The Pittsburgh Pirates saw a lot of struggles through the 2020 Major League Baseball season. However, one of their top prospects made a big time impact in his debut.
If you are a Pittsburgh Pirates fan and you do not realize the talent Ke’Bryan Hayes has, then you must not have been watching much this season. Hayes, the Pittsburgh Pirates top positional prospect entering the 2020 season, made his debut on September 1st. This was a long awaited debut that culminated in an impressive 24 games stretch.
Hayes quickly inserted himself in the National League Rookie of the Year conversation. This is the first time since Andrew McCutchen in 2009 that the Bucs have had a rookie burst onto the scene from day one. Overall, Hayes gave a lot to look forward to for the 2021 season, batting .376/.442/.682 with five home runs.
Also, the Pittsburgh Pirates prospect played elite defense at third base, making a lot of impressive plays, which led to him having a plus-four defensive runs saved rating and 8.9 UZR/150 (measures defensive range over the course of a full season with 0 being average). All this has led to the push for Ke’Bryan Hayes to win the National League Rookie of the Year Award.
In a normal season, Hayes would not have been eligible for the award, between not having enough at-bats and days in September usually does not count towards a player losing rookie status. So can Hayes win the award both this year and next being he would still be considered a rookie? As it turns out, this will not be the case for any player who meets the 45 day requirement, including games in September, the innings pitched or at-bats threshold, or if the player wins the award. Susan Slusser, of the San Francisco Chronicle, gave an update on the award this season:
Everything in Hayes profile is there that one would want to see out of a future core player. That is exactly what Hayes is, much like McCutchen before him; the Bucs prospect needs to be counted on as a player to build around. Either way, Ke’Bryan Hayes had a big, but short rookie year for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He definitely deserves to be in the conversation for the award, but most likely will not win it, but he does have a chance next season.