BRADENTON, Fla. – Ke’Bryan Hayes is one of the youngest players in the Florida State League this year. The Pirates aggressively pushed him up to the High-A level, despite the fact that he missed half the season in West Virginia last year with a cracked rib. He’s showing that he’s not fully developed, but at the same time he’s definitely not looking over-matched at the level.
Hayes is hitting for a .267/.346/.322 line, with his average and OBP sitting above the league averages for the pitcher friendly Florida State League, while his power sits below average. That’s even more impressive when you consider that he is 20 years old this year, and the average hitter in the league is about 23.
The short-term focus for Hayes has been on being aggressive in leverage counts, attacking pitches up in the zone, and other typical approaches for power. But for a player so young, and with plenty of room to fill out, Hayes may just need some time to add power to his game.
“We believe there’s power in there,” Bradenton manager Gera Alvarez said. “If you look at his strikeout ratio and walk ratio, he doesn’t strike out too often. You look back at the numbers, and most of the balls are barreled up. The hand-eye coordination is there, and it’s just a matter of time. It’s just a matter of time until his body matures and he gets that strength in there, and the next thing you know those balls in the gap will carry.”
Hayes shows strong plate patience, with a 15.9% strikeout rate and a 9.5% walk rate. Both of those are improvements over his numbers last year in West Virginia. The power is down, going from a .130 ISO to an .055 ISO. Part of that could be the weight he lost last year due to his cracked rib.
The trade-off with the weight loss is that his stolen bases have gone up. Hayes is 22-for-26 this year in stolen bases, including several steals of third base. Prior to this season, he was 14-for-21 in stolen bases over two pro seasons.
“I lost a little bit of weight, so I guess that made me a little bit faster too,” Hayes said. “It’s been a big part of my game, because people really don’t expect me to run. They probably do now, but at the beginning of the season they didn’t expect me to run, so I decided to start stealing bags.”
Hayes has been working with Bradenton coach Adam Godwin, learning when to run, and allowing him to combat opponents who now realize he’s a threat on the bases.
“I feel like I’ve always know when to run,” Hayes said. “But this year he’s really helped me with learning good times when to run.”
The results have been much different this year, as shown by his efficiency going from 67% in 2015-16 to almost 85% this year. If he can carry that efficiency over to the big leagues, he will provide a boost in value, adding a stolen base threat from a position that typically doesn’t produce base running threats.
What will always drive the majority of Hayes’ value is his defense. He’s the best defensive third baseman in the system, looking smooth on the field, and making what seems like a difficult play look easy every night.
“Personal opinion, I think he’s the best defensive third baseman in the league, and I think he’s showing it,” Alvarez said. “He does a great job going to his right, left, charging balls, bare-handing balls. All the plays you can think of, I’ve seen him execute. Soft hands. You look at his throws, and every throw is above the belt, accurate.”
Despite the strong defense from day one as a pro, Hayes is still working to improve at the position, noting that he’s already improved so much at the position in the last year.
“I still want to get a quicker first step quickness over there,” Hayes said. “I think that’s the biggest thing I want to get better at, at third. As you go up, balls are going to start getting hit a lot harder. Having that first step will really help.”
He’s already good in that regard, and any improvements could one day make him one of the best defensive third basemen in the majors. He’s got the hitting tools to carry that defense to the majors, with a good ability to make contact and a strong plate patience. The power should improve as he fills out his body, only helping his chances of making the majors as a starter. The added ability to steal bases will only add future value.
He’s currently the top third base prospect in the system, and doesn’t have a lot of competition. The progress so far has been good, with Hayes showing a lot of encouraging signs for his future. He’s not nearly a finished product, but a lot of things are going right, and there’s nothing really that you can rule out for him at such a young age. If he keeps this steady progression, he could be on the path to one day being the third baseman of the future for the Pirates.
