Pirates A to Z: Ke'Bryan Hayes shined at 3B but bothered by left hand injury in rookie year

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 Anthony Alford to pitcher Miguel Yajure.

Player: Ke’Bryan Hayes

Position: Third base

Throws: Right

Bats: Right

Age: 24

Height: 5-foot-10

Weight: 205 pounds

2021 MLB statistics: Hayes batted .257/.316/.373 with 20 doubles, two triples, six home runs and 38 RBIs in 96 games.

Contract: Not eligible for arbitration until 2024.

Acquired: Selected by Pirates in first round of 2015 MLB Draft.

This past season: Thanks to a spectacular September that saw him slash .376/.442/.682 with seven doubles, two triples, five home runs and 11 RBIs in his first 24 major league games, Hayes entered the season as the Pirates’ top prospect and a favorite to win NL rookie of the year honors.

After injuring his left hand in the second game, Hayes spent the first two months of the season on the injured list. And that’s where he finished a rookie year that began with promise but ended in pain.

“Like anything that comes at him, both positive or with adversity, he handles in stride and continues to move forward,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “I think it’s challenging when you’re a rookie.”

Hayes said he felt a shooting pain shoot down his left wrist, a mystery injury that affected his swing. After reaggravating the injury, Hayes spent 60 days on the IL. Upon returning in June, he went 2 for 4 with a triple in his first game back, hit a two-run homer in his next game and an eighth-inning double the following game.

WHAT A THROW FROM 3B ????

Ke’Bryan Hayes makes an unreal play @BRWalkoff

(via @MLB)pic.twitter.com/ljlh5iz6x8

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 27, 2021

But Hayes made headlines for all the wrong reasons against the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 8 when he was called out on a home run after failing to touch first base in the first inning of a 5-3 loss. The Pirates would lose their next 10 games, their worst losing streak of the season.

Worse yet, Hayes endured the first slump of his major league career. He batted .209 (9 for 43) over the next 12 games, even as he stretched his streak of reaching base to 27 games. Hayes noticed that teams were playing to his opposite-field gap power, shading the center fielder toward right and positioning a fielder over second base in a shift.

“It’s just human,” Hayes said. “You’ve just got to find ways whenever you’re in a slump to be able to get out of it, hunt the good. Whenever you hit the ball hard and if it gets caught, you can’t be too discouraged about that.”

Where Hayes hit .273 in June, his batting average dipped to .245 in July and .223 in August. Shelton wasn’t expecting Hayes to replicate the ridiculous numbers he put up through his first 24 games, so he focused on accentuating the positives: Hayes ranked in the 98th percentile in outs above average (13) and had a good hard hit rate (45.8%), with an average exit velocity of 90.2 mph.

“I think we knew this was going to happen,” Shelton said. “He came in last year, and we stayed 100% in the Centrals, and then he only plays in two games early. I think people are making a little bit of adjustments to him, and we’re very confident that he’ll make an adjustment back. But I’m not concerned with him in the least bit. I think with young kids, you’re going to see ebbs and flows, and I don’t think anybody thought we were going to see the ebb or the flow with him because he started off so well. He’s gonna be fine.”

And he played elite defense, recording 16 defensive runs saved, even though he fell short of the minimum innings requirement by Rawlings to be eligible for a Gold Glove. That didn’t stop him from making highlight-reel plays at third, including a phenomenal backhand stop and throw from foul territory to get Yadier Molina out on June 27.

WHAT A THROW FROM 3B ????

Ke’Bryan Hayes makes an unreal play @BRWalkoff

(via @MLB)pic.twitter.com/ljlh5iz6x8

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 27, 2021

“He is incredibly mature and very clear on what he needs to do to be a great defensive player,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said. “He has an incredible capacity to separate his game and compartmentalize his game. We see guys, even veteran players at the major league level, who, every once in a while, you can see an at-bat creep into their defense, and I can’t think of a time in two years when I’ve seen that with Ke’Bryan. It’s just remarkable consistency on the defensive side of the ball. He makes plays that are routine plays. He makes plays that look routine but are actually hard, hard plays that he makes look routine and you take for granted, and he also makes some spectacular plays. So he’s fun to watch out there.”

The Pirates moved Hayes out of the No. 2 hole in the batting order, bumping him up to the leadoff spot on Sept. 5 after trying eight players there following the Adam Frazier trade. Hayes boosted his numbers with a solid September, slashing .296/.310/.383 with four doubles, a home run and 10 RBIs — including his first career walk-off hit to beat the Washington Nationals, 4-3, on Sept. 10 — before feeling a familiar “zing” sensation on Sept. 27.

WHAT A THROW FROM 3B ????

Ke’Bryan Hayes makes an unreal play @BRWalkoff

(via @MLB)pic.twitter.com/ljlh5iz6x8

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 27, 2021

Hayes blamed a cyst that developed in-between the index and middle fingers on his left hand. The Pirates shut him down for the final week.

“It’s a different location on his wrist. It’s a different sensation,” Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said. “In April, he was dealing more with pain and true discomfort. Here, this is more general wrist soreness. We’re working through what his availability is both short- and long-term.”

The future: After consulting with hand specialists, Hayes didn’t appear concerned about the long-term affects of the injury. He was prescribed rest, which was typical of the start of his offseason routine.

“I usually don’t start swinging until the middle of November anyway so it’s only two or three weeks from my normal time when I start hitting,” Hayes said in early October. “Once I get with my (physical therapist) and stuff and see what limits I have from lifting, I’ll be back lifting within two or three weeks of when I get home. That’ll be my main focus when I get home, to get my PT and stuff like that and get back in the weight room and get my legs and all that back under me.”

Late last month, Cherington said that Hayes visited two specialists and no “invasive intervention” was necessary and didn’t expect the hand to impact his offseason training.

Hayes admitted the left hand bothered him a bit all season. Now, he has to prove that his midseason struggles are behind him, whether he’s batting leadoff or in the second spot, just ahead of Bryan Reynolds.

The Pirates are counting on Hayes to be one of the cornerstones of their rebuild, so they have their fingers crossed that he remains healthy and rebounds in his sophomore season.