Pirates impressed with Ke'Bryan Hayes' defensive instincts at 3rd base

Derek Shelton was the first to pump the brakes on the hyperbole surrounding the defensive play of Ke’Bryan Hayes by reminding everyone there was a seven-time Gold Glove third baseman in Colorado by the name of Nolan Arenado.

Now, the Pittsburgh Pirates manager marvels on a nightly basis at Hayes’ ability to stay under control and play the position like a seasoned veteran whose instincts are as good as his glove and who makes difficult plays appear effortless.

“It’s something we’ve talked about,” Shelton said. “This kid’s a baseball player.”

Hayes had Shelton shaking his head again Wednesday night, when he saved a run from scoring in the 1-0 loss at the Cincinnati Reds with a play that served as a reminder of his acute awareness.

After Shogo Akiyama singled to left in the fifth inning, Hayes cut off Adam Frazier’s throw and caught Akiyama in a rundown between first and second. When Curt Casali tried to score from third, Hayes stopped and spun to throw to the plate, where catcher John Ryan Murphy chased Casali down the third-base line to tag him out.

“Just for him to be aware of what the runner was doing behind him — I know his back was turned to him — but to be able to adjust, set his feet, make a good throw,” Pirates pitcher JT Brubaker said, “was big time.”

As much as the Pirates are pleased with his approach at the plate, where Hayes is batting .304 (14 for 46) with two doubles, two triples, two home runs and five RBIs in his first 13 games, his defense has been impeccable. Hayes has no errors in 37 total chances, with one double play in his six putouts, and has a flair for the spectacular.

“What really strikes me is that he just looks really comfortable on a baseball field,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said. “He does things on the field that speak to his just ability to see the game and what’s happening and slow the game down.”

Hayes raised eyebrows when he made an over-the-shoulder basket catch on a Maikel Franco popup in foul territory down the left-field line look easy Saturday at Kansas City.

Makin' it look easy.#LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/4vEMnG0qRQ

— Pirates (@Pirates) September 13, 2020

Cherington is impressed by how the 23-year-old Hayes has shown incredible instincts since his Sept. 1 debut against the Chicago Cubs, when he fielded a Javier Baez dribbler down the third-base line and threw home to force out Kris Bryant. Hayes forgot how many outs there were, so he skipped the easy play. To Cherington, what overshadowed Hayes’ mistake was how he made the difficult play look routine.

“For a very young defensive player in the big leagues for the first time, to make that play, to have the touch to make that throw on the run the way he did, it’s just a really good play,” Cherington said. “So whatever the outs were and whatever he was thinking at the time, the fact that he could make that play speaks to just how comfortable he is on a baseball field. I’m pointing that out because … that’s actually very rare that he would ever be confused in a situation. Even when he was, he’s able to make just a really, really good play. So yeah, he’s a fun guy to watch, fun guy to be around, certainly important to us.”

Important enough that Shelton has started Hayes at third base in 13 of 16 games and moved him up into the No. 2 hole in the batting order. Hayes credits his father, former major league infielder Charlie Hayes, with instilling the importance of being so good defensively that his glove will keep him in the lineup every day.

Ke’Bryan Hayes won three consecutive Gold Gloves in the minor leagues, and his defense was so effortless Pirates color analyst John Wehner predicted before Hayes’ debut that he soon would become the best third baseman in the National League. Hayes doesn’t deny such aspirations.

“I only want to get better,” Hayes said before his debut. “I want to win one up here. It was very special for me, each year that I won it. Throughout the year, I wouldn’t really think about it. I would just try to be locked in every pitch. Every ball that was coming to me, in my early work, in my defensive work that I do, I just try to make it as game-like as possible. That way whenever I’m in the game, it doesn’t feel weird to me.”

Instead, Hayes looks natural even when he is making plays that leave his opponents in disbelief. Kansas City’s Whit Merrifield tried to catch Hayes playing behind the bag by laying a bunt down the third-base line, only for Hayes to barehand it and throw him out by a half-step.

Pirates first baseman Josh Bell laughed when Merrifield later told him he couldn’t believe Hayes made the play and griped that the scouting report failed to mention his gold gloves in the minors.

“He’s just an awesome third baseman to watch, for sure,” Bell said of Hayes. “The kid’s spectacular, and he’s showing it. He’s a lot of fun to watch. It’s definitely a show when he’s on the field.”