MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — On the heels of winning back-to-back Rawlings Gold Glove Awards, Indianapolis third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes continues to flash the leather.
Known for his defensive prowess at the hot corner, Hayes has had little trouble taking opposing hitters to task in the field, and he’s off to another solid start as the 2019 campaign is in full swing.
A 6-foot-1, 210-pound third baseman, Hayes has just one error in 31 games this season, good enough for a .987 fielding percentage. For his career, he carries a .971 fielding percentage.
It’s nothing new for the player who was taken by the Pirates in the first round in 2015 out of Concordia Lutheran High School in Texas. In 2017, he posted a .974 fielding percentage, which was a new Florida State League record. He followed that up with a .978 percentage a year ago to lead all minor-league third basemen.
Brian Esposito, who coached Hayes when he was in Single-A ball with the West Virginia Power and now serves as the Indians’ skipper, has seen it firsthand.
“He’s a solid defender, man,” Esposito said of Hayes back in 2016 after a game in Charleston, West Virginia. “He’s got some real good habits. He sees a lot of things a lot of infielders don’t see.”
Those unseen habits, Esposito said, dealt with seeing the ball off the bat, seeing hops, position himself to make the play at all different angles and making good throws.
“He’s got good hands and his footwork is real good, as well,” Esposito said. “So, defensively, he’s a pretty good third baseman.”
Hayes, 22, showcased his skill set before the season as he joined the Pirates during spring training, catching the eyes of a few scouts along the way.
One scout told our John Perrotto that Hayes could be ready for the big leagues by around June, “if the Pirates want to push him.”
He would with him bring the fact that he’s never committed more than eight errors in a single season and has posted a career range factor of 2.63 since debuting in professional baseball in 2015.
Even with the backing of solid defense, Hayes told me back in 2016 that he knew his bat would need to come along much better than it has been.
He’s been able to hit for some power at times, but his focus would likely be on improving his consistency. He carries a respectable career .283/.359/.395 slash line.
This year, he’s hit just one home run while driving in 16 runs. He’s doubled 14 times. Overall, he’s hitting .260 for the year with a .394 slugging percentage to go with a .349 on-base percentage. His 14 doubles leads the International League.
Over his past four games, though, he recorded six hits in 17 at-bats (.353) and collected three RBIs.
His hitting won’t translate to big numbers at the major league level — not yet anyway — but his defense could outweigh that.
“He might not hit 30 homers a year but he could hit 20, and if he hits 20 with his defense then he’s a valuable player,” the AL scout said during spring training.
Hayes said a year ago that “making an error is more embarrassing than striking out.”
TRIBE’S TOP HITTERS
Here’s the Indians’ top hitters over the past week:
Jason Martin, OF — 5-for-17 (.294), one home run, one double, four RBIs, two stolen bases
Will Craig, 1B — 5-for-20 (.250), two RBIs, one double
Jacob Stallings, C — 4-for-9 (.444), three doubles, three RBIs
TRIBE’S TOP PITCHERS
Top starting performance: Alex McRae took a no-hitter into the sixth inning in a 4-2 win against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre He tossed 6.2 innings of one-hit ball, striking out five and walking just two. The win is his second in a row after being roughed up for five runs three starts ago. He’s 3-2 on the year with a 5.40 ERA.
Top reliever: Jake Brentz pitched two shutout innings in a 6-1 win against Lehigh Valley. He struck out three while not allowing a single hit in his Triple-A debut.
THE ROSTER MOVES/INJURY UPDATE
Here’s the roster moves over the past week:
5/9: RHP Clay Holmes recalled by Pittsburgh
RHP Montana DuRapau has contract selected by Pittsburgh
5/10: OF JB Shuck outrighted to Indianapolis. He is wearing No. 15.
OF Patrick Kivlehan traded from Pittsburgh to Toronto
RHP Luis Escobar is wearing No. 16
THE RESULTS/SCHEDULE
The Indians went 3-2 over the past seven days with a postponed game Sunday because of rain. The Tribe has outscored opponents 21-16, losing a series to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, 2-1, and besting Lehigh Valley in both of their games. A six-game homestand begins Tuesday with a three-game series against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, followed by three games with Norfolk.
