Hayes' mechanical change fueling offensive turnaround

It was just under two weeks ago that Ke'Bryan Hayes was frustrated enough to make the change.

Back in spring training, hitting coach Andy Haines made a suggestion for Hayes to adopt a toe tape instead of a leg kick while getting to his load. Hayes didn't like it and the idea was shelved, with him hoping that being healthy would be the catalyst for a good enough offensive season. It wasn't, and by May 30, Hayes' OPS would drop to .606. Just two days before that, he wore the Golden Sombrero and struck out four times against the Mariners.

"I just didn't really like where I was at," Hayes said. "Really the day I struck out four times, first time I ever did that in my life. So I was like, 'Something's got to change' like what I'm doing isn't working.' So he had said 'do you want to try it again' and I was like 'yeah, why not?' "

While on that road trip, Hayes had an off-day to start to implement the top tap, and the results have been drastically different. A five-hit night extended his hitting streak to eight games Friday, and this third inning bloop on an 0-2 breaking ball would end up being the winning hit in the Pirates' 14-7 victory over the Mets:

There was nothing cheap about those five hits either. All were in the air, two were doubles and at least one hit went to each part of the field, three of which were pulled. In the process, Hayes became the first Pirate to log five hits in a game since, well, Hayes on Sept. 26, 2020.

"We're seeing to see hm start to pull the ball again, too," Derek Shelton said. "Hitting the ball in the gaps, but pulling the ball and pulling the ball in the air. That's important."

With those five hits, Hayes is hitting a torrid .559 over the past eight games with seven extra-base hits, 11 RBIs and just four strikeouts. In the process, that OPS that was barely over .600 a few weeks ago is now .734, which is good for a league average 100 OPS+. Hayes provides incredible value through his defense alone, so adding even an average bat makes him an impact player over the year.

The way Hayes has been hitting, though, he might not be considered just an average bat for long. There had been plenty of clamor the last few years for why he couldn't produce just ok offensive results, as his exit velocities and batted ball peripherals suggested that he should be a plus hitting. Injuries and an inability to consistently lift the ball held him back from that potential, and unless it was from his mom -- who he jokingly called his biggest critic -- he tried to block out that outside noise.

"I know what type of player I am," Hayes said. "I wasn’t happy with how I was playing on the offensive side the last year or two. I’ve been working my butt off to try to figure out how to get back to how I was having at-bats in ’20. Just trying to be aggressive up there, have my body in the right position and let athleticism take over."

It starts with that lower half. Between the left wrist and back injuries the past few years, the leg kick was not as effective as Hayes had hoped it would be. With an off-day to experiment, he and Haines were able to find something that was repeatable. Something that kept hm balanced and be able to get behind the ball better.

Michael McKenry of AT&T SportsNet had a quality look from a side view to see how that lower half has changed:

"I kind of got to a point mentally where I was trying to get back to that 2020 [season]," Hayes said. "Just trying to mirror that so bad. As you get older, your body's going to change. I had the back thing, the wrist thing, so maybe I'm not able to get back to that same set up, same type of thing. I went all in with the toe tap and so far it's worked for me. I want to keep doing what I'm doing in my work days, keep being aggressive and just keep trying to help my team."

Hayes led the way for what would be an offensive explosion for the Pirates Friday. Every starter would collect at least one hit for the first time all season, giving Rich Hill more than enough breathing room to go seven innings on 119 pitches. As a result, the Pirates were able to shake off their series loss to the Athletic's earlier this week and extend the Mets' losing streak to seven games.

"We had the off-day, and I'm really proud of them because they flushed," Shelton said. "We didn't play well the last two games of that series and they flushed it and came right back out. Right from the get-go, they did a nice job."

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THE HIGHLIGHTS

THE INJURIES

• 15-day injured list: RHP Vince Velasquez (elbow)

• 60-day injured list: 1B Ji-Man Choi (Achilles), RHP Wil Crowe (shoulder), RHP JT Brubaker (elbow), SS Oneil Cruz (ankle), LHP Jarlin Garcia (elbow), RHP Max Kranick (elbow)

THE LINEUPS

Shelton's card:

1. Tucupita Marcano, SS
2. Bryan Reynolds, LF
3. Andrew McCutchen, DH
4. Carlos Santana, 1B
5. Jack Suwinski, CF
6. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
7. Ji Hwan Bae, 2B
8. Josh Palacios, RF
9. Jason Delay, C

And for Buck Showalter's Mets:

1. Brandon Nimmo, CF
2. Francisco Alvarez, C
3. Tommy Pham, LF
4. Francisco Lindor, SS
5. Starling Marte, RF
6. Jeff McNeil, 2B
7. Mark Canha, 1B
8. Eduardo Escobar, 3B
9. Mark Vientos, DH

THE SCHEDULE

The Pirates will try to clinch the series Saturday. Johan Oviedo (3-4, 4.29) will face Kodai Senga (5-3, 3.75), with first pitch set for 4:05 p.m. I'll have you covered.

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