Why Pirates believe they've found Ke'Bryan Hayes replacement on current roster

Replacing Ke'Bryan Hayes is a major task for the Pirates to figure out, as he as he was the staple in the lineup for years. There will never be a glove like his at third base again for Pittsburgh, but moving on was honestly the best thing for both sides.

Now it is up to the Pirates to upgrade on what they lost, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa has gotten the bulk of reps at third base. The clear-cut longer-term replacement option, Jared Triolo, has played shortstop. It's been kind of odd that the Bucs have been putting Triolo at shortstop, but at least he is finally hitting, and is looking like the possible top choice as a long-term answer at third base.

Triolo got off to a very slow start to 2025 and was eventually optioned to Triple-A. He came back up August 1, and he has been a new Triolo the likes of which we have not seen. Since the promotion, Triolo is batting .324 with two home runs and eight RBI. His OPS is up to .918, stemming from an on-base percentage of .418 and a slugging of .500.

Those numbers are excellent, especially considering his defense has previously won him a Gold Glove at the utility position. While this month alone may convince the Pirates better days are ahead for Triolo, there are even more metrics below the surface to reinforce the belief that he's figured things out at the plate.

This is why the Pirates are comfortable with Jared Triolo replacing Ke'Bryan Hayes.

One of the big negatives that has scorched the Pirates' offense is their sky-high ground ball rate, the fourth-worst in the game at 45.6%. Triolo, on the other hand, has a 36.6% rate with a solid 43.5% fly ball rate. That swing path is great, but he lacks a consistent hard-hit rate (36.7%). If he can boost that strength, extra-base hit power will come with that swing path.

Additionally, he has an above average strikeout rate of just 18.8% and solid whiff rate of 23%. He even walks at a really strong rate of 11.7%, so his plate discpline is very strong.

Obviously, things have not been great for him this season on the whole; Triolo is batting just .213 with an 82 wRC+. He has not exactly been the guy that he was in 2023, but he is showing signs of a stronger future. If he can become a league-average hitter with his excellent defense for a significantly cheaper price than Hayes cost, then the Pirates are in a good spot to spend elsewhere. Maybe this can be the financial way that they can finally complement their strong pitching staff.