Sometimes, it takes too much time. Hayes is a good example of that. He’s been with the organization for seven years to get to this point. To have him committed for another eight gives us something to build around.”

Hayes was not only the best defensive third baseman in baseball but perhaps the best defender in the game. Not only did Hayes have the highest defensive runs saved (24) of the three finalists but, per FanGraphs, was worth more Outs Above Average (18), had the highest fielding percentage (.972) and the most putouts (109), assists (307) and chances (428).

“His glove is obviously elite,” Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds said, “so whenever he’s out there and anything gets hit over that way I just start jogging in from the outfield because it’s a sure thing.”

Yet Hayes didn’t win any hardware to show for it. Instead, Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado won his 10th consecutive National League Gold Glove Award, as well as a Platinum Glove and the Fielding Bible Award on his way to finishing third in NL MVP voting.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton raved about Hayes’ defense after he turned a game-saving double play in the top of the ninth against Milwaukee on Aug. 4, a game the Pirates won 5-4, in 10 innings. The Brewers had runners on second and third when Tyrone Taylor hit a sharp grounder down the third base line. Hayes made a spectacular backhand stop to prevent an extra-base hit and save two runs from scoring, then touched third base and fired a throw across the infield for an inning-ending double play.

Ke'Bryan Hayes saves the game with the double play turn! ???? pic.twitter.com/DS26g4RoIN

— Action Network MLB (@ActionNetMLB) August 4, 2022

“The play that Ke’ made, man, it’s unbelievable,” Shelton said. “We get spoiled. We see maybe the best defender on the planet almost every night. This guy’s special. That situation of the game, to make that play on that ball that’s that hard hit and have the wherewithal to step on the bag and make a strong throw, there’s a lot of defining moments but that play won the game for us. I don’t think he ever gets too high or too low but a play of that magnitude at that time, I think everybody in the ballpark was like, ‘Holy cow. That’s unbelievable.’”

The drastic difference was Arenado’s offensive output – he batted .293 with 30 homers and 103 RBIs – while Hayes had a subpar season at the plate. Hayes didn’t hit a homer through the first 40 games (and 173 plate appearances). His first of the season was a three-run shot in the top of the ninth for a 4-2 comeback win over the San Diego Padres.

Ke'Bryan Hayes' 1st HR of the season is a big one! pic.twitter.com/vRe8N2YL4J

— MLB (@MLB) May 29, 2022

Some of Hayes’ problems at the plate can be traced to what he described as discomfort in his lower back caused when he injured his hip while lifting weights during the lockout. At one point, it required a stint on the 10-day IL.

“For the most part, I’ve just been trying to find ways to really just get on the field, stay on the field,” Hayes said late in the season. “It’s kind of been frustrating. Some days, I feel pretty terrible. I tried to do what I can to where I can be out on the field and things of that nature.”

One play that hurt Hayes had nothing to do with his glove but rather what he pulled out of his back pocket. After a 4-3 loss at the New York Mets on Sept. 16, SNY analyst Todd Zeile ripped Hayes in the postgame show for having his glove off and popping sunflower seeds in his mouth as Eduardo Escobar ran by him to score from first base on a single to right field by Tomas Nido in the third inning.

Shelton called it “an unfortunate situation and an outlier situation.” Shelton discussed the play with Hayes but didn’t consider benching him or taking any disciplinary action.

“I eat seeds the whole game,” Hayes told reporters the next day. “I’ve been doing it, so I guess it just happened to be on camera. … There’s no play at third. The ball was all the way in right field, so I can see how someone would say something but I don’t really care. I’m ready every pitch. I don’t have anything to say, to be honest.

“Going forward, I can’t do that in the middle of a play, regardless of where the ball is. Moving forward, I’ll be more mindful of that. I guess I’ll only get seeds in between plays.”

The future: When the Pirates signed Hayes to the long-term deal, they did so in hopes that he would serve as both a building block and leader for a young club. Hayes had the second-most starts on the team (136), behind Reynolds, but neither player is the vocal type.

“I’m not that type of person to be like, ‘This is my team,’” Hayes said in July. “It was really cool to sign a contract, to be able to stay here, to be in their future plans and stuff like that. It makes me want to work harder and continue to try to be a better leader each and every day — not even be a better leader, but to try to get better at something every day and elevate my game to help the team.”

The Pirates might need Hayes to be more front and center this season, given their turnover and his status as their highest-paid player. What they need more than anything is his improvement at the plate.

He led the Pirates in doubles (24) and stolen bases (20) and finished second to Reynolds in games played (136) but didn’t hit for average or for power at a corner infield position. He has a 46.8% hard-hit rate and an average exit velocity of 91 mph but his barrel percentage dipped from 9.2% as a rookie in 2020 to 3.9% this past season.

Hayes was dropped from the No. 2 spot in the order and finish the season batting fifth after hitting .189 against off-speed pitches and .229 against breaking balls, including a 31.6% whiff rate. After a spectacular September 2020, Hayes’ decline can be attributed to his battles with lingering injuries but the Pirates need more offensive output.

“I think he’s continuing to develop. There’s some things offensively we’re still working on,” Shelton said. “But if you look at his defensive metrics, he’s the best third baseman in baseball.”

The Pirates are invested in Hayes and looking forward to a time when they can say that without relying so heavily on the defense.