PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) - It was an offseason in which the Pittsburgh Pirates traded away many familiar names and familiar faces.
Josh Bell, Joe Musgrove, and Jameson Taillon were all moved to different organizations as GM Ben Cherington continues his build (not a rebuild) of the Pirates organizational talent.
So who’s left to be the recognizable face of the franchise? One name that comes up frequently in these kinds of discussions…young third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes.
The 24-year old son of former Major Leaguer Charlie Hayes joined the Fan Morning Show Monday, and will begin his first full season of big league action in just a few weeks. He’s gotten just 85 at-bats with the Pirates, but he isn’t shying away from what his future could hold in Pittsburgh: being THAT guy. The man. The “face.”
“Yeah, that would be awesome. This is the team that I was drafted by and to be able to be the face and be able to go into the playoffs and maybe one day win a World Series, I mean, that’s what you dream about doing whenever you’re little.
Either way, if I was that or wasn’t, I’m just going to go out every day and try to get better each and every day and try to make my teammates better. But either way, I’m going to go out and be the same person that I’ve always been and just try to help my team win ballgames.”
Hayes has developed an early reputation for his work defensively, as veteran Todd Frazier and many others have pointed out just how smooth he looks over at the hot corner.
“Just having my dad and my brother teaching me, they just had me way advanced as far as footwork and all that type of stuff. As I’ve gotten into pro ball, I’ve learned so much stuff that’s helped me as far as positioning and getting ready for the pitch.”
“Hitting is super duper duper hard,” Hayes said with a laugh. “Just being able to go out on defense and try to make plays for my team when I’m struggling or haven’t had good luck at the plate, I feel like that’s a thing that I can control is making sure I’m out on defense and staying focused even though I’m not having the best day at the plate.”
Hayes hasn’t been too shabby at the plate either, by the way. In his limited time last season, Hayes hit 5 HR’s with 11 RBI and a .376 batting average in 85 at-bats. He also homered in Monday’s Grapefruit League game against the Orioles to raise his Spring Training batting average to .417 so far.