Hayes has been best fielder at third base
WASHINGTON — The Pirates don’t really do subtle well. They’ve lost by football scores such as 21-0 and 18-4 this season. Meanwhile, their upswings have been nothing short of spectacular — comeback and walk-off wins, Oneil Cruz’s debut, some solid individual performances.
What Ke’Bryan Hayes has done defensively this season fits squarely in the far-fromboring category. Seriously, when’s the last time you saw someone with seven errors by May 22 lead the entire sport in SABR defensive index, the all-encompassing metric used to determined Gold and Platinum Glove winners?
Hayes was at 7.7 when those figures were released June 19, better than everyone else regardless of position. Among third basemen, he appears positioned to unseat the Cardinals’ Nolan Arenado, who has won the past nine Gold Gloves at the position.
The dichotomy to Hayes’ stat line has been strange to see, but it also speaks to his ability as a fielder, his range and how he’s able to get to more balls than anyone else.
“There are sometimes situations where guys are gonna get errors because they’re really good,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “That sounds screwed up, but it’s because you get to more balls, whereas guys who don’t move as well might not make as many errors just because they don’t have as many chances.
“The other thing we see with Key is he makes a lot of really, really tough plays look easy, stuff you take for granted. He got a ball [Monday] on a tweener hop that he made look like a Sunday afternoon in the park.”
An appreciation for Hayes’ range and smoothness is easy when you see him every day. And Shelton is absolutely right — there have been an incalculable number of plays where Hayes gives himself a chance of making the play just because he’s so darned good.
The numbers also bear out how many opportunities Hayes is creating for himself. No third baseman has had more total chances than Hayes’ 230 entering Wednesday’s series finale. He also led all third basemen in assists (155).
If you look at FanGraphs’ calculation of range runs saved (RngR), Hayes is at 4.2, leading all third baseman and ranking second among all qualifiers regardless of position. Arenado, for context, is second among third basemen at 2.5.
“I think that’s why the advanced metrics are so important because we can see that he makes a lot of plays other people don’t make,” Shelton said. “A couple of his errors have been on balls that just took bad hops. He got caught in between. I think that’s why being able to gauge defense moving forward is so important.”
The nontraditional numbers for Hayes continue to paint an incredible picture, one that’s obvious to those who watch him play regularly. Nobody at any position has more than his 15 defensive runs saved, per FanGraphs. His ultimate zone rating (4.6) and UZR/150 (10.0) are also tops among third basemen.
Put simply, Hayes has to be considered the front -runner for a Gold Glove at season’s end.
A new toy
One thing Hayes said has helped his defense this season has been the PitchCom technology worn by pitchers, catchers and select fielders. The wearable device informing others of pitch calls is generally worn by those who play up the middle — the shortstop, second baseman or center fielder — but Hayes said one was unused and he asked to try it.
“That has helped me a lot with anticipation,” Hayes said. “Normally, the shortstop would relay off-speed [pitches], but now I know when they’re throwing a twoseam [fastball], when they’re going inside or outside. I can place myself where I feel like is the best position to get a read on the ball.”
He’s been doing it for about the past month — ironically about a week past the time of his last error.
Medical updates
Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk met with the media Wednesday and offered a few medical updates:
• David Bednar (low back) wasn’t available Wednesday, but the Pirates hope he will be again “in the coming days.”
• Blake Cederlind (right UCL reconstruction) has started throwing sides.
• Greg Allen (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment this weekend with LowA Bradenton.
• Dillon Peters (lower back) was at PNC Park on Wednesday. His rehab is going well, and next steps are being determined. Sounds like he could be with the club this weekend.