Ke'Bryan Hayes Has Pirates Excited
The Pittsburgh Pirates' ability to improve after back-to-back 76-86 seasons will rely heavily on some players bouncing back after a down 2024 season.
At the core of that is third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes, but if the early returns are any indication, he could be returning to form in 2025. Hayes got off to a solid start on Sunday, going 1-2 with a single in his first Spring Training appearance in the Pirates' 5-1 win over the Minnesota Twins at LECOM Park in Bradenton, FL. Pirates manager Derek Shelton exuded excitement over where Hayes is after numerous back injuries and believes this is the best he's looked since he first arrived in the big leagues.
LET'S. GO.
— Platinum Ke’Bryan (@PlatinumKey13) February 23, 2025
Ke'Bryan Hayes starts off his 2025 Spring Training with a hard-hit single
98.1 MPH exit velocity, .600 xBA pic.twitter.com/4Utjy2hCWH
"I don't know if I've ever been as excited about where Ke'Bryan looks or where Ke'Bryan is at since probably 2020 when he came up," Shelton said. "He's healthy. He dominated his off-season workouts. His body looks great. His swing looks good. He's made some adjustments there, and I really feel like he's going to have a strong year for us. He played 96 games last year [and] when he's on the field, we're a better team. [He's] one of the best defenders in baseball, and we're just better with him on the field.
Hayes, who won the National League Gold Glove at third base in 2023, endured the worst season of his big league career last season. He set career lows with a 0.8 Wins Above Replacement and .233/.283/.290 slash line with four home runs and 25 RBIs. After multiple stints on the IL, he was shut down for good after Aug. 17 because of back inflammation.
First look at Ke’Bryan Hayes. Couldn’t help but notice him walking around with a big smile this morning. Word is he’s feeling good, which is of course big for the Pirates. pic.twitter.com/LOPzKPWHeS
— Noah Hiles (@_NoahHiles) February 12, 2025
Those numbers paled in comparison to how he performed across the 2022 and 2023 seasons. The Pirates right-handed hitting third baseman set a career-high with a 4.4 WAR across 136 games in 2022 and he slashed .244/.314/.345 with 7 home runs and 41 RBIs. In 2023, He batted .271/.309/.453 with 15 home runs and 61 RBIs.
Hayes has also been one of baseball's best defensive third basemen, averaging 15 defensive runs saved and just over 11 outs above average over his five seasons in the big leagues.
Hayes can do it all for the Pirates and is a key piece to their success. If Hayes can stay healthy and return to form like how he played in 2022 and 2023, it'll go a long way toward helping Pittsburgh be in the race for its first playoff appearance since 2015.
