Ke’Bryan Hayes’ push for the 26-man roster
One of the Pirates’ best prospects is third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes. Currently, the youngster ranks as the 41st best prospect all throughout the minors according to MLB Pipeline. Hayes’ overall Triple-A slash line of .265/.336/.415 might not look too great, but this was after he struggled in the first half of the 2019, partly due to injuries.
In the second half of the 2019 season, Hayes posted a .290/.337/.435 line. Six Of his 10 home runs came in the latter half of the season as well. You don’t need to worry about his fielding. No other third base prospect has both 60 grades for his overall fielding and arm. Don’t forget about his athleticism, as he was given a 55 run grade.
Hayes will almost certainly take over as the regular at third base at some point in 2020. However, the Pirates don’t have a reason to place him on the active roster out of Spring Training. Both Colin Moran and Jose Osuna will make a decent enough platoon until Hayes is ready if he needs more Triple-A seasoning. But a very good spring, especially if Moran and/or Osuna struggle, could change the Pirates’ minds.