How Has Ke’Bryan Hayes Turned His Season Around? Pirates Manager Weighed In

The Pittsburgh Pirates go as Ke’Bryan Hayes does. In wins, Hayes is hitting .298 with a .705 OPS. In losses, he’s hitting .206 with a .573 OPS.

Over the past two weeks, both the Pirates and Hayes have been red hot. Since June 19, Pittsburgh is 9-5, including a six-game winning streak. Hayes has played in 12 of those 14 games and is hitting .364 with 10 RBIs. He’s currently riding an 11-game hitting streak.

Prior to the streak, Hayes had struggled at the plate. He was hitting .226 with a paltry 57 wRC+, in large part due to a 50.5% ground ball rate. While he’s still hitting the ball on the ground frequently, he’s begun going to the opposite field more often. 10 of his sixteen hits during his hitting streak have gone to right field, while just two were pulled.

His manager, Don Kelly, weighed in on what’s made him so successful after Wednesday’s 1-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

“He’s being aggressive early in the count,” Kelly said. “We’ve seen what he’s able to do when he’s in a good position physically. We’ve talked about the way he’s been able to get on a back program and take care of that.”

Hayes is attacking early in counts, as Kelly mentioned. 11 of his 16 hits over his streak are within the first three pitches of the at-bat. Rather than waiting and being on his heels in deeper counts, he’s swinging earlier and not letting mistakes go by.

Hayes had multiple stints on the injured list with back inflammation in 2024. He played a total of 96 games and saw his OPS drop almost 200 points from 2023. While his numbers haven’t returned to career highs, he’s starting to trend in the right direction.

Despite injuries, Hayes remains excellent in the field. He’s far and away the top third baseman in terms of outs above average. Hayes has accumulated 12 OAA, the next most as a third baseman is the Toronto Blue Jays utility man Ernie Clement with five.

The Pirates are nine games back in the National Wild Card chase. While it may be a daunting task, if Hayes stays hot and the pitching is as stellar as it’s been, Pittsburgh could find itself pushing for a playoff spot.

More MLB: Former Pirates Pitcher Placed On Leave Amid MLB Investigation