For the fantastic finish Ke’Bryan Hayes had to his first month in the major leagues, getting eight consecutive hits over his final three games, he was more amazed by the way he started his Pittsburgh Pirates career.

“I got my first hit off Jon Lester,” Hayes said of the 36-year-old Chicago Cubs left-hander. “When he debuted, I was 9 years old.”

The wide-eyed wonder Hayes displayed off the field disappeared when the 23-year-old rookie third baseman was on it, as he slashed .376/.442/.682 with seven doubles, two triples, five home runs and 11 RBIs in 24 games.

That was the shame of the shortened season, as Hayes alone was making the Pirates worth watching. In his last eight games, he was 16 for 31 (.516) with four doubles, three homers, four RBIs and eight runs scored. He followed a 5-for-5 performance Saturday with a single and a homer Sunday at Cleveland. On Monday, Hayes was named NL Rookie of the Month for September.

“I think there’s a lot of people that want to watch Ke’Bryan Hayes play 162,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said.

That’s especially true of National League Rookie of the Year voters, who have to consider whether to put Hayes on their ballots despite his playing in less than half of the Pirates’ 60 games this season.

“He had what, four or five bombs, 11 or 12 RBIs and hit .380 and is Gold Glove-caliber?” Shelton said. “I don’t see why his name shouldn’t be thrown in the mix.”

Ke’Bryan Hayes is the one I can see this affecting. His killer final stretch puts him right there with Cronenworth and Bohm in the NL race, but the #Pirates third baseman ended the season with 85 AB.

If he wins ROY, he’s ineligible in ‘21. If he loses, he’s eligible again. https://t.co/olRK4vgbIF

— Sam Dykstra (@SamDykstraMiLB) September 27, 2020

Hayes was known for his great glove in the minors, but it was his hot bat that put him into the conversation with two NL infielders who are considered Rookie of the Year front-runners: Jake Cronenworth of the San Diego Padres (.285, with 15 doubles, four homers, 20 RBIs in 54 games) and Alec Bohm of the Philadelphia Phillies (.338, with 11 doubles, four homers and 23 RBIs in 44 games). Pitchers Devin Williams of the Milwaukee Brewers, Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Sixto Sanchez of the Miami Marlins also are top candidates.

Ke'Bryan Hayes caught Jake Cronenworth in @baseball_ref WAR

If the season was another 20 games, maybe he wins Rookie of the Year?

Curious to see how many votes he's gonna get for this amazing 24-game stretch

— Mark Simon (@MarkASimonSays) September 27, 2020

Shelton noted that Wil Myers was voted AL Rookie of the Year in 2013 despite playing in only 88 games. Myers slashed .293/.354/.478 with 23 doubles, 13 homers and 53 RBIs, beating a field that included shortstop Jose Iglesias, pitcher Chris Archer and outfielder J.B. Shuck.

For Hayes, the thought never really crossed his mind when he made his major-league debut Sept. 1 after spending most of the summer at the alternate training site in Altoona. A bout with covid-19 caused Hayes to miss all of summer camp with the Pirates and sapped his strength at the start of the season in late July. A month later, he felt fresh.

“I was just so excited to finally get the opportunity to come up here,” Hayes said. “Just wanted to show what I could do and go out there, try to play to the best of my ability. Each day I try to go out there with a fresh, clean slate, whether I went 0 for 4 or 4 for 4. I try to go out there with my same approach each day, each at-bat and try to make every play on defense.”

The bad news for Hayes is his season came to a halt amid his red-hot hitting streak. The good news? If Hayes doesn’t win Rookie of the Year this season, he’ll have a clean slate and still be eligible for the award next year.

---

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)

---