Pittsburgh Pirates: Potential 2021 All-Stars

CLEVELAND, OH - SEPTEMBER 27: Ke'Bryan Hayes #13 of the Pittsburgh Pirates bats during the game against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field on September 27, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - SEPTEMBER 27: Ke'Bryan Hayes #13 of the Pittsburgh Pirates bats during the game against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field on September 27, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) /
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PITTSBURGH, PA – SEPTEMBER 04: Ke’Bryan Hayes #13 of the Pittsburgh Pirates in action during game two of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park on September 4, 2020 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – SEPTEMBER 04: Ke’Bryan Hayes #13 of the Pittsburgh Pirates in action during game two of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park on September 4, 2020 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /

Third Baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes

We’ll start with the obvious choice. Ke’Bryan Hayes entered the 2020 season as the top prospect in the Pirate farm system. After being promoted to the MLB level in September, he went on to show way he was such a highly touted prospect.

After being added to the main roster by the Pittsburgh Pirates, Hayes murdered the baseball. 92.8 MPH exit velocity was 4.5 MPH higher than league average and his 55.4% hard hit rate was nearly 20% higher than the league average. The way Hayes crushed the baseball led to him hitting for a .376/.442/.682 slash line to go with a .306 ISO and a wRC+ of 195 in 95 plate appearances.

In addition to his remarkable offense, Hayes is a gifted defender. He won back-to-back minor league Gold Glove Awards at third base in 2018 and 2019, and flashed elite defense at hte MLB level in 2020. Honestly, Hayes may already be the best defensive third baseman in the NL.

There is little doubt that Hayes will represent the Pittsburgh Pirates in the MLB All-Star Game multiple times in his career. Do not be surprised if that first trip to the Mid-Summer Classic came in 2021.