In midst of subpar season, Hayes shows he can still flash value

HOUSTON -- With one out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth inning in a scoreless game Monday night, Jose Altuve hit a sharp grounder right at Ke'Bryan Hayes at third base. Hayes is a top-notch defender who usually makes tough plays look routine, but this one took a hop on him and sailed into left field to give Houston two runs on what was declared his fifth error of the season:

"I felt like it was kind of a routine ball, just kind of took a weird hop on me," Hayes said. "It's going to happen. That's not the first time and not the last time. Just gotta forget about it and get ready for the next pitch because the ball is going to keep coming back to you. For me, it sucked because two runs came in, and I was pretty p---- off. But there's still more game to play. Have to be ready for the next one."

Despite the occasional mistakes Hayes will make over at third, there's never a time in which those inside the Pirates' clubhouse doubt what he's capable of from a defensive perspective. The guy has a Gold Glove Award for a reason. That's why when Hayes made two other significant defensive plays, as well as impacting the game with quality at-bats and aggressive baserunning in the Pirates' 5-3 win over the Astros at Minute Maid Park, there weren't too many people surprised with the resilience he showed. 

"Errors are going to happen. It's a tough game," Connor Joe said. "I don't think anyone ever thinks twice about that error. The other two plays are more the Ke'Bryan we know. That's what we've learned to, kind of unfairly, expect from him. He's solid over there and everyone trusts him." 

It started with this catch on a popup near the Pirates' dugout in the second inning ...

... and continued in the sixth when he made this play on a Jake Meyers ground ball before falling backwards a bit and still delivering a perfect throw to Jared Triolo to kickstart a 5-4-3 inning-ending double play: 

“This guy is one of the best defenders, if not the best defender at third base in baseball," Derek Shelton said. "The first play just took a funky hop on him and he kind of got caught in between, but then to be able to turn the double play with Meyers running, almost from his butt, and then the popup goes over the grater or whatever they call it and for him to stay with it, two huge plays in the game.” 

Hayes didn't just impact the game with his glove and his arm. He added two walks at the plate, stole two bases and had one of the more important at-bats of the night to lead off the ninth in a 2-2 game. That was when Hayes, facing Astros closer Josh Hader, worked his way back from being behind 1-2 and fouled off two sinkers in or near the zone before ultimately drawing an eight-pitch walk. 

“I think it starts with Ke’Bryan’s at-bat," Shelton said. "Ke’Bryan leads off the inning and all of a sudden it changes the whole tenor of the inning, and then we just continued to grind through at-bats." 

Hayes' free pass helped set the stage for another walk by Triolo before Michael A. Taylor put the Pirates ahead for good with this monumental three-run home run: 

"Any time you can get on base, it's huge for the team," Joe said. "For him personally, I think walks are a great way to jumpstart your bat. Obviously he's seeing the ball well and that's the first step to turning things around. It's a great team at-bat against a really good pitcher." 

Hayes has drawn plenty of warranted criticism this season due to his inconsistent -- mostly poor -- performances at the plate. At times, it's been fair to wonder whether he was worth the eight-year, $70 million investment the Pirates made in him back in 2022, as he's hit just .239 with a .591 OPS and just 12 extra-base hits in 81 games this year. While his well-known back issue certainly hasn't helped his cause, it would be an understatement to say Hayes' ability to be a consistent offensive contributor is invaluable to the Pirates' success. And it's not just about the results. It's about having competitive, useful at-bats rather than hitting into quick outs and grounding into double plays -- something he's done a team-high 11 times this season -- to waste scoring opportunities. 

Hayes has shown glimpses of the player who hit .299 with 10 homers in 49 games during the second half of last season. The production hasn't been enough, but there's still value in a player like him. It's nights like this one that show Hayes is still capable of providing that value in the field, on the basepaths and at the plate. 

“The Hader at-bat, he had good swings off him and really let it go," Shelton said. "That’s really important as he gets going. He had the huge hit for us yesterday, but good at-bats again today. That’s a really good sign for us.”