Should Baltimore Orioles Be Concerned About Veteran's Terrible Start?

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Austin Hays isn't worried about his horrific start to the season, but should he be?

Apr 7, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Baltimore Orioles outfielder Austin Hays (21). / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

It seems like everyone on the Baltimore Orioles is hitting these days. Entering play on Friday, the Orioles have launched at least three home runs in five straight games and have won four in a row. They lead the majors in homers and the American League in runs.

Not everyone's been contributing to Baltimore's hot start, however. Jackson Holliday has been ice-cold to start his MLB career, going 1-for-25 over his first seven games.

Meanwhile, Austin Hays has been nearly as bad, going 3-for-41 with 11 strikeouts to open the season and batting just .073/.136/.073.

When asked about his early-season funk, the slumping outfielder isn't ready to hit the panic button just yet.

Austin Hays on his slow start to the season:

“I know things will turn around for me and we are going to look up at the end of the season and this might be the best season of my career that’s how the game goes” pic.twitter.com/AEE1iWUZVK

— 𝙆am Brice (@kambrice1tv) April 19, 2024

Hays is confident he'll turn things around at the plate eventually and is still optimistic that 2024 could be his best season yet.

Hays' sluggish start is surprising given how consistent he's been the past few years. From 2021 to 2023, he slashed .261/.313/.439 while averaging 18 home runs and 66 RBIs per season. Last year, he made the first All-Star team of his career.

While Hays' 2024 is off to a disappointing start, the 28-year-old still has plenty of time to turn things around. His walk (6.8%) and strikeout (25.0%) rates are nearly identical to last year, so that's encouraging. He also battled an illness earlier in the season that caused him to lose 10 pounds and sapped his strength, which he appears to be recovered from.

Still, Hays' batted ball data is concerning, even in a small sample size. His average exit velocity (85.9 mph), average launch angle (5.3 degrees) and hard-hit rate (33.3%) are all well below his career norms. While bad luck has played a part in his rut (.100 BABIP), it doesn't explain all of it.

Fortunately, the Orioles have more than enough talent to replace Hays internally if his struggles continue. If he doesn't start hitting soon, he could be in danger of getting benched or traded.